Conceptualizing Formative Blended Assessment (FBA) in Saudi EFL

This chapter sets out a conceptual framework for the design and use of ‘blended assessments’ that seek to create formative activities that can be characterized by shifting modalities of presentation, variations in time and action, and moves from individual to group work. The study’s framing is built upon longitudinal participatory action research based on the research questions. In addition to auto-ethnographic observations, 13 Saudi participants—three course coordinators, seven instructors, and three students—were asked to participate in focus groups and individual interviews. Using qualitative data analysis software, three core characteristics of formative blended assessment were identified: (1) multi-modal activities, flexibility, and peer encouragement, for example, were seen to be an ‘advantage’; (2) alignment of pedagogies and assessment tasks were perceived in a ‘compatibility’ theme; and (3) the possibility of dishonest behaviors and administrative challenges were classed under ‘complexity