Beyond technical skills: the critical role of mindset in language assessment literacy development

This study investigates the interplay between teachers’ mindsets and language assessment literacy (LAL) in high-stakes EFL contexts, with a focus on Iranian educators operating under extreme exam pressures. Grounded in Dweck’s mindset theory, the research employs a convergent parallel mixed-methods design combining questionnaires (n = 110) and in-depth interviews (n = 20) to analyze assessment beliefs and practices among 120 EFL teachers. The study proposes a novel conceptual model (Figure 1) that demonstrates how mindset mediates between teaching experience and assessment practices. This framework advances beyond traditional competency-based LAL models by explicitly positioning teachers’ beliefs about learning malleability as a foundational component intersecting three domains: technical knowledge, pedagogical skills and socio-cultural awareness. Findings reveal that growth-mindset teachers exhibit significantly higher LAL (M = 4.1, d = 1.71), particularly in implementing formative assessments and adaptive feedback, whereas fixed-mindset teachers rely predominantly on summative methods. Teaching experience enhances assessment flexibility, with mindset mediating 45% of this relationship (p = 0.002). The research underscores the critical need to integrate mindset training into professional development programs. Practical recommendations include adaptable protocols for large-class constraints, mindset-focused workshops and peer mentorship initiatives. These evidence-based insights offer actionable strategies for reforming teacher education in exam-dominated systems like Iran, China and Saudi Arabia, while advancing theoretical understanding of affective factors in LAL.