Teaching Materials and Classroom Assessment in English Language Teaching: Teachers’ Practices and Challenges

Abstract

Teaching materials and classroom assessment are two interdependent components of effective English language teaching (ELT) but the implementation of these components in Nepalese classrooms is still shaped by traditional pedagogical practices and an examination-oriented system. In this context, the study explored English teachers’ conceptual understanding and classroom use of teaching materials and examined the prevailing assessment practices and challenges affecting their implementation in Nepalese secondary ELT classrooms. The study employed a qualitative interpretive research design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six purposively selected English language teachers at secondary level from schools in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that although teachers recognised the significance of authentic teaching materials, learner-centred pedagogy and formative assessment, their classroom practices were still restricted by textbook dependency, examination-oriented assessment culture, large class sizes, limited assessment literacy, inadequate technological and instructional resources, curriculum–assessment misalignment, institutional pressure for examination results and limited professional development opportunities. Teachers also displayed a high degree of professional agency by modifying the teaching materials and using formative assessment whenever the classroom situation allowed. The study suggests a reconsideration of teaching materials and assessment as an integral and complementary part of language pedagogy rather than as separate instructional processes. It contributes to the field of English language education by providing context-specific insights into teachers’ practices and challenges, and offers pedagogical and policy recommendations for strengthening learner-centred instruction, assessment literacy and sustainable professional development in Nepalese ELT.