Elevating EFL Teachers' Assessment Literacy: Factors of Influence at Westminster International University in Tashkent

Elevating EFL Teachers' Assessment Literacy: Factors of Influence at Westminster International University in Tashkent | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Elevating EFL Teachers' Assessment Literacy: Factors of Influence at Westminster International University in Tashkent Alim Asanov This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6990196/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 8 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Teacher assessment literacy (AL) has become a central concern in global debates on the quality of HE, yet little is known about AL in Central Asia, where systemic reforms are underway and how in-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Central Asian higher education institutions develop this competence. This research advances international understanding of teacher AL by providing the first systematic investigation of EFL teachers’ assessment literacy at Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT), the first international university established in Uzbekistan. Employing a mixed-methods design, an online survey of 34 lecturers was complemented; it was followed by two focus groups with 8 participants, offering both breadth and depth of perspective. The findings reveal that teachers’ AL is shaped by professional experience, peer collaboration, self-reflection, engagement with research, and concerns about course reputation. Teachers appeared to most often evaluate their own literacy through colleague feedback and self-assessment, while also expressing a strong need for sustained, practice-oriented training, particularly in digital assessment. These results contribute new evidence from an underexplored institutional context and advance international understanding of the factors shaping teacher AL, underscoring the broader implication that professional development must be both locally tailored and globally informed. Findings suggest that professional development must integrate digital AL to prepare teachers for AI-mediated education Social science/Education Humanities/Language and linguistics Social science/Language and linguistics Language teacher assessment literacy (LTAL) Formative assessment Summative assessment Higher education EFL in-service teachers Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 19 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 26 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 11 Nov, 2025 Editor invited by journal 18 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 02 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 02 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6990196","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":598478937,"identity":"5275d14e-ff10-4e1a-887d-fc0d7b77e2b4","order_by":0,"name":"Alim Asanov","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAqklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBADOQZmUrUYA7UwNpCkJRGonEgt/O3HH34uqDicvuE4j/kDxrY6wlokzuQYS884czh3w2EewwbGNjYirDmQwyDN25aWuw2ihYewDvnzzx//BmpJN4NokSCsxeBGghnQFpsEqBYDwloMb7wxs+Y5Y2O4/zBb4YyEcwmEtcidT398m6dCQl6y//CGDx/KiAgxVECEHaNgFIyCUTAKiAEAtEw1JeEaTQsAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Westminster International University in Tashkent","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alim","middleName":"","lastName":"Asanov","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-27 09:38:17","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6990196/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6990196/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104399715,"identity":"762e42d6-74a1-475b-ab81-df9386d1befc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-11 12:07:21","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":380876,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6990196/v1_covered_0be6cb29-571c-47b2-9485-196b69688e83.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Elevating EFL Teachers' Assessment Literacy: Factors of Influence at Westminster International University in Tashkent","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"humanities-and-social-sciences-communications","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"palcomms","sideBox":"Learn more about [Humanities \u0026 Social Sciences Communications](http://www.nature.com/palcomms/)","snPcode":"41599","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/41599/3","title":"Humanities and Social Sciences Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Nature AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Language teacher assessment literacy (LTAL), Formative assessment, Summative assessment, Higher education, EFL in-service teachers","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6990196/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6990196/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Teacher assessment literacy (AL) has become a central concern in global debates on the quality of HE, yet little is known about AL in Central Asia, where systemic reforms are underway and how in-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Central Asian higher education institutions develop this competence. 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