Language Assessment Literacy in Online EFL Reading Class: What Novice and Experienced Teachers Reveal

Reading on online platforms becomes more prevalent, and technology adoption to support reading assessment continues to proliferate. As teacher competence to accurately assess students’ reading competence in online platforms is paramount, this study concerns how novice and experienced teachers conduct assessment practices in online reading in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) under the language assessment literacy (LAL) principles proposed by Giraldo (2018). A mixed-methods approach was employed by gathering data through a close-ended questionnaire from 60 participants to examinethe level of LAL perceived by novice and experienced teachers, while semi-structured interviews with six selected participants were conducted to uncover the factors influencing LAL from the lens of both novice and experienced EFL teachers. The findings indicated that novice and experienced teachers’ LAL was at moderate level, and few others found hurdles to optimally utilizing skills in LAL. The qualitative elaboration revealed three factors influencing teachers’ LAL in online EFL reading: technology factors, individual factors, and teacher’s knowledge factors. Portraying the factors would equip teachers to better enhance their LAL knowledge and optimize the assessment practice despite numerous limitations. The finding calls for assessment training, which provides teachers with necessary skills to effectively conduct assessment practice in online reading.