Assessment of young language learners: Perceptions and practices of Turkish EFL pre-service and in-service teachers

Abstract

Reporting on perceptions and practices of Turkish EFL teachers regarding young language learners’ assessment, this study addresses the deficiency in the body of knowledge of pre-service and in-service EFL teachers’ understandings regarding young language learners’ assessment and the lack of clear guidelines in the assessment of 2nd and 3rd graders. It holds two main purposes; a) to explore fourth-year pre-service EFL teachers’ perceptions about the assessment of young EFL learners; b) to understand the nature of young learners’ assessment at 2nd and 3rd grades. A qualitative research paradigm was adopted to analyze 13 Turkish EFL teachers’ responses to semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed insights and comparisons of how the young language learners’ assessment was viewed by pre- service teachers and how it was being tackled in reality by in-service teachers. With this respect, related suggestions and comments have been presented.