Is online language assessment training helpful to improve language assessment literacy?: Views of Mexican young learner EFL teachers and training instructors

Abstract

Research in Colombia, Mexico, Israel, China, Chile, and the US has found that language assessment stakeholders do not have sufficient or adequate opportunities to improve their language assessment skills and knowledge. However, research has yet to identify how online assessment training can benefit stakeholders. This paper discusses the perceptions of two online language assessment training course instructors and two participants of this course regarding the nature of the course, and its usefulness to the improvement of their classroom language assessment. Data from semi-structured interviews revealed that the training triggered in course participants more self-reflections as well as an improvement in their creation/adaptation of assessment tools. Teachers and instructors agreed that more needs to be done to 1) contextualize the course, 2) efficiently manage textbooks, and 3) create a healthier environment among teachers and decision-makers. The paper ends by discussing these results and providing a description of its implications.