Tracing the Dynamics of Teacher Assessment Identity (TAI) Through Web-Based Audio Diaries

Authors

Masoomeh Estaji, Allameh Tabataba'i UniversityFollow
Farhad Ghiasvand, Allameh Tabataba'i UniversityFollow

Abstract

Teacher assessment identity (TAI) as a vital element of teacher professionalism has recently flourished in educational assessment. However, unpacking its developmental trajectories has been left uncharted. Against this gap, this study scrutinized the dynamism of TAI under the influence of audio diaries. In so doing, 22 novice and experienced Iranian EFL teachers uploaded their audio-diaries on a website for two months. They did so once a week and ultimately 176 audio diaries were gleaned. Moreover, to explore the participants’ perceptions of TAI considering audio diary, a semi-structured interview was held with ten teachers. The results of content and thematic analysis revealed that both novice and experienced EFL teachers’ assessment identities were improved by audio diaries. Initially, the participants concentrated on the theoretical principles of assessment, while at the end they shifted toward social aspects of assessment and professionalism. Furthermore, the results of interviews indicated that audio diaries are promising tools to capture TAI as they allow the participants to do self-reflection, deep thinking, iterative analysis of ideas, and keep a record of their assessment perceptions and practices for future use. The study has implications for EFL teachers and teacher educators by enhancing their knowledge and understanding of TAI and its dynamism.

Keywords

teacher assessment identity, audio diary analysis, narrative inquiry, EFL teacher, novice teacher, experienced teacher, teacher perception

Author Bio(s)

Masoomeh Estaji is an associate professor of Applied Linguistics at Allameh Tabataba’i University (ATU), Tehran, Iran. She holds a Ph.D. in applied linguistics from Allameh Tabataba’i University. She earned the Top Researcher Award at ATU in 2018, 2020, 2022. She has presented and published numerous papers on methodology, testing, and second language acquisition (SLA) in various national and international journals like Educational Assessment, Language Learning in Higher Education, Reading Psychology, English as an International Language, The Asian ESP, Asia TEFL, and Classroom Interaction. Her research interests include language testing and assessment, ESP, and teacher education. Please direct correspondence to mestaji74@gmail.com.

Farhad Ghiasvand is a Ph.D. candidate of TEFL at Allameh Tabataba’i University (ATU), Tehran, Iran. His areas of interest are educational assessment, teacher education, and SLA.

Acknowledgements

The authors highly appreciate the insightful comments suggested by the editor and anonymous reviewers.

Publication Date

9-13-2023

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2023.5903

Recommended APA Citation

Estaji, M., & Ghiasvand, F. (2023). Tracing the Dynamics of Teacher Assessment Identity (TAI) Through Web-Based Audio Diaries. The Qualitative Report, 28(9), 2681-2715. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2023.5903

ORCID ID

0000-0002-8014-9491

ResearcherID

Scopus Author ID: 56200945500