Pub Date : 2026-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.asw.2025.101012
Li Dong
Perfectionism, a personality trait characterized by the pursuit of flawlessness and high personal standards, and motivational regulation, the strategies through which individuals manage their motivational states, have received limited attention in second language (L2) writing. Framed within social cognitive theory, this study examines how two dimensions of perfectionism—perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns—relate to writing performance (syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical complexity, and fluency) and how motivational regulation sub-strategies (interest enhancement, self-talk, and emotional control) mediate these relationships. Data from 689 university students in China were analyzed using questionnaires and argumentative writing samples. Results indicated that perfectionistic strivings positively predicted syntactic complexity, accuracy, and lexical complexity, while perfectionistic concerns negatively predicted these dimensions; neither dimension significantly affected fluency. Crucially, motivational regulation sub-strategies partially mediated the relations between perfectionism and writing performance. These findings underscore the importance of distinguishing perfectionism dimensions and targeting motivational regulation strategies to improve L2 writing. Implications for instruction and directions for future longitudinal research are discussed.
{"title":"Is it beneficial to strive for perfection in writing?: Exploring the relationship between perfectionism, motivational regulation, and second language (L2) writing performance","authors":"Li Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.101012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.101012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Perfectionism, a personality trait characterized by the pursuit of flawlessness and high personal standards, and motivational regulation, the strategies through which individuals manage their motivational states, have received limited attention in second language (L2) writing. Framed within social cognitive theory, this study examines how two dimensions of perfectionism—perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns—relate to writing performance (syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical complexity, and fluency) and how motivational regulation sub-strategies (interest enhancement, self-talk, and emotional control) mediate these relationships. Data from 689 university students in China were analyzed using questionnaires and argumentative writing samples. Results indicated that perfectionistic strivings positively predicted syntactic complexity, accuracy, and lexical complexity, while perfectionistic concerns negatively predicted these dimensions; neither dimension significantly affected fluency. Crucially, motivational regulation sub-strategies partially mediated the relations between perfectionism and writing performance. These findings underscore the importance of distinguishing perfectionism dimensions and targeting motivational regulation strategies to improve L2 writing. Implications for instruction and directions for future longitudinal research are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46865,"journal":{"name":"Assessing Writing","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 101012"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-17DOI: 10.1016/j.asw.2025.101009
Jia Li , Lawrence Jun Zhang
While existing research on second or foreign (L2) feedback has predominantly focused on the effectiveness of various feedback practices and their impacts on writing performance, limited attention has been devoted to learners’ proactive role in seeking feedback, and how this important yet underexplored construct correlates with conative and affective variables remains insufficiently examined. To help fill that void, we sought to explore the concept of feedback-seeking behavior and its antecedents in L2 writing by examining the correlations with future L2 writing selves and emotions, particularly unpacking the mediating effect of emotions in the emotion-driven chain of “motivation→emotion→increased or decreased behavior” among 225 undergraduate English major students. Structural equation modeling unveiled that ideal and ought-to L2 writing selves directly and significantly influenced emotions, and emotions impacted the two dimensions of feedback-seeking behavior significantly. More importantly, ideal L2 writing self indirectly influenced feedback monitoring and feedback inquiry through the mediation of writing enjoyment. Nevertheless, writing boredom exercised no significant mediating effect on future L2 selves and feedback-seeking behavior. These findings reinforced the learner-centered perspective that positions students as proactive agents and provide some notable implications for L2 writing instruction to advance our understanding of teacher feedback.
