The Relationship between the Use of Formative Assessment Strategies and the Iranian EFL Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Terms of Gender and Level of Experience

Table of Contents

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Dedication………………………………………………………………………………………….………..i

Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………………………..ii

Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………………iii

Table of Contents…………………………..………………………………………………….…..………iv

List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………………..………..vii

List of Figures………………………………………………………………………………….………..viii

List of Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………….…ix

List of Abbreviations…………………………………………………………………………..………….x

Chapter I: Introduction ………………………………………………………………………….1

1.1. Overview……………………………………………………….………………………… ……………2

1.2. Background of the Study…………………………………………….……………………………………..2

1.3. Statement of the Problem………………………………………………………..…….……………….5

1.4. Significance of the Study……………………………….…………….…………………………………….6

1.5. Purpose of the Study…………………………………………………………………………………………6

1.6. Research Questions and Hypotheses……………………………………………………………………….7

       1.6.1. Research Questions……………………………………………..………………….……………..7

       1.6.2. Research Hypotheses……………………………………………………………………………..7

1.7. Definition of Key Terms…………………………………………………………………………………….8

       1.7.1. Assessment………………………………………………………………………………………………….8

       1.7.2. EFL Learners………………………………..………………..……………………………..……8

       1.7.3. Experienced Teachers………………………………………………………………………..…..8

       1.7.4. Formative Assessment………………………………………………………………………..…..8

       1.7.5. Formative Assessment Strategies……………………………………………………………..…8

       1.7.6. Novice Teachers………………………………………………………………………………….9

       1.7.7. Self-Efficacy…………………………………………………………………………………………………9

       1.7.8. Summative Assessment……………………………………………………………………………….9

       1.7.9. Teacher Self-Efficacy…………………………………………………………..…………………….9

 1.8. Limitations and Delimitations of the Study……………………………………………………………………….9

       1.8.1. Limitations……………………….………………………………………………………………9

       1.8.2. Delimitations………………………………………………………………………………………….9

Chapter II: Review of the Related Literature…………………..………………………………10

2.1. Overview.. 11

2.2. Definition of Formative Assessment 11

2.3. Brief History of Formative Assessment 12

2.4. Theory of Formative Assessment 14

2.5. Summative Assessment vs. Formative Assessment 15

2.6.  Essential Principles of Formative Assessment……………………………………………………….16

        2.6.1. Formative Assessment Is Student Focused. 17

        2.6.2. Formative Assessment Is Instructionally Informative. 17

        2.6.3. Formative Assessment Is Outcomes Based. 18

2.7.  Attributes of Assessment for Learning. 18

2.8.  Formative Assessment Implementation. 20

        2.8.1. Formative Assessment Prior to Instruction. 20

        2.8.2. Formative Assessment During Instruction. 21

         2.8.3. Formative Assessment After Instruction. 23

        2.8.4. Peer and Self-assessment……………………………………………..…………………………24

 2.9. Formative Assessment Techniques. 25

        2.9.1. Using Oral Language to Check for Understanding. 26

        2.9.2. Using Questions to Check for Understanding. 27

         2.9.3. Using Writing to Check for Understanding. 30

        2.9.5.Using Tests to Check for Understanding. 31

2.10.The Effect of Formative Assessment Strategies on Promoting L2 Instruction…………………………………33

2.11.The Concept of Teachers’ Sense of Self-Efficacy………….…………………………………………34           2.11.1. Theory of Teachers’ Self-Efficacy…………………………………………………………..35

         2.11.2. How Teachers Develop Self-Efficacy Beliefs. 37

          2.11.3. Assessing Self-Efficacy. 38

          2.11.4. Previous Studies Related to Teachers’ Self-Efficacy………………………………………………………..…39

2.12. Concluding Remarks…………..………………………………………………..……………………40

Chapter III: Method.……….………………………………………………………….………….42

3.1. Overview………………………………………………..…..………………..…………………………..43

3.2. Participants and Research Settings.……………………………………………………………………43

3.3. Instrumentation…………………………………….…………………………..……………………….44

3.3.1. Quantitative Method……………………………………………………………….……………45

• Formative Assessment Questionnaire………………………………………………………….45

• Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Questionnaire………………………………………………………….45

