Development of EFL instructors' cognitions about language assessment literacy through reflective reading and discussion

Research on teacher cognition in L2 education has received increased attention in the past two decades. Although assessment in instruction is frequently seen as a way to assess student achievement (Çelik & Türkan, 2020), it is a crucial component of all stages of teaching and learning (Çelik & Coombe, 2021). This current study concentrated on shedding light on the nature of language instructors' language assessment cognitions. It also intended to identify participant teachers' strengths and weaknesses concerning language assessment and design reflective reading and discussion (RRD) sessions depending on teachers' needs and expectations. In addition, exploring probable changes in participants' cognitions of language assessment as a result of RRD sessions was another objective of the study. To this end, four EFL instructors working at a foreign language school participated in this research. The study was separated into three phases: pre-RRD sessions, during RRD sessions, and post-RRD sessions. During the pre-RRD session, participants were interviewed and observed to identify their beliefs and practices regarding language assessment. Also, their strengths and weaknesses concerning with the issue were explored in the initial part of the study. Next, teachers were involved in a set of RRD sessions. During those sessions, participants read the reading materials and discussed the target topic of each specific session. They also filled in KWL charts (What I know, What I want to know and What I have learnt) and wrote reflection reports after each RRD session. As for the third part of the study, developments in teachers' language assessment-related cognitions, if any, were figured out. The study was designed as a case study based on the qualitative approach. Theoretical framework of the study was based on Vygotsky (1978)'s socio-cultural theory. The data were collected through multiple sources such as pre and follow-up semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, KWL charts, and reflection reports. Inductive content analysis was employed to analyse the obtained data. The results showed that there is a development in the cognitions of participants considering language assessment after the RRD sessions. In the light of emerging results, discussions were provided to examine the development of participants' assessment-related cognitions following RRD sessions. Moreover, recommendations about teachers' pre-service and in-service education regarding language assessment have been made on the basis of findings and the discussions. Keywords: Teacher cognition, assessment, language assessment literacy, development, in-service English language teacher, reflection