{"title":"Unveiling the antecedents of feedback-seeking behavior in L2 writing: The impact of future L2 writing selves and emotions","authors":"Jia Li , Lawrence Jun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.101009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.101009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While existing research on second or foreign (L2) feedback has predominantly focused on the effectiveness of various feedback practices and their impacts on writing performance, limited attention has been devoted to learners’ proactive role in seeking feedback, and how this important yet underexplored construct correlates with conative and affective variables remains insufficiently examined. To help fill that void, we sought to explore the concept of feedback-seeking behavior and its antecedents in L2 writing by examining the correlations with future L2 writing selves and emotions, particularly unpacking the mediating effect of emotions in the emotion-driven chain of “motivation→emotion→increased or decreased behavior” among 225 undergraduate English major students. Structural equation modeling unveiled that ideal and ought-to L2 writing selves directly and significantly influenced emotions, and emotions impacted the two dimensions of feedback-seeking behavior significantly. More importantly, ideal L2 writing self indirectly influenced feedback monitoring and feedback inquiry through the mediation of writing enjoyment. Nevertheless, writing boredom exercised no significant mediating effect on future L2 selves and feedback-seeking behavior. These findings reinforced the learner-centered perspective that positions students as proactive agents and provide some notable implications for L2 writing instruction to advance our understanding of teacher feedback.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46865,"journal":{"name":"Assessing Writing","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 101009"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145789943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-13DOI: 10.1016/j.asw.2025.101010
Ke Li , Ying Hong , Chen Hao
As academic writing becomes increasingly digital and multimodal, traditional assessments of L2 writing self-efficacy—centered exclusively on print-based, monomodal tasks—inadequately represent learners' confidence in contemporary composition practices. While existing self-efficacy instruments have advanced our understanding of writing beliefs, including recent multidimensional scales and emerging work on multimodal processes, no validated tool specifically measures L2 writers' perceived efficacy in performing integrated multimodal academic writing tasks. This gap is particularly consequential as EAP assessments increasingly require students to synthesize audio, visual, and textual sources within digitally mediated writing environments—demands that extend beyond the constructs captured by existing scales. This study introduces and validates the Multimodal Academic Writing Self-Efficacy Scale (MAWSE), designed to assess L2 writers' beliefs about their capabilities in four theoretically distinct dimensions: digital content comprehension (interpreting multimodal sources), multimodal discourse synthesis (integrating cross-modal information), genre and format navigation (adapting to multimodal conventions), and self-regulation across digital platforms (managing multimodal composing processes). Using a sequential mixed-methods design, we gathered data from 1063 EFL university students across three institutional contexts in China. Qualitative think-aloud protocols informed item development, while exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses established construct validity. Multi-group invariance testing confirmed measurement equivalence across key and non-key university groups, and structural equation modeling revealed that MAWSE scores significantly predicted performance on scenario-based academic writing tasks involving integrated multimodal sources (β = 0.41, p < .01). The findings offer a psychometrically robust, construct-relevant tool that extends existing self-efficacy frameworks into the multimodal domain, addressing an empirical gap while supporting more accurate and equitable assessment practices in digitally enriched EAP contexts. This research contributes to evolving scholarship by validating an instrument aligned with the realities of contemporary academic communication.
