Upper Primary Teachers’ Perceptions of PSLE English Oral Assessment

Abstract

This small scale study investigated upper primary teachers’ perceptions of the PSLE English oral assessment. It sought to find out the challenges that teachers faced in conducting PSLE English oral assessment and if the assessment format provides a good gauge of pupils’ oral competence. Semi-structured interviews were the main research instruments used in this study. The data collected was analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings from the data showed that there is heterogeneity in teachers’ views of the PSLE English oral assessment. The study found that 1) there is much variance in the challenges identified by teachers; 2) there are limited common perceptions among teachers regarding the extent that PSLE English oral assessment is a good gauge of pupils’ oral competence; and 3) teachers are for the idea of review and modifications to the current PSLE assessment format however, they did not make any concrete suggestions for improvement.