earticle

영어

With the increasing interest in formative assessment (FA) in ESL classrooms, teachers’ classroom practices have drawn more interest. While studies in the area have focused on teachers’ assessment literacy, the research on ESL teachers’ FA practices is inadequate. Decision-making, a key aspect of teachers’ FA practices, remains underexplored in applied linguistics literature. This multiple-case study explored ESL teachers’ FA decision-making process and the corresponding shaping factors involved in the process. Five teachers working in an institution of higher education in India participated in the study. Data for the study were collected through classroom observation, stimulated recall interviews, teachers’ FA tasks, and field notes. Both phronetic and inductive approaches were followed for coding the data and addressing the research questions. The results indicate that teachers make decisions regarding various aspects of FA before, during, and after the assessment. While most decisions were made before and during the assessment, assessment literacy determines teachers’ interpretation and use-related decisions. Curricular, institutional, teachers’ personal and professional, and student factors shape decision-making, with institutional norms and teachers’ assessment literacy emerging as the most impactful ones. The findings have implications for assessment practices, assessment training, and policy-practice gaps in FA.