Teachers' Perspectives on ELT Authentic Assessment in Senior High School: A Case Study on SMA Negeri 5 Gorontalo

Abstract

This study aims to investigate English teachers’ perceptions of authentic assessment in teaching practice at SMA Negeri 5 Gorontalo. Using a qualitative descriptive design with a case study approach, the research collected data through semi-structured interviews with an English teacher and lesson plan analysis. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes related to teachers’ understanding, classroom implementation, benefits, and challenges of authentic assessment. The findings reveal that the teacher perceives authentic assessment as an evaluation approach that reflects students’ real performance in using English, particularly through speaking tasks, group work, and classroom presentations. Authentic assessment is viewed as more accurate and meaningful because it is based on direct observation of students’ language use in real learning situations. In classroom practice, the teacher integrates authentic assessment into daily instruction and combines it with traditional assessment to obtain a more comprehensive evaluation of student achievement. The teacher also perceives that authentic assessment supports students’ confidence, awareness of their abilities, and active participation in English learning. However, its implementation is influenced by several challenges, including student absenteeism, low motivation, and limited classroom participation, which affect the effectiveness of performance-based assessment. Overall, the study concludes that the teacher holds a positive perception of authentic assessment as an important and relevant approach in English language teaching, although its effectiveness depends on supportive classroom conditions.