Development and Validation of a Context-Specific Learning Oriented Assessment Literacy Inventory for Iranian EFL Teachers
- Department of English, Faculty of Human Sciences, ST.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
- Department of English, Faculty of Human Sciences, Ga.C., Islamic Azad University, Garmsar, Iran
- Department of English, Faculty of Human Sciences, Imam Ali University, Tehran, Iran
Received: 2025-06-04
Accepted: 2025-12-20
Published in Issue 2025-12-31
Copyright (c) 2026 Faezeh Nemati, Bahram Bagheri, Gholam-Reza Abbasian (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
PDF views: 21
Abstract
While assessment literacy and learning-oriented assessment (LOA) have been extensively studied, there remains a lack of context-specific, empirically validated tools tailored to the needs of Iranian EFL teachers. This study introduces and validates an assessment literacy inventory designed to capture unique dimensions of LOA in the Iranian EFL context. Drawing on a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with EFL teachers, contextually relevant constructs were identified. These informed the development of the Teachers' LOA Literacy Questionnaire (TLOAQ), which was piloted and then administered to 230 EFL teachers. Factor analysis revealed three context-specific components of LOA literacy -Involving Students in Assessment, Designing Learning Tasks, and Effectiveness of Feedback-with strong reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.791). Notably, the study uncovered dimensions not previously emphasized in the literature, reflecting the unique assessment of Iranian EFL settings. The validated inventory advances understanding of assessment literacy in Iran and provides a model for developing context-sensitive assessment tools in other educational settings.
Keywords
- Learning-oriented assessment literacy,
- Assessment literacy,
- Effective teaching,
- Assessment practices,
- Professional development
References
- Alderson, J. C., & Gallagher, T. (2021). Exploring tertiary EFL practitioners’ knowledge base component of assessment literacy: Implications for teacher professional development. Language Testing in Asia, 11(8), 1–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-021-00140-6
- Almalki, G. (2019). Learning-oriented assessment: A framework for enhancing student learning. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(7), 1007–1021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1564813
- American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education (2014). Standards for educational and psychological testing. American Educational Research Association. DOI: https://doi.org/10.59863/CKHH8837
- Bachman, L. F. (2005). Statistical Analysis for Language Assessment. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667350
- Bae, J., & Bachman, F. (2010). An investigation of four writing traits and two tasks across two languages. Language Testing, 27(2), 213- 234. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532209349470
- Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman.
- Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5(1), 7–74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0969595980050102
- Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2018). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers. Assessment in Education. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2018.1441807
- Carless, D. (2007). Learning-oriented assessment: Conceptual bases and practical implications. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 44(1), 57–66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14703290601081332
- Carless, D. (2015). Excellence in university assessment: Learning from award-winning practice. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315740621
- Carless, D., & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: Enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(8), 1315–1325. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354
- Clark, I., James, M., & Pedder, D. (2023). Teachers’ perceptions of assessment literacy: Challenges and opportunities. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1217167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1217167
- Dagdag, J. D., Anoling Jr, O. C., Salviejo, R. P., Pascual, J. F., & Dagdag, J. M. H. (2020). Development of Problem-Solving Efficacy Scales in Mathematics. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(6), 2397-2405. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.080624
- DeLuca, C., & Bellara, A. (2013). The assessment literacy of K-12 educators: A review of the research. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 32(1), 14–25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2013.786023
- DeLuca, C., LaPointe-McEwan, D., & Fennell, S. (2016). The role of assessment literacy in teacher education: A review of the literature. Journal of Teacher Education, 67(4), 295-310. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487116651909
- Denis, D. J. (2021). The screen test is a poor indicator of the number of factors. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(1), 721943. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.634135
- Dörnyei, Z., & Taguchi, T. (2009). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203864739
- Edwards, A. (2020). Professional development for assessment literacy: A systematic review of the literature. Teaching and Teacher Education, 92, 103056. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103056
- Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage.
- Fryer, L., & Bovee, H. (2018). The importance of reliability in assessment: A review of recent research findings. Educational Assessment, 23(1), 1-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2018.1431357
- Garson, G. D. (2016). Partial least squares: Regression and structural equation models. Statistical Associates Publishers.
- George, D., & Mallery, P. (2020). IBM SPSS statistics 26 step by step: A simple guide and reference. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429056765
- Hair, F., Black, C., Babin, J., & Anderson, E. (2014). Multivariate Data Analysis. Pearson Education.
