Abstract

This quantitative study investigates the attitudes of English-majored students (N = 150) at Tay Nguyen University towards testing and assessment. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Key findings reveal that a majority of students (60%) perceive testing as an effective measure of learning. However, significant proportions reported mixed experiences regarding its diagnostic value (63.33% find it sometimes/frequently helpful vs. 24% rarely helpful) and feedback quality (14–20% rarely/never receive clear, actionable feedback). Additionally, while many acknowledge the motivational role of testing (over 60%), a comparable majority (60–62.66%) also reported experiencing it as stressful. The study concludes that while students largely view assessment as a measure of accountability and effectiveness, there is a pressing need to diversify assessment methods, enhance the specificity and equity of feedback, and reduce unnecessary testing pressure to better support student learning and well-being. Implications for improving assessment design and teacher training are discussed.

Keywords: Students’ attitudes, testing and assessment, feedback, perceptions, ELT context, EFL students, Vietnamese higher education.