Teacher feedback literacy in English language teaching under the «Double Reduction» policy: challenges and development pathways

Abstract

Against the background of assessment reform and the «Double Reduction» policy, formative assessment is gaining a central role in school English language teaching. The effectiveness of formative practices largely depends on teachers’ feedback literacy, understood as an integrated set of knowledge about feedback principles, skills of designing and delivering actionable comments, and an affective readiness to engage in supportive interaction. This paper aims to describe common challenges faced by secondary school EFL teachers in feedback practices and to propose feasible directions for developing feedback literacy. The analysis indicates that feedback is frequently reduced to error correction and grading, which limits its learning-oriented function. Key constraints include the dominance of summative assessment, limited instructional time, large class sizes, insufficient methodological training, and psychological barriers on both teachers’ and students’ sides. The paper summarizes practical strategies such as strengthening criteria-based commenting, increasing dialogic feedback, teaching students how to use feedback, integrating self- and peer-assessment, and employing digital tools while maintaining personalization. Attention is also paid to building a school-wide feedback culture and providing systematic professional support for teachers. The study concludes that feedback literacy should be treated as a comprehensive professional competence that fosters learner autonomy and improves EFL learning outcomes.