Exploration of Omani Cycle 1 English Teachers’ Continuous Assessment Practices and Perceptions

Aim: This article presents the findings from a qualitative exploratory study conducted in Oman that sought to uncover the factors leading to the identified gap between the SAH CA assessment standards and current grades 1 and 2 teachers’ practices. The research investigated Omani grade 1 and 2 English teachers' practices and perceptions regarding the implementation of continuous assessment (CA) in teaching English as a foreign language. Study Design: A constructivist grounded theory method investigation was conducted to examine the influence of teachers’ beliefs, previous experience and contextual factors on their CA classroom practices and to discover the relationship between teachers’ stated beliefs and their actual classroom practices leading to the gap between CA standards and their practices. Three instruments were used namely classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and artifact analysis. Six teachers from Al Dhahirah were observed and three teachers out of the six were interviewed to seek an in-depth understanding of their beliefs. A three-stage coding process and the constant comparative method were used to analyze the data and triangulate beliefs and practices. Results: Even though results demonstrated that teachers believed in the importance of CA and expressed positive beliefs towards CA, the analysis showed a gap between the teachers’ actual practices and their stated beliefs regarding CA implementation in their practices. Moreover, findings highlighted the influence of the teachers’ previous experience and impeding contextual factors on the teachers’ CA practices. Recommendations: Therefore, it is recommended to involve teachers in consistent in-service training as well as CA discussion sessions to support CA practices directing the teachers’ attention to the bright side of the assessment, its advantages, and its importance in the teaching learning process. Providing teachers with assistant teachers may help to alleviate overcrowded classes and heavy timetables. In addition, reducing the number of textbooks in the syllabus would provide more time for assessment in daily teaching.