Teachers' and students' views towards the impact of assessment practices on the teaching and learning of EFL in the Libyan higher education sector

Omeman, Ahmad Mohamed Ahmad

Abstract

This study has been conducted with the aim of investigating teachers‘ and students‘ views towards the impact of the assessment practices on the teaching and learning of English as foreign language (EFL) in the higher education sector in Libya. It also highlights the importance of language assessment practices to the process of teaching and learning EFL in Libyan universities. It investigates the positive and negative effects of the assessment methods employed in Libyan EFL Education and the problems encountered by university teachers, students and other stakeholders involved in the educational process.

To achieve this aim, the research methods of questionnaire questions for teachers, face to face semi-structured interviews with teachers and focus group interviews with students were conducted. Teachers and students from English departments in three Libyan universities were participants in this study.

The findings show that high-stakes summative assessment practices are largely dominant in the field of EFL education in Libya. Summative assessment displaces the use of other alternative assessment practices such as peer assessment, self-assessment and other formative assessment practices that can be utilised to improve EFL education. It also negatively influences the objectives of the teaching and learning process. Hence, assessment, teaching and learning practices are mainly oriented towards grading, classification and certification purposes rather than improving students' linguistic competence.

Recommendations are made concerning the changes in assessment practices that might be introduced to improve the quality of EFL education in Libya. The findings of the study helped devise a conceptual model in order to understand and explain the phenomenon of assessment impact on EFL education and to improve the teaching and learning of EFL in Libyan higher education. The model is also intended to mitigate negative impacts of assessment on teaching and learning.

Citation

Omeman, A. M. A. (2019). Teachers' and students' views towards the impact of assessment practices on the teaching and learning of EFL in the Libyan higher education sector. (Thesis). University of Hull. Retrieved from https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4222547

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jul 22, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 23, 2023
• Keywords: Education
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4222547
• Additional Information: Department of Education Studies, The University of Hull
• Award Date: Sep 1, 2019