Assessing Writing最新文献

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has generally been reported to enhance second language (L2) writing on linguistic features such as complexity, accuracy, and fluency. The research on how it influences pragmatic dimensions, however, has been scarce. Drawing upon a pretest-posttest design, this study investigates the potential of TBLT in pragmatic development in Chinese high school students’ English writing. Eighty Chinese senior high school students from two parallel classes participated in this study over four weeks. One class as the experimental group received TBLT writing instruction while the other class as the control group maintained the traditional product approach of writing teaching. Pragmatic outcomes were assessed in terms of functional adequacy (i.e., content, task requirements, comprehensibility, and coherence/cohesion) with functional adequacy rating scales. Results showed the salient effects of TBLT in helping students become more functionally adequate in English writing. In particular, it promoted the content, task requirements, and comprehensibility of students’ writing. The coherence and cohesion performance in writing, however, did not demonstrate considerable improvement. Intriguingly, a significant correlation was identified between students’ English proficiency and the coherence/cohesion dimension in their written texts. The study highlights the effectiveness of TBLT in facilitating L2 writing performance from the perspective of pragmatic dimensions and emphasizes the importance of developing students’ pragmatic writing ability. These findings have significant implications for Chinese high school English writing instruction.

The ability to produce fluent and coherent written text impacts learning and attainments. Valid and reliable assessments of writing are needed to monitor progression, develop goals for writing and identify struggling writers. In order to inform practice and research a systematic review was conducted to investigate which writing productivity measures captured writing development and identified struggling writers in elementary school. Sixty-seven empirical studies were identified for inclusion, appraised, and their data extracted under the themes of writing genre, duration of writing task, use of priming of topic knowledge prior to the writing assessment, use of planning time, writing modality, gender, age of participants and learning difficulties. Total Number of Words and Correct Word Sequences were the most common means of measuring productivity. Productivity varied significantly between genres and durations of writing tasks and was higher in girls than boys. Students with learning difficulties scored significantly lower in writing productivity when compared to typically developing peers. Insufficient research was available to draw conclusions regarding the effects of priming of topic knowledge, planning and modality on writing productivity. Study limitations, links to the assessment of writing and recommended further research are discussed.

Comparing trained L2 writing student reviewers’ feedback behaviors as well as examining the extent to which their claims are aligned with their actual evaluation practices have received limited scholarly attention. Employing think-aloud protocols, one cause and one effect essays evaluated by five upper-intermediate L2 learners, and follow-up semi-structured interviews, this case study research aimed to explore trained L2 peer reviewers’ feedback behaviors and the matches and mismatches between their claims and evaluation practices. While the first and the second data source compared the participants’ actual feedback practices in terms of nature, type, and validity, the last source probed their claims on peer evaluation. The findings contribute to peer feedback research by emphasizing on the need for individual, customized, and constant peer review training sessions rather than general, all-purpose, and decontextualized instructions which can consequently improve peer feedback quality in L2 writing contexts.

Recently, researchers are paying increasing attention to the influence of second language (L2) writers’ personal beliefs on writing learning experiences and outcomes. Drawing on the Positive Psychology approach and from a gender difference perspective, this study investigates the relationships among two important motivational factors (i.e., growth mindsets and the ideal L2 writing self) and L2 writing enjoyment, as well as the impacts of these three positive mentalities on English writing performance with 679 12th grade high school students in mainland China. Independent sample t-tests results indicated that female students had significantly better English writing performance and higher levels of the three mentalities, although the effect sizes of the differences were small. Our multi-group structural equation model reported positive associations among the three mentalities for both male and female students. Growth mindsets were more influential for male students, whereas the ideal L2 writing self more influential for female students. In terms of the influence of the three mentalities on English writing performance, only the ideal L2 writing self was a significant predictor for female students. Pedagogical suggestions are provided based on the findings.

An array of pictorial supports (e.g., emojis, geometrical figures, animals) is often used in studies assessing young students’ writing motivation with Likert scales. However, although these images may influence the students’ responses, sufficient rationales for these choices are often absent from the studies. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to investigate two different types of pictorial support (circles vs. faces) in Likert scales assessing first and third graders’ writing interest, self-concept, and spelling interest and self-efficacy. The samples consist of 2197 first graders (mean age 6.8 years) and 1740 third graders (mean age 8.4 years). Results show statistically significant differences among the scales indicating that when face-scales are used, first-graders skip motivation items more often, and students in both grades avoid the minimum values of the scale more often. Gender differences are also found indicating that when face-scales are used, boys in third grade avoid maximum values more often, and girls in both grades avoid the minimum values more often. These findings suggest that the use of circle-scales compared to face-scales seem more appropriate in scales measuring young students’ writing and spelling interest and self-beliefs.

This study addresses a critical need in large-scale L2 writing assessment by emphasizing the significance of tailoring assessments to specific teaching and learning contexts. Focusing on the CET-4 writing test in China, the research unfolded in two phases. In Phase I, an empirically-developed analytic rating scale designed for the CET-4 writing test was rigorously validated. Twenty-one raters used this scale to rate 30 essays, and Many-Facets Rasch Model (MFRM) analysis was performed on the rating data. The outcomes demonstrate the scale’s robustness in effectively differentiating examinees’ writing performance, ensuring consistency among raters, and mitigating rater variation at both individual and group level. Phase II extends the research scope by applying the validated scale to score 142 CET-4 writing scripts. Utilizing Hierarchical and K-Means cluster analyses, this phase unveils three distinct score profiles. These findings are significant for both the CET-4 writing test and other L2 large-scale writing assessment. Theoretically, this study introduces a perspective that aims to enhance our understanding of learners’ performance in large-scale L2 writing assessment. Methodologically, this study presents a framework that integrates the validation of the rating scale with the identification of distinct score clusters, thus aiming to provide a more detailed solution for tailoring assessments to specific learning contexts.