随着学术写作变得越来越数字化和多模式，传统的第二语言写作自我效能评估——仅仅以基于印刷的、单一模式的任务为中心——不足以代表学习者对当代写作实践的信心。虽然现有的自我效能工具已经提高了我们对写作信念的理解，包括最近的多维尺度和关于多模式过程的新兴工作，但没有经过验证的工具专门衡量第二语言作者在执行综合多模式学术写作任务时的感知效能。随着EAP评估越来越多地要求学生在数字媒介的写作环境中综合音频、视觉和文本资源，这一要求超出了现有量表所捕获的结构，这一差距尤其重要。本研究引入并验证了多模态学术写作自我效能量表（MAWSE），该量表旨在从四个理论上不同的维度评估二语作者对自己能力的信念：数字内容理解（解释多模态来源）、多模态话语合成（整合跨模态信息）、体裁和格式导航（适应多模态惯例）以及跨数字平台的自我调节（管理多模态写作过程）。采用顺序混合方法设计，我们收集了来自中国三个机构背景下的1063名英语大学学生的数据。定性的有声思考协议为项目开发提供了信息，而探索性和验证性因素分析建立了结构效度。多组不变性检验证实了重点大学组和非重点大学组之间的测量等效性，结构方程模型显示，MAWSE分数显著预测了涉及综合多模态来源的基于场景的学术写作任务的表现（β = 0.41, p <； .01）。研究结果提供了一种心理测量学上稳健的、与构建相关的工具，将现有的自我效能框架扩展到多模态领域，解决了经验差距，同时支持在数字化丰富的EAP背景下更准确、更公平的评估实践。这项研究通过验证一种符合当代学术交流现实的工具，为不断发展的学术做出了贡献。
{"title":"Beyond the page: A multimodal self-efficacy framework for assessing L2 digital-academic writing","authors":"Ke Li , Ying Hong , Chen Hao","doi":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.101010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.101010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As academic writing becomes increasingly digital and multimodal, traditional assessments of L2 writing self-efficacy—centered exclusively on print-based, monomodal tasks—inadequately represent learners' confidence in contemporary composition practices. While existing self-efficacy instruments have advanced our understanding of writing beliefs, including recent multidimensional scales and emerging work on multimodal processes, no validated tool specifically measures L2 writers' perceived efficacy in performing integrated multimodal academic writing tasks. This gap is particularly consequential as EAP assessments increasingly require students to synthesize audio, visual, and textual sources within digitally mediated writing environments—demands that extend beyond the constructs captured by existing scales. This study introduces and validates the Multimodal Academic Writing Self-Efficacy Scale (MAWSE), designed to assess L2 writers' beliefs about their capabilities in four theoretically distinct dimensions: digital content comprehension (interpreting multimodal sources), multimodal discourse synthesis (integrating cross-modal information), genre and format navigation (adapting to multimodal conventions), and self-regulation across digital platforms (managing multimodal composing processes). Using a sequential mixed-methods design, we gathered data from 1063 EFL university students across three institutional contexts in China. Qualitative think-aloud protocols informed item development, while exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses established construct validity. Multi-group invariance testing confirmed measurement equivalence across key and non-key university groups, and structural equation modeling revealed that MAWSE scores significantly predicted performance on scenario-based academic writing tasks involving integrated multimodal sources (β = 0.41, p < .01). The findings offer a psychometrically robust, construct-relevant tool that extends existing self-efficacy frameworks into the multimodal domain, addressing an empirical gap while supporting more accurate and equitable assessment practices in digitally enriched EAP contexts. This research contributes to evolving scholarship by validating an instrument aligned with the realities of contemporary academic communication.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46865,"journal":{"name":"Assessing Writing","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 101010"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145736764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-06DOI: 10.1016/j.asw.2025.100997
Hyunwoo Kim , Haerim Hwang
Despite the significant role of verbs in second language (L2) development, few studies have explicitly tested the comparative role of verbs in predicting L2 writing proficiency compared to other lexical categories, such as adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. Motivated by the theoretical and linguistic prominence of verbs, this study examines whether verbs serve as stronger predictors of L2 writing proficiency than other word classes. Our category-based analysis of lexical diversity and sophistication features in argumentative essays showed that verbs play a distinct and prominent role in L2 writing, outperforming other lexical categories as predictors of L2 proficiency. Specifically, higher-proficiency argumentative essays were found to exhibit a greater variety of verbs that are infrequent, academically oriented, less familiar, and acquired later in language development. At theoretical level, our findings align with the perspectives emphasizing the crucial role of verbs in language development. Pedagogically, our findings highlight the need for category-based vocabulary instruction in L2 writing classes.
