Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• zara taghavi ¹
• hadi pourshafei ¹
• faeze soorgi ¹
• Azam Mohammadi matin ²

¹ Behavioral Sciences Campus, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Birjand, Iran

² Behavioral Sciences Campus, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Birjand, Iran

Abstract

With the rapid expansion of virtual education, online assessment has become one of the major challenges in the teaching–learning process. The present study aims to explore the lived experiences of primary school teachers regarding the challenges of online assessment in virtual learning environments. This qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological approach. Participants were primary school teachers from Birjand, selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using appropriate software. The findings revealed that online assessment faces challenges such as insufficient supervision, increased cheating, weak technological infrastructure, lack of digital literacy among teachers and students, and reduced educational interaction. Moreover, limited access to the internet and smart devices negatively affected the quality of assessments. Nevertheless, some benefits of this type of assessment, including time flexibility, cost reduction, and variety in assessment methods, were acknowledged by the teachers. Based on the findings, enhancing infrastructure, providing digital literacy training, and designing hybrid and technology-driven assessment systems can help improve the quality of online assessments. These findings may assist educational policymakers in formulating strategies to enhance the quality of assessment in virtual environments.

Keywords

• Virtual Education
• Assessment
• Primary Education
• Phenomenology