EFL teachers’ formative assessment literacy and developmental Trajectories: A comparative study of face-to-face and blended teaching modes

Abstract

The critical role of EFL teachers' formative assessment literacy (FAL) in face-to-face (F2F) teaching mode has been well acknowledged, and its significance has also been stressed in the blended teaching (BT) mode. However, very little is known about the comparison of FAL and developmental trajectories in the two modes. To address this gap, the current study first constructed a FAL scale and its development scale for both modes, with the latter informed by Activity Theory and the former as the ultimate outcome for the latter, linking the two scales into a unified system. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) of the two samples' questionnaire responses revealed that the overall FAL, especially assessment practice, student involvement, and socio-emotion exhibit significant differences across the two modes. A multi-group path analysis of their developmental trajectories demonstrated that both groups' FAL was directly influenced by motivation and was also mediated by resources and community. However, the mediation effect of community from motivation to assessment practice and socio-emotion has significant differences across the two modes. The semi-structured interview confirmed the above findings. The study provides insights into the development of EFL teachers’ FAL in the technology-enriched environment, including genearative AI era.