Formative Assessment in Language Learning: English and Nepali Subject Teachers’ Perception and Perspectives

Resumen

Formative assessment is a feedback-oriented evaluation in the teaching-learning processes. The other similar but not same concepts that are being used in the classroom are internal assessment and the continuous assessment system (CAS). Although these assessments are purposeful for improving in learning, with the engagement in formative assessment, the students are rarely improved language learning. Thus, this paper explores the English and Nepali subjects’ teachers' perceptions and perspectives in the practice of formative assessment in the classroom teaching- learning. Based on the narrative inquiry design, in-depth interviews were carried out with the conveniently selected four (two English and two Nepali subjects) teachers for the collection of information. By analyzing the information from general inductive way, it was concluded that the teachers were terminologically taking the formative assessment, internal assessment, and continuous assessment system synonymous, which was not exactly true. Likewise, they were engaging their students in assessment because it is required in the curriculum, a kind of formality. Moreover, they observed that the students were active and regular in learning with the implication of formative assessment. In addition, they felt lacking in updated input in implementing formative assessment. Thus, it required timely engagement with recent strategies for the purpose of implementing formative assessment.