       3.3.2. Qualitative Method ………………………………………………………….……………………..46

• Data Collection Procedures………….……………………………………..………………………………47

3.4.1. Stage One: Pilot Testing…………………………………………………………………………47

• Pilot Testing of the Formative Assessment Questionnaire…………………….……………47

• Pilot Testing of the Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Questionnaire………………………..………47

      3.4.2. Stage Two: Administration of the Questionnaires………………………………………………48

      3.4.3. Stage Three: Interview……………………………………………………………………………48

• Design………………………………………………………………………………………………………….49

• Data Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………………….49

3.6.1. Quantitative Data Analysis………………………………………………………..…………….50

      3.6.2. Qualitative Data Analysis…………………………………….………………….………………50

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter IV: Results and Discussions……………………………………………………………………51

4.1. Overview……………………………………………………………………………………… ………52

4.2. Ensuring the Reliability and Construct Validity of the Instruments………………………………….53

       4.2.1. Ensuring the Reliability of the Questionnaires…………………………………………………….53

       4.2.2. Ensuring the Reliability of the Interview Questions……………………………………….…..54

       4.2.3. Validity Analysis of Self-Efficacy Questionnaire………………………………………………54

       4.2.4. Validity Analysis of Formative Assessment Questionnaire……………………………………57

4.3. Results of Descriptive Statistics…………………………………………………………………………..59

       4.3.1. Descriptive Statistics of Pilot Tests…………………………………………………………….59

          4.3.1.1. Descriptive Statistics of the Formative Assessment Questionnaire…….…………………..59

          4.3.1.2. Descriptive Statistics of the Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Questionnaire…….…………………60

       4.3.2. Descriptive Statistics of the Questionnaire across the Groups………………..….…………….61

4.4. Independent Samples t-Test Run for Comparing the Groups in the Pilot Testing Stage……………..63

      4.4.1. Independent Samples t-Test Run for Formative Assessment Questionnaire……………………63

      4.4.2. Independent Samples t-Test Run for Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Questionnaire………………………64

4.5. Normality Assumptions of the Tests………………………………………………………………….65

4.6. Quantitative Research Results…………………………………………………………….……………..68

       4.6.1. Results of Investigating the First Question of the Study……………………….…………………..68

       4.6.2. Results of Investigating the Second Question of the Study………………………………………….72

       4.6.3. Results of Investigating the Third Question of the Study……………………………. …………72

       4.6.4. Results of Investigating the Fourth Question of the Study…………………………. …………73

4.7. Qualitative Research Results …………………………………………………………………………….76

       4.7.1. Results of Investigating the Fifth Question of the Study……………………………………….76

       4.7.2. Results of Investigating the Sixth Question of the Study…………………………………………..77

       4.7.3. Results of Investigating the Seventh Question of the Study……………………………………77

4.8. Discussions for Quantitative and Qualitative Results…………………………………………..….….79

        4.8.1. Discussions for Quantitative Results…………………………………………………………..79

        4.8.2. Discussions for Qualitative Results……………………………………………………………81

 

Chapter V: Conclusions, Implications, and Suggestions for Further Research……………………..85

5.1. Overview………………………………………………………………………………………………86

5.2. Restatement of the Problem…………………………………………………………………………..86

5.3. Toward Testing the Research Hypotheses…………………………………………….………………87

5.4. Summary of the Findings and Conclusions……………………………………………………………88

5.5. Implications……………………………………………………………………………………….…..91

       5.5.1. Pedagogical Implications ……………………………………………..…………………….….91

       5.5.2. Implications for Language Testing …………………………………………………………….92

       5.5.3. Implications for Syllabus Design and Materials Development………………….………….…93

5.6. Suggestions for Further Research………………………………………………………………….…94

References…………………………………………………………………………………………….…..96

Appendices………………………………………………………………………………………………107

Persian Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………….134

List of Tables

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Table 3.1. Demographic Information of the Main Participant………………………………………….…44

Table 4.1. Formative Assessment Reliability Statistics……………………………………………………53

Table 4.2. Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Reliability Statistics…………………………………………………..53

Table 4.3. KMO and Bartlett’s Test ……………………………………………………………………….55

Table 4.4. KMO and Bartlett’s Test ……………………………………………………………….……..57

Table 4.5. Scale Statistics ………………………………………………………………….….…………59

Table 4.6. Group Statistics of Formative Assessment in Pilot Testing………………………….………..60

