Understanding the role of assessment and the differential effects on advancing students’ learning processes is still one of the most investigated areas in higher education. This study was a quantitative study which investigated the perceptions and preferences of pre-service teachers of the assessment practices. The participant students were preservice English language pre-service in English Language Education Department at Bahrain Teachers College, University of Bahrain. The findings indicated that the assessment practices used by instructors had an essential impact on students’ motivation; preparation for future learning tasks, and evaluation of study progress. The findings also revealed that while peer assessment is one of the least preferred assessment methods, presentations, self-assessment and research paper were the top preferences. The study outcome relates to previous research while also providing a better understanding into the link between individual differences in summative assessment preferences and the learning strategies used by students throughout the years of specialization which might offer instructors way forward for improving their educational practices.
Keywords: English Language Teachers, Perceptions, Pre-Service, assessment practices, preferences
