A Comparative Analysis of the Language Assessment Practices in ELT in Public High Schools in Türkiye and Poland

On the path to the success of foreign language teaching, assessment plays a crucial role. According to the EF Language Proficiency Index (2021), Türkiye has been regarded as a low proficient country at the 69th rank in speaking English as a foreign language while Poland takes its place at the 16th rank with high language proficiency. This study aims to compare Turkish and Polish high school EFL teachers’ assessment practices to determine to what extent EFL teachers conform to the shifting paradigms of language assessment in their classes. For this study, being conducted as a comparative analysis, 150 participants were determined according to the non-random convenience sampling method in Malatya, Türkiye, and in Opole, Poland. The Explanatory Sequential Mixed Method Design was adopted in which quantitative data (N=150) was collected through a two-phase questionnaire and the qualitative data (N=22) were gathered with the help of a semi-structured interview both online and face-to-face. SPSS 29.0.1 for descriptive analysis and MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2022 for thematic analysis were utilized during the data analysis process. At the end of this study, it has been found that Turkish language teachers use summative assessment while Polish language teachers use formative assessment more in their classes. It was also observed that the inclusion of English language assessment in the university entrance exam in Poland had a positive washback effect on EFL teaching and learning.