Teachers' Beliefs about Young EFL Learners' Self-assessment: a Case Study of Macedonia

Abstract

The paper explores Macedonian primary EFL teachers’ attitudes, beliefs and practices regarding self-assessment of young learners (10 – 12 year-olds). The study surveyed primary EFL teachers (n=30) who teach English to 5th and 6th graders. The results indicated that vocabulary, grammar and reading were more often the focus of self-assessment tasks than the other areas of language learning. This, along with the finding that the receptive language skills were more frequently self-assessed than the productive skills has been attributed to the impact of the external exam. The most frequently used self-assessment techniques were can do statements and check-lists. The perceived benefits and challenges of self-assessment have been found to be compatible with the findings of other studies. In spite of their positive attitudes towards learner self-assessment, the teachers expressed awareness of certain problems underlying its implementation as well as uncertainty about how to train learners to self-assess. In line with the conclusions, recommendations have been made regarding the need for greater emphasis on self-assessment of the neglected language areas (speaking and writing), the necessity of using a variety of self-assessment formats and the need for learner training in self-assessment from an early age.