Narrative Enquiry on Teachers' Experiences with English Language Assessment Practices in Nepal
1. Introduction
With the rapidly growing status of English as the dominant global language, its influence has been shifting towards almost every corner of the world. This may be seen as a consequence of the world becoming increasingly interdependent due to globalization, a process that heightens the need for English language proficiency. This phenomenon has resulted in the spread of English into new areas of the world that would have been considered unlikely 100 years ago. Moreover, this spread of English has had effects in different global and local contexts, where the definitional boundaries of English have continuously been drawn and redrawn. In this respect, Asia, and Nepal, in particular, is at the forefront of the recent escalation of interest in English and is illustrative of the global impetus toward increased English language proficiency.
Nepal aims at formally incorporating English as a second language within English-medium schools, and later within mainstream curriculum guided by this National Education Framework. English spread in Nepal was observed in the pre-historic period that refers to the period of Gstopenhagen where the Khas and Tibeto-Burman had contact with English language. Similarly, the modern form of English was adopted in the country in five to six decades ago, and English has since become the official language in schools and offices. English language policy became effective after 1951 when thaw was proclaimed and the Rana Regime was overthrown, a coalition government in which Nepal Congress was the majority, was set up. English was immediately adopted to work between the various Nepali national groups. English language can be seen as a unifying factor among the people of Nepal as it is used by Pahadey leaders for the dissemination of different policies, plans, and programs and on the other hand, it enables the Himalayan leaders to campaign for regional autonomy based on ethnic difference since English, in Nepal, where various languages of Himalayas, is widely used as the medium of instruction, facilitating its adoption as the Lingua Franca within the diverse Polynesian context of Nepal.
1.1. Background and Rationale
There is an increasing demand for students with higher English language proficiency in the global market, especially in a multilingual country like Nepal. From an early age, regular English language assessment has been introduced in educational institutions, leading to the consideration of teachers as key stakeholders in evaluating students' English language skills. However, there has been limited consideration of teachers' experiences of conducting English language assessment in classroom settings. I am sure that this study encapsulates a context-specific heuristic model of the conduct of English language assessment in terms of assessment practice, assessment knowledge, and attitudes towards EFL assessment. Specifically, the model is developed by examining the dispositions and experiences of institutional stakeholders who are involved in EFL assessment within a distinct context of Nepal.
Currently, EFL teachers in Nepal are drawn into the administration of a variety of EFL assessments within the school curricula and are engaging with diverse stakeholders throughout the whole academic year. Incredibly, very little is understood about how EFL teachers actually think critically about and engage with the multimodalities involved in the conduct of these assessments. By exploring the connections, misalignments, and the pedagogic prioritization inherent in the psychological domain of EFL teachers, this research seeks to improve our understanding of the complexities and intensities that guide teachers' engagement with assessment in the Nepalese context. It explores which types of assessments EFL teachers prioritize, how they value the multimodalities through time, pace, pedagogy and individualized approaches, and what is inherently different in their perception and conduct of these assessments, thereby endeavoring to transcend the traditional "testing" discourse often associated with the field of EFL. In other words, it develops and interlinks to the psychometric debates and guides teachers' engagement with assessments.
1.2. Purpose of the Study
This study aims to explore how teachers in Nepal use English language assessment practices (ELAP), what contextual factors shape their use of ELAP, and what suggests their engagement with ELAP. The research aimed to generate the teachers' stories as they speak about ELAPs by asking the teachers to narrate their experiences. While educating, as with any enterprise, ensuring students' success is important. When it comes to examining this 'success' in examinations, it is one aspect of educators' professional responsibilities that is frequently overlooked. Many factors may affect success in English assessment. These 'factors' are frequently teachers or teacher's assessment techniques.
When educators prepare to measure their students in the English language, they rely on a variety of methods, including in-house assessments or assignments like class work, tests, or exams, and paper-based or computer-based tests. Educators tailor their ELAPs to their students' needs, learning goals, and learning objects, each of these causes involves unique criteria, areas, and frequency of examination. Because of the significant role that English accomplishes in the overall education techniques applied by educators in the assessment of the English language, it was important to analyze their use through a narrative inquiry process, which generated narratives where teachers recalled and related their teaching experiences. This research is essential not only because it adds to our emerging knowledge of local teacher challenges and achievements in the wider field of teaching and learning but also because it will make valuable information available to basic grade teachers and stakeholders concerned with teaching ESL students.
1.3. Research Questions
This study is aimed to answer the following questions:
What are the assessment experiences of the participants in terms of their provision of English language education in Nepalese schools? What are the specific assessment practices of the English language teachers in relation to their teaching context? What policy factors are influencing English language assessment practices? What are some of the assessment challenges and conflicts faced by the participant teachers in their workplace? What are some of the driving factors behind the assessments of the teachers? How does the assessment experience of the teachers of schools in rural Nepal differ from that schools of urban and semi-urban Nepal? How are the aims of English language learning defined by both the participants and in policy documents? To the research questions, the following objectives will also be the focus of the study:
To discuss how the teachers' understandings of the aims of English language learning are turned into assessment practices. To explore the concept of the National Curriculum Framework and how this policy document influences language education and assessment practices. To engage with both the theoretical and policy aspects within the local and global framework that include English language teaching (ELT), which highlights the interests of a wider spectrum of participants in the contemporary context, such as curriculum designers, examination bodies, educational administrators and the participants themselves.