Exploring the Impact of Teaching Experience on Pakistani ESL Teachers’ Language Assessment Beliefs: A Case Study

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17260021

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how teaching experience shapes ESL lecturers’ beliefs about language assessment in Pakistani higher education. Thirty lecturers from private universities in Karachi participated, categorized as novice, experienced, or expert. Using metaphorical descriptions and semi-structured focus group interviews, the study explored how participants conceptualized assessment and how their views differed across experience levels. Thematic analysis revealed four central perspectives: assessment as a summative tool, a formative tool, a mechanism for generating washback effects, and a reflection of teachers’ self-efficacy. Findings indicate that novice lecturers tended to emphasize assessment as a summative process, while more experienced participants viewed it as a formative practice and a means of influencing teaching and learning. The study underscores the role of teaching experience in shaping assessment beliefs and highlights implications for professional development programs aimed at fostering more balanced and reflective assessment practices among ESL lecturers in Pakistan’s private universities.