The investigation of practice and challenges faced by Thai EFL teachers regarding online assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand

This research aimed to investigate practices and challenges, and to determine differences in online assessment faced by Thai EFL teachers in a big government school in a rural area (school G) and a demonstration school in Bangkok (school D). The participants were 10 Thai EFL teachers, 5 in school G and 5 in school D. Data was collected by using a questionnaire. It was divided into five sections: demographic characteristics, teachers’ experience, teachers’ challenges, teachers’ assessment practice, and open-ended questions about significant problems during online assessment. Then, one participant from each school was chosen to conduct an in-depth interview at the end. The result indicated that Thai EFL teachers in school G perceived more positive experiences and lower challenges in online assessment than the Thai EFL teachers in school D due to their lower teaching load, better support for devices, and reviewed policies for online assessment. The biggest challenge for the respondents in school G was dealing with the technical problems. The biggest challenges for the respondents in school D were ensuring cheating and fraud faced during online assessment and conducting informal assessment by observation in the online class. Diverse methods were used by both schools to acquire accumulated scores. Exams at the midterm and end of the term included tests, quizzes, and written exams. The study suggests that similarity to online class provided implications in terms of required collaboration from many parties such the Ministry of Education, schools, teachers, administrations, students, as well as parents, are required for both formative and summative assessments and in onsite classes.