Development of a Classroom-based Assessment Literacy Instrument for Pre-service EFL Teachers: A Pilot Study in a Japanese University Setting

Effective teacher assessment practices are crucial for providing quality for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction and fostering positive student learning outcomes. However, existing assessment literacy instruments often overlook the specific needs and challenges faced by preservice teachers. This study aimed to revise the existing Approaches to Classroom Assessment Instrument (ACAI) (DeLuca et al., 2016) to create a contextually-specific tool for pre-service EFL teachers in Japan. The current study employed a two-phase approach. The first phase involved soliciting feedback from assessment experts to ensure he instrument’s relevance and applicability to pre-service EFL teachers in Japan. This phase aimed to refine the instrument’s content and align it with the specific requirements of Japanese EFL teacher training courses. The second phase involved administering the revised checklist with a sample of 40 pre-service EFL teachers at a Japanese university. This was followed by interviews to gather the pre-service teachers’ perceptions regarding the instrument’s usefulness. Combining expert feedback with the perspectives of pre-service teachers enabled the refinement of checklist descriptors and the identification of areas for further validation. This pilot study serves as a critical first step in developing a comprehensive assessment literacy instrument for pre-service EFL teachers in Japan.