Towards Quality Assessment in an EFL Programme

Assessment is central in education and the teaching-learning process. This study attempts to explore the perspectives and views about quality assessment among teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), and to find ways of promoting quality assessment. Quantitative methodology was used to collect data. To answer the study questions, a questionnaire was distributed to 37 EFL teachers at a public college in Oman. The findings show that the majority of teachers are not satisfied with the current assessment practices and they believe that much effort is needed to promote quality assessment. Furthermore, the vast majority of teachers assume that using alternative assessment tools such as moderation, building an item bank, having tight exam policies and procedures, providing clear exam instructions, training teachers on quality assessment, and aligning assessment with teaching would help in fostering quality assessment. Based on teachers' views and findings from the literature, the study proposes a multidimensional model for quality assessment which may help in achieving and promoting quality assessment.