Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Education Volume 1, Issue 1, 2011 ‘Theories-of-Action’ of Primary Science Teachers on Assessment Literacy 21 Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Education (JIRE) Vol. 1, 2011, pp 21-37 ISSN 2232-0180 * Corresponding author: Renuka V. Sathasivam Email: renukasivam@gmail.com JIRE is a publication of the Centre for Research in Education & Instructional Technologies, School of Education, Taylor’s University © 2011 All rights reserved. ‘Theories-of-Action’ of Primary Science Teachers on Assessment Literacy Renuka V. Sathasivam & Esther Daniel Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Faculty of Education University of Malaya Abstract Teachers’ assessment literacy is important to guide teachers through the challenges of assessment in the classroom. Assessment literacy occurs when the theoretical assessment knowledge of a teacher is well developed and does not differ from what is actually taught in the classroom. A study was conducted to investigate primary science teachers’ assessment literacy. In this paper, the underpinning theoretical framework for the study is based upon the ‘Theories-of-Action’ which is actually an organizational learning approach. This theory states that when what someone says and what they actually do differs, there exists a gap and then they are faced with a problem. The study speculated that there is a gap between primary science teachers’ theoretical assessment knowledge and their actual assessment practices. The study utilised a qualitative data collection technique which included teacher’s personal journals, classroom observations and interview sessions with teachers and students. This study revealed that teachers indeed have a gap between their theoretical assessment knowledge and actual assessment practices. The study also brought to light how teachers use ‘short term success’ or ‘long term success’ strategies to narrow the gap. It is concluded that teachers who used the ‘long term success’ route when confronted with a problem seem to be more successful with their assessment tasks. Key words: Assessment literacy, feedback, theories-of-actions, formative assessment, espoused theory, theory-in-use INTRODUCTION Assessment literacy covers all aspect of assessment and beyond. Assessment literacy means that teachers must possess knowledge of sound assessment practices (Paterno, 2001), know the theories and techniques of different assessment methods, understand that the assessment task they have chosen is one of the best ways to enhance learning of their students (Stiggins and Chappius, 2006) and last but not least, show that one of the aims of assessment is that someone cares about the students’ learning (Brown, 2003). A teacher who is assessment literate would have even before entering his/her classroom,