Pre-Service English Teachers' Perceptions of Web-Based Assessment in A Pedagogical Content Knowledge Course

Abstract

Many e-learning experts and educational technologists have emphasized that e-assessment can play an important role in improving the quality of student learning experiences, particularly in higher education. However, there still seems to be a need for investigating what students think and feel, and learning context-specific issues. This study examined pre-service English teachers' perceptions of web-based assessment within the methods and approaches course they took in an English teacher training program at a large state university in Ankara. It also aimed to explore individual differences by gender and the time spent using the Internet, as well as the relationship between their GPAs and perceptions. Fifty student teachers enrolled in a content knowledge course rated the statements in a five-point Likert scale. The qualitative data was also collected through interviews. The results indicated that although the participants did not seem to fully appreciate the use of web-based assessment and showed some lack of interest to use this form of assessment in their future classes, they displayed a positive computer attitude and positive perception towards ease of use of web-based testing for their course. They did not favor a shift to a fully web-based form of assessment, but more students preferred a web-based assessment in combination with paper-based assessment than having only paper-based tests. Factors such as frequency of internet usage and level of computer literacy were also found to have significant impact on the students' attitudes towards web-based assessment. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of WCLTA 2013.