“Learning to Sell a Thing We Do Not Know How to Make”: The Gap Between International Standards and Teacher Assessment Literacy in Kazakhstan

Abstract

This study explores how preservice teachers in Kazakhstan conceptualize high-level international assessments and their applicability to teaching reading literacy and perceived preparedness. The study employed a convergent mixed-methods design, with a survey and semi-structured interviews. The sample included 254 final-year undergraduate preservice teachers from five regional universities in Kazakhstan, of whom 135 were students in primary education and 119 were students in Kazakh language and literature. The survey comprised 41 items related to PIRLS and PISA knowledge, conceptions of reading and assessment, perceived preparedness for literacy teaching, and perceived assessment self-efficacy. Thirty-seven semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate how students interpret international assessments and how university courses foster practical teaching capabilities. The results revealed a paradox of recognition in which students understood both PISA and PIRLS labels as signifiers, but 72% of respondents indicated uncertainty regarding the conceptual distinction between functional literacy and traditional comprehension, which correlated with low self-efficacy in applied assessment tasks. Both quantitative and qualitative evidence exposed curricular misalignment, particularly in the Kazakh Language and Literature program, where strategies for reading informational texts and critical digital reading were poorly addressed. Furthermore, a significant assessment literacy gap, reflected in low confidence in assessment tasks and widespread references to theory over practice in instruction without workshops. The results indicate that universities are crucial mediators in translating international practice to pedagogical competency within the research and that redesign of teacher education curricula to better integrate ILSA frameworks, released tasks, and practice-based assessment literacies are needed in line with literacy instruction.