Abstract:
The aim of this research was to investigate secondary school EFL teachers’ awareness
and practice of formative assessment in Gamo and Gofa zones, SNNPR, Ethiopia. The
study employed survey design with concurrent- mixed methods approach to collect both
quantitative and qualitative data from 204 secondary school EFL teachers using
questionnaire and interview, document analysis and observation. Based on the data,
concurrent-convergent analysis was method made thematically. The data collected
through questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively and interpreted using mean and
standard deviation to examine the participants’ awareness level of formative assessment.
In connection, interview data analysis was made to validate the results of quantitative
data analysis. Moreover, one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to
analyze quantitative data to investigate: 1/ whether teaching experience and 2/
educational qualification significantly determine the participants’ awareness level of
formative assessment. Furthermore, document and observation data analysis was made to
investigate the participants’ practice of assessment. Accordingly, the result of data
analysis revealed that the participants’ awareness of formative assessment was low. The
result also indicated that teaching experience and educational qualification didn’t
significantly determine the teachers’ awareness of formative assessment. Moreover, the
result revealed that the participants didn’t plan and put formative assessment in to
practice in English language c instruction. The results imply the problems identified might
be emanated from inadequacy of Secondary school EFL teacher education curriculum to
accommodate relevant formative assessment courses. Hence these findings are useful to
the educational authorities of Ministry of education (MoE) to evaluate secondary school
EFL curriculum of teacher education in use, revise and incorporate relevant formative
assessment courses if the curriculum lack adequacy in incorporating formative assessment
courses that can effectively orient EFL teachers. Besides, other stakeholders including,
scholars in universities and teacher education colleges can use the findings as basements
to conduct empirical researches and to make interventions to provide on job short term
training to solve the current problems related to secondary school EFL teachers’
awareness and practice of formative assessment in different contexts
