Assessment of EFL speaking skills in Qatari public secondary Schools: teachers' practices and challenges

Abstract

This thesis aims to conduct a quantitative investigation into the practices and challenges of EFL teachers in assessing their students’ speaking skills. To collect data for this study, all EFL teachers currently working for the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Qatar were invited to participate in an online survey using Google Forms Software. A total of 120 teachers took part in the data collection process by completing the questionnaire. Using SPSS 23 Software, the data was analyzed under five sets of assessment practices and three categories of challenges. Descriptive statistics revealed that EFL teachers were committed to providing enough time for the assessment of students’ EFL speaking skills. In addition, results proved that teachers were careful to differentiate speaking assessment tasks, use a rating scale in scoring students’ performance and provide students with feedback. However, teachers’ challenges in the assessment of EFL speaking skills were mainly related to practicality issues, the lack of relevant training and the students’ low levels of motivation and English proficiency.