EFL Teachers' Perceived Barriers to Democratic Assessment Practices: The Effect of Academic Degree, Teacher Experience, Gender, and Educational Context

Democratic assessment practices highlight learner autonomy, equity, and participatory evaluation, yet their implementation faces significant barriers due to the teachers’ perception, particularly in hierarchical, top-down, rigid, and centralized educational systems. Against the backdrop, the present quantitative study sought to investigate EFL teachers' perceived barriers to democratic assessment practices and explore differences in relation to academic degrees, teaching experience, gender, and educational setting. Data were obtained from ۳۷۰ Iranian EFL teachers using a researcher-made Democratic Assessment Practice Barriers Scale (DAPBS). The scale was validated through expert content review and factor analysis, and demonstrated excellent overall reliability. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and independent samples t-tests were used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that structural and ideological barriers were more restrictive than logistical ones, with the highest obstacle being "Knowledge is controlled by test designers" and the lowest being time and resource demands. The findings indicated that the higher the academic degree and the greater the experience, the more aware the participants were of the barriers. Additionally, gender (male vs. female) and educational context (private vs. state) significantly affected teachers' awareness of the barriers. These findings highlight the need for structural reforms, gender-responsive professional development, and enhanced assessment literacy training to foster more equitable assessment practices in Iran's centralized assessment systems.

کلیدواژه ها:

Academic Degree ، democratic assessment barriers ، Educational Context ، Gender ، Teaching Experience