An Investigation of Assessment Literacy Among Native and Non-Native English Teachers

The current study aimed at examining the relationship between English language teachers’ assessment literacy and their teaching experience. In other words, it intended to inspect the relationship between native and non-native English language teachers’ assessment literacy and their teaching experience. To achieve such goals, 100 native and non-native English teachers from ESL and EFL contexts were picked out on the basis of a combination of availability sampling and snowball sampling procedures. They were asked to take part in the study by filling out Classroom Assessment Literacy Inventory developed by Cynthia Campbell and Craig Mertler (2004). The results revealed that there was a positive relationship between native English language teachers’ perspectives regarding assessment literacy and their experience. Besides, 32 percent of shared variances between native teachers’ perspectives regarding assessment literacy and their experiences. However, there was not any significant relationship between non-native English language teachers’ perspectives regarding assessment literacy and their experience.Keywords: Assessment Literacy, Native Teachers, Non- Native Teachers, Teaching Experienc

Probing into EFL Teachers’ Assessment Literacy and Teaching Experience: The Case of Native ESL and Non-native EFL Teachers

The present study was an attempt to extend our knowledge on the perspectives of English language native and non-native teachers about assessment literacy. Furthermore, it was intended to find if there was any significant relationship between native and non-native English language teachers’ perceptions regarding assessment literacy and their experience. To achieve such goals, a mixed methods design was utilized. In the quantitative phase, Classroom Assessment Literacy Inventory developed by Campbell and Mertler (2004) was utilized which consisted of five scenarios. Through a combination of availability sampling and snowball sampling procedures, the researcher either distributed the questionnaire among 100 native and non-native English teachers or sent it by E-mail to them. In the qualitative phase, a semi-structured interview was selected as a qualitative tool for collecting data. To this end, 10 teachers volunteered to take part. Based on the quantitative findings, there was a positive relationship between native English language teachers’ perceptions regarding assessment literacy and their experience. However, there was not any significant relationship between non-native English language teachers’ perceptions regarding assessment literacy and their experience. Based on the qualitative results, seven codes were classified according to three themes, namely, assessment assumptions, assessment targets, and professional development. These seven codes were classroom observations, assessment consistency, formative assessments, summative assessment, higher-order thinking skills, lack of assessment literacy of coursework, and lack of technology assessment literacy. Thus, it is concluded that teachers should assume the role of classroom observation and consistency of the assessment as two major assumptions of assessment

Effect of synbiotic bread containing lactic acid on blood lipids and apolipoproteins in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial

Recently, the use of synbiotics for managing various diseases has dramatically increased. Synbiotics have been shown to be a good approach to influence the composition of the gut microbiota with positive health effects. Management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complications is one of the reasons for the ingestion of synbiotics and so the aim of the current study was to determine the effects of synbiotic bread intake on markers of lipid profile in T2DM patients. One hundred T2DM patients (age between 20 and 60 years) were randomly assigned to four groups to consume different types of synbiotic bread, three times/day, for 8 weeks: “synbiotic + lactic acid” (n = 25; IV), “synbiotic” (n = 25; III), “lactic acid brad” (n = 25; II), or “control” (n = 25; I). The measured outcomes included anthropometric characteristics, glycemic control parameters, blood lipids, and apolipoproteins. The consumption of “synbiotic + lactic acid bread” (group IV) and “lactic acid bread” (group II) led to a significant decrease in total cholesterol (TC) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) compared to the “control bread.” The HbA1c levels were also significantly lower when compared to group II. Additionally, apolipoprotein A (Apo A1) levels were significantly decreased in group IV, compared to control and other groups (post hoc analysis). No significant differences between groups were observed for triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and apolipoprotein B100 (Apo B100) levels. The observed results show that the synbiotic bread (with or without lactic acid) promoted a decrease in total cholesterol (TC) and Apo A1 in diabetic patients when consumed daily for 8 weeks