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Rethinking Assessment Literacy: Insights from Grade 4 EFAL Classrooms in South Africa's Vhembe Cluster

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https://doi.org/10.54963/jqre.i47.1910
Mulaudzi, I. C., Nndwamato, N. M., & Makhwathana, R. M. (2026). Rethinking Assessment Literacy: Insights from Grade 4 EFAL Classrooms in South Africa’s Vhembe Cluster. Journal of Qualitative Research in Education, (47), 31–46. https://doi.org/10.54963/jqre.i47.1910
Issue 47 (2026): In Progress
Copyright (c) 2026 Israel Creleanor Mulaudzi, Ndivhudzannyi Michael Nndwamato, Rendani Mercy Makhwathana
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Authors

  • Israel Creleanor Mulaudzi

    Department of Professional and Curriculum Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
  • Ndivhudzannyi Michael Nndwamato

    Department of Professional and Curriculum Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
  • Rendani Mercy Makhwathana

    Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa

Received: 8 October 2025; Revised: 13 November 2025; Accepted: 28 November 2025; Published: 29 May 2026

Assessment literacy remains a critical yet underdeveloped dimension of English First Additional Language (EFAL) teaching in many rural South African schools. This study explored how Grade 4 EFAL teachers in the Vhembe Cluster conceptualise and implement assessment practices within the constraints of multilingual and resource-constrained classrooms. Guided by Vygotsky’s Social Constructivist Theory, the study employed a qualitative case study design involving eight purposively selected Grade 4 EFAL teachers from four rural primary schools in Limpopo Province. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis and were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. The findings revealed that assessment practices remain predominantly summative and compliance-driven despite policy emphasis on formative assessment. Teachers demonstrated fragmented understanding of formative assessment principles, while overcrowded classrooms, limited resources, and linguistic diversity constrained effective implementation. However, participants also displayed adaptive agency through culturally responsive practices such as storytelling, peer assessment, translanguaging, and low-tech digital feedback strategies. The study argues that meaningful assessment reform in rural South Africa requires more than policy compliance; it requires sustained professional development, contextualised mentoring, multilingual assessment approaches, and equitable digital support. The article contributes to emerging debates on decolonising assessment and strengthening teacher assessment literacy within African multilingual contexts.

Keywords:

Assessment Literacy EFAL Formative Assessment Multilingual Education Rural Schools Vhembe Cluster South Africa

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