ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS` ATTITUDES, PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF EARLY GRADE READING ASSESSMENT: SOME SELECTED SCHOOLS OF ARBA MINCH TOWN IN GAMO ZONE IN FOCUS

Abstract

Assessment is necessary to both teachers and students to identify learning obstacles in general, and to monitor learners` learning progress in particular. This study aimed to examine EFL teachers` attitudes, practices and challenges of early grade reading assessment in Gamo Zone, Arba Minch Town Primary Schools in academic year 2018/19. The study has aimed, specifically, to assess EFL teachers` attitudes towards assessing reading at early grade, to evaluate to what extent communicative language test based assessment of reading are practiced, and to identify the major challenges they have been facing during assessing reading. To attain this, descriptive study and mixed approach was employed in this study. Systematic sampling was used to select participants for questionnaire, and purposive sampling techniques for semi-structured interview respectively, that is, 18 primary school English language teachers participated. Data were collected using questionnaire, semi-structured interview and document review tools. The data which were collected from the respondents further interpreted, analysed, and then discussed accordingly. The study findings revealed that primary school English language teachers had positive attitude towards assessing reading at early grade. Whereas, the extent they practice communicative language test based assessment of reading was only twice in a month. They had encountered challenges when assessing reading such as large class size up to 70, some students` struggle to read letters; others were unable to read words in English, and most of them cannot read sentence correctly, subjectivity of grading, time-constraint and workload. Therefore, it is worth recommending that they should practice communicative language test approach assessment of reading ongoing and continuous classroom-based reading assessments, so as to address the demand of reading literacy at early grade.