Developing Language Assessment Literacy: Formative Assessment Practice from Pre-service Teacher to Novice Teacher

While Formative assessment (FA) has been researched exponentially, little is known about FA practice from pre-service teacher to novice teacher and their implementation in real teaching context. The current study attempts to fill this gap by exploring how two novice EFL teachers implement FA activities in the Chinese K-12 context. Data were collected over three semesters through semi-structure interviews, classroom observations, stimulated recall interviews, and reflective journals. It was found that the two teachers’ Language assessment literacy (LAL) trajectories evolved over time. They developed more conceptual knowledge of FA, took initiatives to FA trials and practiced their assessment skills, became more aware of the social and emotional aspects of LAL in their FA practice, demonstrating the importance of teacher learning, agency and reflection in FA implementation. The accumulated FA experiences prompted the teachers to progress in their FA enactment from familiarization to adaptation, and from application to development, suggesting LAL development is highly experiential. The findings call for attention to how LAL development in relation to FA practices can be better supported.