ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the gap by exploring how teacher conceptions of assessment (TCoA) mediate assessment literacy (AL) through a case study of a Chinese university English teacher’s practice. TCoA are socially and culturally shared cognitive configurations or phenomena , acting as the “filter and foundation of new knowledge”. Given that TCoA and AL are constructs that are not directly observable but are embedded in what teachers say and do, classroom observations and interviews were chosen as the main means of data collection. Understanding the nature of TCoA leads to two important issues to bear in mind when exploring their relationship with assessment literacy. First, given that TCoA are value-laden, teacher AL might not be value free, but built upon the same value system which underpins TCoA. Second, changes in TCoA may take longer than changes of assessment knowledge and skills, as they evolve along one’s personal learning and teaching trajectory.
