English language assessment: unfolding school students’ and parents’ views

Abstract

The current study analyzes Chilean students’ and parents’ perceptions of English language assessment. 352 Chilean 10 ^th graders were surveyed using the Perceptions of the Assessment Tasks Inventory, the Perceived Classroom Assessment Environment Scale, and the Test Anxiety Scale in order to measure their perceptions of English language assessment. A semi-structured interview was also conducted to capture the perceptions of 74 parents about English and the way their children are assessed in the English subject. The quantitative data was analyzed using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient to measure how strong the relationship of the scores was in the three scales, and qualitative data was categorized using content and frequency analysis. The findings suggest that the subscales of the three surveys hold statistically significant relationships and students feel that a Learning-oriented assessment environment benefits them more than a Performance-oriented one. The former is a kind of environment that favors students’ learning and mastery of subject materials, whereas the latter is a type of environment that aligns with classroom assessment practices that emphasize the importance of grades over learning. The qualitative results also suggest that parents have a positive perception of the English language and believe it is useful for their children’s life even though they themselves might find it difficult to learn the language.