- Halimah Abd Halim, M. I., & Zulkifli, H. (2024). Teachers’ knowledge and confidence in formative assessment: A systematic review. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 13(2), 456–472. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i2.25116
- Harrison, D. A., McLaughlin, M. E., & Coalter, T. M. (2021). A methodological review of the content, construct, and criterion-related validity of assessment center exercises. Journal of Management, 47(1), 448-480. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206320907624
- Jawhar, M., & Subahi, A. (2020). Assessment literacy among EFL teachers: Challenges and implications. Language Testing in Asia, 10(1), 1–15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-020-00107-7
- Joachim, A., & Hashim, H. (2021). ESL teacher's knowledge and readiness on the implementation of school-based assessment (SBA) in Malaysian primary school. Creative Education, 12(10), 2391–2401. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2021.1210180
- Khodabakhshzadeh, H., & Rahimi, M. (2022). Development of an EFL teacher assessment literacy needs inventory. Language Assessment Quarterly, 19(4), 345–367. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2022.2092457
- Koh, K. (2025). Teacher assessment literacy: Bridging theory and practice in diverse contexts. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Advance online publication. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2025
- Latif, M. (2021). Contextualizing assessment literacy in non-Western settings: A critical review. TESOL Quarterly, 55(1), 123–142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.583
- López, M. I. (2023). Developing EFL teachers' language assessment literacy. TESL-EJ, 28(1), 1–20. https://tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume28/ej110/ej110a8/
- Mertler, C. A., & Campbell, C. (2005). Measuring teachers’ knowledge and application of classroom assessment concepts: Development of the assessment literacy inventory. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association.
- Pastore, S. (2022). Assessment literacy in the higher education context: A systematic review. Intersection: A Journal at the Intersection of Assessment and Learning, 4(1), 1–27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37974/johlal.v4i1.101
- Phakiti, A., Li, L., & Shi, L. (2018). A review of factors affecting rater judgments in second language writing assessment. Language Testing, 35(1), 107-133. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532217713037
- Plake, B. S., & Impara, J. C. (2005). Teacher assessment literacy: Teacher knowledge and practice. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 24(4), 30–32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.2005.00020.x
- Puspawati, N., Khansa, M., & Widiati, U. (2024). Teacher assessment literacy in EFL contexts: A systematic review. Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, 12(1), 45–62.
- Revelle, W. (2020). psy: Various procedures used in psychometry. Northwestern University. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=psy
- Rezaeifard, H., & Tabatabaei, O. (2018). Iranian EFL teachers’ assessment literacy: Perceptions and practices. Iranian Journal of Language Testing, 8(1), 89–110.
- Rubeba, B., & Kitula, R. (2024). Assessment literacy among secondary school teachers in Tanzania: Challenges and prospects. International Journal of Educational Development, 92, 102–115. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.102115
- Sadler, D. R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. Instructional Science, 18(2),119–144. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00117714
- Saglam, Y. (2022). The affective dimension of assessment literacy: Teacher and student perspectives. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(5), 765–780. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1985272
- Tseng, S. C., & Kao, C. W. (2006). Content-based instruction and learning-oriented assessment in the EFL classroom. English Teaching & Learning, 30(2), 1–32.
- Turner, C. E., & Purpura, J. E. (2015). Language assessment literacy: What do language teachers need to know? Language Teaching Research, 19(2), 157–180. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168815570928
- UNESCO. (2023). Report of the Global Conference on Promoting Literacy for a World in Transition: Building the Foundation for Sustainable and Peaceful Societies. International Literacy Day 2023, Paris, 8 September 2023. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://www.gcedclearinghouse.org/sites/default/files/resources/240013eng.pdf
- Vogt, K., & Tsagari, D. (2014). Assessment literacy of foreign language teachers: Findings of a European study. Language Assessment Quarterly, 11(4), 374–402. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2014.960046
- Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
- Watkins, M. W. (2005). Determining parallel analysis criteria. Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods, 4(2), 317-329. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22237/jmasm/1162354020
- Willis, D., & Willis, J. (2007). Doing task-based teaching. Oxford University Press.
- Yan, Z., & Pastore, S. (2022). Development of a formative assessment literacy scale for teachers. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 29(1), 56–74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2021.2007867
- Zhu, X., Raquel, M., & Aryadoust, V. (2019). Structural equation modeling to predict performance in English proficiency tests. Quantitative Data Analysis for Language Assessment, 2, 101-126. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315187808-5
- Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64–70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2
10.57647/jelpp.2025.1802.20