{"title":"Verb-centric or balanced?: An NLP-based assessment of word class contributions to L2 writing proficiency","authors":"Hyunwoo Kim , Haerim Hwang","doi":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100997","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100997","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the significant role of verbs in second language (L2) development, few studies have explicitly tested the comparative role of verbs in predicting L2 writing proficiency compared to other lexical categories, such as adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. Motivated by the theoretical and linguistic prominence of verbs, this study examines whether verbs serve as stronger predictors of L2 writing proficiency than other word classes. Our category-based analysis of lexical diversity and sophistication features in argumentative essays showed that verbs play a distinct and prominent role in L2 writing, outperforming other lexical categories as predictors of L2 proficiency. Specifically, higher-proficiency argumentative essays were found to exhibit a greater variety of verbs that are infrequent, academically oriented, less familiar, and acquired later in language development. At theoretical level, our findings align with the perspectives emphasizing the crucial role of verbs in language development. Pedagogically, our findings highlight the need for category-based vocabulary instruction in L2 writing classes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46865,"journal":{"name":"Assessing Writing","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 100997"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145684372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1016/j.asw.2025.100995
Christian Holmberg Sjöling
This paper examines the effect of linguistic accuracy (e.g., the lack of form, grammatical, and lexical errors) on scoring during the high-stakes national test of English in Swedish upper secondary school. Teachers are expected to score their own students’ texts with the help of assessment instructions containing benchmark texts (i.e., texts representing different score bands). The assessment instructions and the score bands provided to guide scoring are not explicit about how accuracy should influence scores. Two research questions were answered: As measured by ordinal regression, to what extent does linguistic accuracy predict rater scores? Do the texts scored by teachers reflect the graded example texts in terms of how linguistic accuracy predicts scores? The results revealed, amongst other things, that overall frequency of errors in texts significantly predicted scores as the model explained approximately 58 % of the variance in the outcome variable according to Nagelkerke’s pseudo R-squared. Accuracy also had a similar effect on scores in texts rated by teachers as in the benchmark texts. In relation to the findings, it was concluded that accuracy may have more of an impact on scores than constructs that are more explicit components of the score bands such as lexical complexity.
{"title":"The relation between linguistic accuracy and scoring of Swedish EFL students’ writing during a high-stakes exam","authors":"Christian Holmberg Sjöling","doi":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100995","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100995","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines the effect of linguistic accuracy (e.g., the lack of form, grammatical, and lexical errors) on scoring during the high-stakes national test of English in Swedish upper secondary school. Teachers are expected to score their own students’ texts with the help of assessment instructions containing benchmark texts (i.e., texts representing different score bands). The assessment instructions and the score bands provided to guide scoring are not explicit about how accuracy should influence scores. Two research questions were answered: As measured by ordinal regression, to what extent does linguistic accuracy predict rater scores? Do the texts scored by teachers reflect the graded example texts in terms of how linguistic accuracy predicts scores? The results revealed, amongst other things, that overall frequency of errors in texts significantly predicted scores as the model explained approximately 58 % of the variance in the outcome variable according to Nagelkerke’s pseudo R-squared. Accuracy also had a similar effect on scores in texts rated by teachers as in the benchmark texts. In relation to the findings, it was concluded that accuracy may have more of an impact on scores than constructs that are more explicit components of the score bands such as lexical complexity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46865,"journal":{"name":"Assessing Writing","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 100995"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145684369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Despite the exuberant scholarly discussions on labor-based contract grading as an alternative to traditional high-stakes writing assessment, few empirical studies have explored its effects on students’ writing outcomes, especially in L2 writing contexts. Set against the context of EFL writing classes at a Chinese university, the study examined the effectiveness of the labor-based contract grading intervention on both academic and affective outcomes in L2 writing over one semester. Data were collected from 160 students (72 in the control group and 88 in the experimental group; Mage = 18.60, SD =.68, 48.13 % female) before and after the intervention. Results of repeated measures MANOVA revealed significant differences in students’ writing academic outcomes between two groups. Specifically, the labor-based contract grading group showed less improvement in L2 writing performance as compared to the traditional high-stakes writing assessment. Moreover, no significant differences were observed in students’ affective writing outcomes across two groups. The findings highlight the importance of considering contextual factors when implementing labor-based contract grading in diverse writing contexts. Relevant implications and directions for future research are discussed.