Table 4.7. Scale Statistics ……………………………………………………………………….………..60

Table 4.8. Group Statistics of Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Pilot Testing…………………………..……..61

  Table 4.9. Descriptive Statistics of the Participants’ Formative Assessment Strategy Scores across            Gender………………………………………………………………………………………………………….62

Table 4.10. Descriptive Statistics of the Participants’ Formative Assessment Strategy Scores across

                   Level of Experience……………………………………………………………………………62

Table 4.11. Independent Samples t-Tests for the Participants’ Formative Assessment Strategy

                   Scores       across Gender……………………………………………………………..…..…64

Table 4.12. Independent Samples t-Test for the Participants’ Self-Efficacy Scores across Gender……..65

Table 4.13. Tests of Normality for the Formative Assessment Strategy Scores of Pilot Testing………..66

Table 4.14. Tests of Normality for the Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Scores of Pilot Testing………………..66

Table 4.15. Tests of Normality for the Tests Used to Investigate the First Research Question……….…67

Table 4.16. Tests of Normality for the Tests Used to Investigate the Second Research Question………67

Table 4.17. Tests of Normality for the Tests Used to Investigate the Third Research Question ……….68

Table 4.18. Pearson Correlations for Formative Assessment Strategy and Teachers’ Self-Efficacy     Scores…………………………………………………………………………………………70

Table 4.19. ANOVAa for Regression Analysis……………………………………………………………70

Table 4.20. Regression Analysis: Model Summary of Formative Assessment Strategy and Teachers’

                   Self-Efficacy Scores……………………………………………………………………….….71

Table 4.21. Regression Coefficients^a……………………………………………..…………………..….71

Table 4.22. Directional Measures for Formative Strategies Scores across Gender…………..………….72

Table 4.23. Directional Measures for Formative Assessment Strategies Scores across Teachers’

                   Level of Experience…………………………………………………………………………..73

Table 4.24. Levene’s Test of Equality of Error Variances^a……………………………………….……….74

Table 4.25. Tests of Between-Subjects Effects…………………………………………………………..…74

List of Figures

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Figure 2.1. Summative Assessment Cycle……………………………………………………………….15

Figure 2.2. Formative Assessment Cycle……………………………………………………………..…16

Figure 2.3. The Cycle of Teachers’ Efficacy Judgments……………………………………………..…38

Figure 3.1. Diagrammatic Design of the Study……………………………………………….…………44

Figure 4.1. Screen plot of the underlying factors ……………………………………………………………..56

Figure 4.2. Screen plot of the underlying factors ……………………………………………………..…58

Figure 4.3. Scatter plot of self-efficacy and formative assessment strategies scores……………………..69

Figure 4.4. Interaction plot for Formative Assessment Strategies Scores, Teachers’ Self-Efficacy

                   Scores, Gender, and Level of Experience…………………………………………………….75

Figure 4.5. Interaction plot for Formative Assessment Strategies Scores, Teachers’ Self-Efficacy

                   Scores, Gender, and Level of Experience …………………………………………………….75

List of Appendices

Title_______________________________________________________________________________                                                                                                                                                      

Appendix A: Formative Assessment Questionnaire

Appendix B: Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Questionnaire

Appendix C: Interview Questions

Appendix D: Item-Total Statistics of Teacher’s Self-Efficacy Questionnaire

Appendix E: Item-Total Statistics of Formative Assessment Questionnaire

Appendix F: Total Variance Explained for Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Questionnaire

Appendix G: Factor loadings for Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Questionnaire

Appendix H: Total Variance Explained for Formative Assessment Questionnaire

Appendix I: Factor loadings for Formative Assessment Questionnaire

Appendix J: Item Statistics for Formative Assessment Questionnaire

Appendix K: Descriptive Statistics of Formative Assessment across Gender for Pilot Testing

Appendix L: Item Statistics for Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Questionnaire

Appendix M: Descriptive Statistics of Male Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Scores for Pilot Testing

Appendix N: Descriptive Statistics of Female Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Scores for Pilot Testing

Appendix O: Descriptive Statistics for Formative Assessment Scores, Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Scores, Gender, and Level of Experience