The Impact of Specialty, Sex, Qualification, and Experience on Teachers’ Assessment Literacy at Saudi Higher Education

Sabria Salama Jawhar, Ahmad M. Subahi

Abstract


The importance of assessment literacy (AL) among teachers at all educational levels has been of interest for a considerable period. Literature has shown the increasing research surrounding the importance of AL knowledge and its impact on students' performance. This paper examines the level of assessment literacy among instructors on a Saudi higher education university preparatory program. It uses a/the Classroom Assessment Literacy Inventory (CALI), developed by Mertler and  Campbell (2005), and a demographic questionnaire to investigate the AL level. It also looks at the impact of factors such as specialty (i.e., subject department), sex, academic qualification, and years of teaching experience on the AL level. The subjects of the study included 54 English and Basic Sciences teachers on the preparatory program. The study found that the level of AL among the participants was inadequate (mean=17). However, there was no significant difference found among the participants when it came to sex, qualifications, or years of experience. The subject department, on the other hand, was found to be a factor that impacted the level of AL. The study concludes with some recommendations related to increasing assessment literacy among in-service teachers and, more importantly, it highlights the importance of contextual factors when evaluating assessment literacy.

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.5.12


Keywords


assessment literacy; higher education, gender; teaching experience

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References


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