{"title":"Unacclimatized?: Understanding the potential of labor-based contract grading interventions in Chinese EFL writing contexts","authors":"Chenggang Liang , Shulin Yu , Nan Zhou , Feng Geng","doi":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100993","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100993","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the exuberant scholarly discussions on labor-based contract grading as an alternative to traditional high-stakes writing assessment, few empirical studies have explored its effects on students’ writing outcomes, especially in L2 writing contexts. Set against the context of EFL writing classes at a Chinese university, the study examined the effectiveness of the labor-based contract grading intervention on both academic and affective outcomes in L2 writing over one semester. Data were collected from 160 students (72 in the control group and 88 in the experimental group; <em>M</em><sub><em>age</em></sub> = 18.60, <em>SD</em> =.68, 48.13 % female) before and after the intervention. Results of repeated measures MANOVA revealed significant differences in students’ writing academic outcomes between two groups. Specifically, the labor-based contract grading group showed less improvement in L2 writing performance as compared to the traditional high-stakes writing assessment. Moreover, no significant differences were observed in students’ affective writing outcomes across two groups. The findings highlight the importance of considering contextual factors when implementing labor-based contract grading in diverse writing contexts. Relevant implications and directions for future research are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46865,"journal":{"name":"Assessing Writing","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 100993"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145684371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.asw.2025.100998
Na Tao , Ying Wang
The assessment of task-generated cognitive demands has been receiving increasing attention in task complexity research. However, scant attention has been paid to assessing cognitive demands when task complexity is manipulated along both resource-directing and resource-dispersing dimensions. To address this gap, the present study aimed to investigate the relative effects of reasoning demands and prior knowledge on cognitive demands in L2 writing. Eighty-eight EFL students completed two letter-writing tasks with varying reasoning demands under one of two conditions, that is, either with prior knowledge available or without prior knowledge available. Cognitive demands were assessed by the post-task questionnaire, the dual-task method and the open-ended questions. The results revealed that reasoning demands and prior knowledge were strong determinants of cognitive demands, which provided empirical evidence for Robinson’s Cognition Hypothesis. Moreover, the post-task questionnaire, the dual-task method and open-ended questions were found to assess distinct aspects of cognitive demands, which highlighted the importance of data triangulation in exploring task complexity effects. The study provides language teachers and assessors with implications for task design and implementation.
{"title":"Assessing the effects of task complexity on cognitive demands in L2 writing","authors":"Na Tao , Ying Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100998","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100998","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The assessment of task-generated cognitive demands has been receiving increasing attention in task complexity research. However, scant attention has been paid to assessing cognitive demands when task complexity is manipulated along both resource-directing and resource-dispersing dimensions. To address this gap, the present study aimed to investigate the relative effects of reasoning demands and prior knowledge on cognitive demands in L2 writing. Eighty-eight EFL students completed two letter-writing tasks with varying reasoning demands under one of two conditions, that is, either with prior knowledge available or without prior knowledge available. Cognitive demands were assessed by the post-task questionnaire, the dual-task method and the open-ended questions. The results revealed that reasoning demands and prior knowledge were strong determinants of cognitive demands, which provided empirical evidence for Robinson’s Cognition Hypothesis. Moreover, the post-task questionnaire, the dual-task method and open-ended questions were found to assess distinct aspects of cognitive demands, which highlighted the importance of data triangulation in exploring task complexity effects. The study provides language teachers and assessors with implications for task design and implementation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46865,"journal":{"name":"Assessing Writing","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 100998"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145684367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.asw.2025.100996
Xiaoxiao Chen , Xiaojun Pi
As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes increasingly embedded in EFL students’ writing practices, it has raised profound challenges to traditional assessment systems, calling into question the validity of established rubrics, the reliability of teacher judgments, and the authenticity of student performance. Despite this, limited research has explored how EFL teachers perceive and respond to GenAI-assisted writing. This qualitative case study investigates four EFL writing teachers’ assessment behaviors and reasoning across two stages of blind and informed evaluations of GenAI-assisted student texts. Drawing on think-aloud protocols and interviews, the study reveals that while the EFL writing teachers struggled to identify GenAI-generated content without prior knowledge, some exhibited noticeable adjustments in their scoring behaviors and assessment criteria once informed of GenAI involvement, whereas others remained relatively consistent. These changes were closely tied to their GenAI knowledge and experience and underlying pedagogical beliefs. The findings highlight divergent assessment strategies, ranging from product-oriented scoring to critical scrutiny of student-AI interaction, and underscore the salience of teacher agency in shaping responses to technological disruption. By uncovering the teachers’ cognitive processes, dilemmas, and reflective practices, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of assessment literacy in AI-mediated learning environments and offers practical implications for rubric adaptation, teacher professional development, and policy support.
