Oral presentation skills are considered one of the most important proficiencies needed for higher education and future careers. Thus, the present study is interested in eliciting English as a Foreign Language (EFL) college students' perceptions of the difficulties they face in oral presentation as a form of assessment. Participants were 500 female EFL college students from different grade levels enrolled in a four-year pre-service teacher education program at the College of Basic Education (CBE) in Kuwait City, Kuwait. A five-point Likert Scale questionnaire was used and divided into three main sections: personal traits, oral presentation skills, and instructor and audience. Independent variables measured were students' ages, year at college, Grade Point Average (GPA), and nationality. In addition, a structured interview to solicit instructors' opinions was carried out. Results showed students' perceptions of the difficulties they experienced at a medium level (M=3.10). However, significant differences in the results were found when students' nationalities and GPAs were taken into account.

Teachers perform an important job by encouraging creativity in their lessons and among their pupils. Thus, the present study aims to examine primary school EFL teachers' attitudes towards creative thinking and their perceptions of what goes on in the classroom. Participants were 434 female primary school EFL teachers, chosen randomly, teaching all grade levels from six educational zones in Kuwait, namely Al-Asema, Hawalli. Al-Farwaniyah, Mubarak Al-Kabeer, Al-Ahmadi and Al-Jahra for the year 2014-2015. The study used a descriptive survey research design using Likert's five-point scale distributed into three categories: demographic information, teachers' attitudes towards creative thinking and teachers' perceptions of their practice. To triangulate the data, a focus group interview was employed along with an analysis of samples of exam papers. Independent variables measured were age, nationality, degree, major, educational zone, teaching experience and in-service training. Results showed teachers' attitudes and perceptions were high. Significant differences were shown for age, major, educational zone, teaching experience and in-service training. Implications as well as recommendations for future research were discussed.

The study investigated female EFL primary school teachers' attitudes as well as teachers' knowledge and skills in alternative assessment. Data was collected via a questionnaire from 335 EFL primary school teachers randomly selected from six educational zones. An interview with principals and head teachers and a focus group interview with EFL primary school teachers were conducted along with document analysis of ongoing assessment obtained from the ELT General Supervision at the Ministry of Education (MOE). Descriptive statistics were employed including a t-test and a one-way ANOVA Test. Results showed that teachers perceived themselves knowledgeable and skillful in alternative assessment. Nonetheless, some reported the need for workshops and training courses on alternative assessment. Teachers further expressed their preference for traditional written tests over alternative assessment. Teachers' attitudes, however, were found to be at a medium level. They reported that alternative assessment is time-consuming and ignores pupil writing skills. Significant differences were found in teachers' knowledge and skills in relation to their age, undergraduate major, and experience. Significant differences were further found in teachers' attitudes in relation to their educational zone and experience. Limitations of the study as well as recommendations were further discussed.

Students' perceptions of the difficulties of comprehending academic

Students' perceptions of their classroom English tests play a crucial role in affecting their performance. Hence, the present study is interested in soliciting college students' perceptions of their classroom English tests to find out the reasons behind test difficulties. Participants were 585 female college students chosen randomly from all grade levels enrolled in a four years pre-service teacher education program at the CBE in Kuwait. The study employed a descriptive survey research design using Likert's five-point scale distributed into three categories: Linguistic reasons, psychological reasons and other reasons. Independent variables measured were age, grade level, nationality and GPA. Results revealed students' perceptions were at a medium level. Significant differences were found for nationality and GPA. Implications for ways of conducting classroom English tests as well as recommendations for future research were discussed.