The Challenges of Implementing English Formative and Summative Assessments in Secondary Schools in the UAE: Perspectives of Teachers and School Leaders

This study addresses the challenges of implementing English language assessments in secondary schools that follow the Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Educators often encounter persistent issues that impact the effectiveness of assessments, despite the clear...

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Main Author: BUQAILEH, HIBA (author)
Published: 2025
Online Access:https://bspace.buid.ac.ae/handle/1234/3390
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author BUQAILEH, HIBA
author_facet BUQAILEH, HIBA
author_role author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Dr Abu Ayyash, Emad
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv BUQAILEH, HIBA
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-06
2026-01-17T14:00:51Z
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 23000330
https://bspace.buid.ac.ae/handle/1234/3390
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv en
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv The British University in Dubai
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv The Challenges of Implementing English Formative and Summative Assessments in Secondary Schools in the UAE: Perspectives of Teachers and School Leaders
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Dissertation
description This study addresses the challenges of implementing English language assessments in secondary schools that follow the Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Educators often encounter persistent issues that impact the effectiveness of assessments, despite the clear MoE assessment policy guide and planners. The embedded mixed-methods approach has been adopted in this study, and data were collected through a survey of 36 English teachers and interviews with 18 educators, including English teachers, IT teachers, and school leaders from four private secondary schools in Al Ain city. The results indicated that educators face several challenges, including time constraints, workload, large class sizes, student proficiency gaps, and persistent technical issues. Despite teachers' showing strong assessment literacy, these challenges hinder the effectiveness of assessment implementation. Also, a gap between formative and summative assessments was identified. Summative assessments are often given more importance, which may increase student anxiety and lead teachers to focus more on reading and writing skills. Recommendations include providing hands-on training focused on differentiated assessment strategies, integrating Bloom's Taxonomy, using AI tools for designing and grading assessments, and sharing assessment resources among teachers. It is also recommended that schools collect student feedback after assessments to improve their quality and relevance. The limitations of this study include a limited geographic scope and insufficient time to collect additional data. Despite this, the findings offer useful information about improving English assessment practices across secondary schools in the UAE. Keywords: English language assessment, assessment implementation, UAE education, mixed-methods study, secondary schools
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publishDate 2025
publisher.none.fl_str_mv The British University in Dubai
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spelling The Challenges of Implementing English Formative and Summative Assessments in Secondary Schools in the UAE: Perspectives of Teachers and School LeadersBUQAILEH, HIBAThis study addresses the challenges of implementing English language assessments in secondary schools that follow the Ministry of Education (MoE) curriculum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Educators often encounter persistent issues that impact the effectiveness of assessments, despite the clear MoE assessment policy guide and planners. The embedded mixed-methods approach has been adopted in this study, and data were collected through a survey of 36 English teachers and interviews with 18 educators, including English teachers, IT teachers, and school leaders from four private secondary schools in Al Ain city. The results indicated that educators face several challenges, including time constraints, workload, large class sizes, student proficiency gaps, and persistent technical issues. Despite teachers' showing strong assessment literacy, these challenges hinder the effectiveness of assessment implementation. Also, a gap between formative and summative assessments was identified. Summative assessments are often given more importance, which may increase student anxiety and lead teachers to focus more on reading and writing skills. Recommendations include providing hands-on training focused on differentiated assessment strategies, integrating Bloom's Taxonomy, using AI tools for designing and grading assessments, and sharing assessment resources among teachers. It is also recommended that schools collect student feedback after assessments to improve their quality and relevance. The limitations of this study include a limited geographic scope and insufficient time to collect additional data. Despite this, the findings offer useful information about improving English assessment practices across secondary schools in the UAE. Keywords: English language assessment, assessment implementation, UAE education, mixed-methods study, secondary schoolsThe British University in DubaiDr Abu Ayyash, Emad2026-01-17T14:00:51Z2025-06Dissertationapplication/pdf23000330https://bspace.buid.ac.ae/handle/1234/3390enoai:bspace.buid.ac.ae:1234/33902026-01-17T14:01:35Z
spellingShingle The Challenges of Implementing English Formative and Summative Assessments in Secondary Schools in the UAE: Perspectives of Teachers and School Leaders
BUQAILEH, HIBA
title The Challenges of Implementing English Formative and Summative Assessments in Secondary Schools in the UAE: Perspectives of Teachers and School Leaders
title_full The Challenges of Implementing English Formative and Summative Assessments in Secondary Schools in the UAE: Perspectives of Teachers and School Leaders
title_fullStr The Challenges of Implementing English Formative and Summative Assessments in Secondary Schools in the UAE: Perspectives of Teachers and School Leaders
title_full_unstemmed The Challenges of Implementing English Formative and Summative Assessments in Secondary Schools in the UAE: Perspectives of Teachers and School Leaders
title_short The Challenges of Implementing English Formative and Summative Assessments in Secondary Schools in the UAE: Perspectives of Teachers and School Leaders
title_sort The Challenges of Implementing English Formative and Summative Assessments in Secondary Schools in the UAE: Perspectives of Teachers and School Leaders
url https://bspace.buid.ac.ae/handle/1234/3390