{"title":"Assessing EFL students’ GenAI-assisted writing: Teachers’ pains, perceptions and practices","authors":"Xiaoxiao Chen , Xiaojun Pi","doi":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100996","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100996","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes increasingly embedded in EFL students’ writing practices, it has raised profound challenges to traditional assessment systems, calling into question the validity of established rubrics, the reliability of teacher judgments, and the authenticity of student performance. Despite this, limited research has explored how EFL teachers perceive and respond to GenAI-assisted writing. This qualitative case study investigates four EFL writing teachers’ assessment behaviors and reasoning across two stages of blind and informed evaluations of GenAI-assisted student texts. Drawing on think-aloud protocols and interviews, the study reveals that while the EFL writing teachers struggled to identify GenAI-generated content without prior knowledge, some exhibited noticeable adjustments in their scoring behaviors and assessment criteria once informed of GenAI involvement, whereas others remained relatively consistent. These changes were closely tied to their GenAI knowledge and experience and underlying pedagogical beliefs. The findings highlight divergent assessment strategies, ranging from product-oriented scoring to critical scrutiny of student-AI interaction, and underscore the salience of teacher agency in shaping responses to technological disruption. By uncovering the teachers’ cognitive processes, dilemmas, and reflective practices, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of assessment literacy in AI-mediated learning environments and offers practical implications for rubric adaptation, teacher professional development, and policy support.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46865,"journal":{"name":"Assessing Writing","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 100996"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145684370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1016/j.asw.2025.100994
Honglan Wang , Jookyoung Jung
While previous studies on online resource use in L2 writing have focused on the overall writing quality, limited attention has been paid to its effects on linguistic complexity and real-time writing processes. Addressing this gap, the present study explored how online resource use influences both the processes and products of L2 writing. Forty-nine intermediate L2 learners completed two computer-mediated argumentative writing tasks, either with or without the use of online resources. Writing behaviors were captured via keystroke logging and screen recording, and analyzed for search activity, fluency, pausing, and revision quantity. Cognitive processes were examined through stimulated recall interviews, and written products were evaluated for both quality and linguistic complexity. The results showed that participants spent an average of 14 % of task time using online resources, with considerable individual variation. Mixed-effects modeling revealed that resource use facilitated the production of more sophisticated words, with marginal influence on writing quality or syntactic complexity. Resource use was also associated with longer between-word pauses, fewer within-word pauses, and reduced revisions. These findings highlight the potential of online resource use to enhance the authenticity of L2 writing assessment tasks without compromising test validity, while encouraging the use of more advanced vocabulary in writing.
{"title":"The effects of online resource use on L2 learners’ computer-mediated writing processes and written products","authors":"Honglan Wang , Jookyoung Jung","doi":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100994","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.asw.2025.100994","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While previous studies on online resource use in L2 writing have focused on the overall writing quality, limited attention has been paid to its effects on linguistic complexity and real-time writing processes. Addressing this gap, the present study explored how online resource use influences both the processes and products of L2 writing. Forty-nine intermediate L2 learners completed two computer-mediated argumentative writing tasks, either with or without the use of online resources. Writing behaviors were captured via keystroke logging and screen recording, and analyzed for search activity, fluency, pausing, and revision quantity. Cognitive processes were examined through stimulated recall interviews, and written products were evaluated for both quality and linguistic complexity. The results showed that participants spent an average of 14 % of task time using online resources, with considerable individual variation. Mixed-effects modeling revealed that resource use facilitated the production of more sophisticated words, with marginal influence on writing quality or syntactic complexity. Resource use was also associated with longer between-word pauses, fewer within-word pauses, and reduced revisions. These findings highlight the potential of online resource use to enhance the authenticity of L2 writing assessment tasks without compromising test validity, while encouraging the use of more advanced vocabulary in writing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46865,"journal":{"name":"Assessing Writing","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 100994"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145684368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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