Traditional and Alternative Assessments in ELT: Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate teachers’ and students’ perceptions towards traditional and alternative types of assessment within a classroom context of an English course provided for English-majoring students at tertiary level. A combination of traditional and alternative assessment tools was implemented in the study. The researcher developed iPortfolio, WeCreate Activity, and iLearn & Teach Project as alternative assessment tools, while paper-and-pencil quizzes and exams were used as traditional assessment tools. The questionnaires were used to gather the information concerning students’ and teachers’ perceptions towards the overall features of the assessment tools and their effectiveness. The participants’ consisted of 103 students and 5 teachers. The findings showed that both teachers and students generally place a higher value on traditional assessment tools especially in terms of their validity and reliability. However, they expressed ideas indicating the possibility of using alternative assessment tools as assessment tools and catalysts for learning motivation in other English skill courses.