ANALISIS DE LOS RESULTADOS

The common practice of assessment in the EFL programme cuts across both native and non-native lecturers and teacher-centred and student-centred approaches. This is mainly because of issues related to policy and therefore it is discussed as a separate section. As considered in section P.H.P, assessment in the EFL programme is significantly affected by the university’s policies and practices. Students’ low English competencies, negative attitudes toward students, and large class sizes are some of the main challenges that affect the assessment practices implemented by NNES and NES lectures alike. This has led to the widespread use of content-based, multiple-

choice questions in written exams throughout the different courses in the EFL programme.

It is argued that despite the fact that assessment practices are generally informed by the teaching approaches deployed by lecturers, it did not seem to be the primary force behind the lecturers’ assessment procedures. Their choice was mainly impacted by the institutional influence on the EFL programme, and in particular the large number of students per class. This is exemplified in the following quotes:

If you have HC students in most of your classes, it becomes really difficult to assess and monitor each individual student. It’s very time consuming and can take valuable time away from teaching and other activities. That’s why I use this method [multiple-choice questions], it helps in managing such a number of students.

NES lecturer E, Interview, Sunday Bnd November BCDH

Most of the lecturers rely on multiple-choice questions. Their excuse of course is that we don’t have the time, we have too many students, we don’t get anything extra if we include essay-type questions, so why would we waste time marking papers, because in the past they used to give them extra per exam sheet if it included essay-type questions, but they stopped this a couple of years ago. What they [lecturers] did as a reaction is that they stopped using essay-type questions in their exams…

NNES lecturer P, Interview, Sunday BEth October BCDH

Therefore, lectures use assessment practices that are described as content-based, which focuses on measuring how well students are able to recall and memorise the knowledge they have been taught. Although these practices have negative effects on students’ language development, they also enable disadvantaged students with weak language backgrounds to pass their courses. Some students indicated that by memorising the contents of the textbook prior to the exam, they were able to recall such knowledge and successfully pass the course, as SP highlights:

Exams can be a real struggle. To be honest I try to memories as much as I can at least a week before the exam. That’s how I mostly study and prepare for exams and it works.

Likewise, SI describes how he prepares for his exams by trying to memorise key points from the textbook :

When I prepare for exams I focus on the textbook topics that are most likely to be included in the exam. I identify the key points of each topic and go over them several times. By doing so, I’m able to recall the information in the exam.

Student I, Interview, Monday DJth October BCDH (Bnd year)

Although many of the lecturers in the EFL programme use content examinations as an instrument merely to judge the students’ achievement levels, some of the NES lecturers did describe their assessment practices as an on-going process that feeds into the teaching-learning process. For example, in the following quotation, LD describes assessment as an integral part of the teaching-learning process. The lecturer uses formative forms of assessment (e.g., assignments, quizzes and classroom presentations) throughout the semester to monitor the students’ progress. This informs the lecturer about the students’ strengths and weaknesses and provides him with important feedback “about the teaching and the learning that is happening inside the classroom”. Such continuous assessment is commonly associated with the student-centred approach.

Assessment is definitely an integral part of the teaching and learning process. There are different kind of assessment that I normally use. One of them is the summative assessment, which takes place at the end of the semester or course, and there are the formative assessments. So a formative assessment is what I basically give my students throughout the semester. If I give the students assignments or ask them some questions, basically the answers that I get are supposed to feed into the teaching- learning process. It tells me about the weaknesses, and about the students’ strengths, so it is basically on-going feedback that I get about the teaching and the learning that is happening inside the classroom. Normally I use assignments, quizzes and presentations and it shows me if there are some weaknesses that I need to work on. The other kind of assessment that I normally use [summative] is to judge the students’ level of understanding of the course: if they should pass or not, if they have reached the learning outcomes intended.

7.5. Summary

This chapter has discussed the teaching approaches used by EFL lecturers and the effects these approaches have had on student learning. The findings revealed a distinction between NES and NNES lecturers in relation to their teaching approaches and interactions with students in the classroom. It was found that Saudi lecturers adopted a teacher-centred approach that was informed by several issues, including the way they view their roles and that of students, as well as the students’ poor English backgrounds, and large class sizes.

These lecturers focused on transmitting the knowledge from the syllabus as dictated by the textbooks to their students. Lessons were conducted in a formal lecture- based manner and students were given strict instructions to follow. During these lessons, students would take on a passive role as they sat quietly, took notes and listened. This minimised the students’ participation and interactions in the classroom.

In general, most student respondents expressed negative attitudes toward a teacher- centred approach and felt that it denied them valuable opportunities to interact, practise, and develop their English language skills. Students also felt threatened about challenging the knowledge transmitted by Saudi lecturers, and preferred to stay quiet. However, a few disadvantaged students did favour this type of approach because it helped them focus on the exact skills and knowledge needed to pass the test.

In contrast, NES lectures adopted a student-focused approach in their teaching. These lecturers took on a facilitator role and were focused on helping students’ transition into the EFL programme. These lecturers integrated a range of interactive and communicative practices into their teaching, most commonly group and pair discussions. These practices were used to encourage student participation and to enable them to develop the necessary skills to succeed in their studies. The practices also allowed students to fully participate in class discussions and activities. With the exception of a few disadvantaged students, the majority of students reacted

positively to these practices because of the progress they saw in their English language skills.

The assessment practices seemed to be mainly impacted by the institutional influences on the EFL programme rather than by the teaching approaches adopted. Content-based multiple-choice evaluation techniques were common practice in the programme. This denies students valuable and authentic opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge. However, one of the NES lecturers did state that he regards his assessment practices as a continuous process which helps him in monitoring the students’ progress.

Overall, this chapter has highlighted the two main teaching approaches used by NES and NNES lecturers in the EFL programme. It also discussed the effects of these teaching approaches on the students’ learning experiences.

The following chapter summarises the main findings of this study as well as the implications of these findings for EFL lecturers, CU, policymakers, and future researchers.