Examining How Indonesian EFL Teachers Engage with Online Formative Assessment During Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This research article aimed at exploring the engagement of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers with online formative assessment (FA hereafter) in the context of Indonesian EFL writing classrooms. In particular, this study examined how the participated teachers engaged with online FA during covid-19 pandemic, and what factors have affected their engagement with online FA. Three EFL writing teachers from three different Indonesian universities participated in this study. The instruments used to collect data involved semi-structure interviews, teachers’ recorded lessons, and teachers’ instructional materials in the form of PowerPoint files. The findings of this study revealed 2 main points; (1) the participated teachers showed different types of engagement (disturbing, integral and auxiliary) with online FA in EFL writing, and (2) the teacher engagement with online FA was considerably influenced by individual, contextual, and technological factors. Despite lack of participants and data collection, this study presents several pedagogical implications. It provides EFL teachers with practical insight into how several factors have affected their writing assessment practices, and informs educational institutions with some suggestions to provide EFL teachers with training opportunities to improve their ICT skills.