Peer and teacher assessment of second-language writing in high- and low-stakes conditions

Author(s):  
Amir Rezaei ◽  
Khaled Barkaoui

Abstract This study aimed to compare second-language (L2) students’ ratings of their peers’ essays on multiple criteria with those of their teachers’ under different assessment conditions. Forty EFL teachers and 40 EFL students took part in the study. They each rated one essay on five criteria twice, under high-stakes and low-stakes assessment conditions. Multifaceted Rasch Analysis and correlation analyses were conducted to compare rater severity and consistency across rater groups, rating criteria and assessment conditions. The results revealed that there was more variation in students’ ratings than the teachers’ across assessment conditions. Additionally, both rater groups had different degrees of severity in assessing different criteria. In general, students were significantly more severe on language use than were teachers; whereas teachers were significantly more severe than were peers on organization. Student and teacher severity also varied across rating criteria and assessment conditions. The findings of this study have implications for planning and implementing peer assessment in the L2 writing classroom as well as for future research.

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rana Obeid

This small scale, quantitatively based, research study aimed at exploring one of the most debated areas in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL); and that is, the perceptions and attitudes of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers as well as EFL learners at an English Language Institute (ELI) at a major university in the Western region of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz University, towards second language writing assessment. The research study involved, randomly selected twenty-two EFL teachers and seventy-eight EFL students between the period of September 2016 and December 2016. Two, purposefully designed, twenty-item, Likert scale questionnaires were distributed amongst the teachers and students. One for the participating EFL teachers and one for the participating EFL students. Data analysis using descriptive statistical methods indicated several concerns which EFL teachers and students have with regards to the writing assessment in general and to the obstacles EFL teachers face when teaching and assessing writing. In addition, there was an indication of general resentments and strong feelings amongst the EFL students where the majority indicated that they are sometimes graded unfairly and writing assessment should take another, more holistic approach rather a narrow one. The study makes recommendations for future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-322
Author(s):  
Omar Abdullah Altamimi ◽  
Mona Masood

The past two decades witnessed increased attention in the role of Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) in improving the English as a second language(ESL) students’ written linguistic accuracy. Several methods were suggested, including the use of the electronic means of providing corrective feedback. The electronic methods proved to be effective despite the limited numbers and contexts. However, the extent of these studies is still unknown. Furthermore, no comprehensive review of the studies had been conducted to date. This systematic literature review will identify and classify the research on providing ESL teachers with Electronic Written Corrective Feedback (EWCF). A survey of several experimental and analytical studies that focused on testing the effect of different methods of EWCF on ESL students was conducted, covering the period between 2006 and 2020. Two major groups of studies emerged from this research, and several gaps were identified. The research concluded with several recommendations regarding the potential tracks for future research on EWCF. The current research will serve as a guideline for ESL writing practitioners and researchers on future teacher corrective feedback in second language writing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-165
Author(s):  
Rod Ellis

Abstract There are both pedagogical and theoretical grounds for asking second language writers to plan before they start writing. The question then arises whether pre-task planning (PTP) improves written output. To address this question, this article reviewed 32 studies by comparing the effect of PTP either with no planning or with unpressured online planning (OLP). These studies also investigated the moderating effect of variables relating to the writer participants, the nature of the planning, and the writing tasks. The main findings are: (1) There is no clear evidence that PTP leads to better overall writing quality when this is measured using rating rubrics, (2) PTP generally results in more fluent writing, (3) its impact on syntactical and lexical complexity is inconsistent and negligible, (4) OLP does sometimes result in increased linguistic accuracy, and (5) there is insufficient evidence to reach clear conclusions about the role that moderating variables have on the impact of PTP, but the results suggest that collaborative (as opposed to individual planning) can lead to increased accuracy and that PTP tends to lead to more complex language when the writing task is a complex one. The article concludes with a set of principles to ensure better quality research and three general proposals for the kind of future research needed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana R. Ferris

For more than a decade now, a great deal of research has been done on the topic of written corrective feedback (CF) in SLA and second language (L2) writing. Nonetheless, what those research efforts really have shown as well as the possible implications for practice remain in dispute. Although L2 writing and SLA researchers often examine similar phenomena in similar ways, they do not necessarily ask the same questions. SLA-focused researchers investigate whether written CF facilitates the acquisition of particular linguistic features. In contrast, L2 writing researchers generally emphasize the question of whether written CF helps student writers improve the overall effectiveness of their texts. Understanding these differences in starting points is important because it provides a possible explanation for the conflicting methodologies and conclusions of various reviews on this topic (e.g., Ferris, 2003, 2004; Truscott, 1996, 2007). This article briefly traces the history of these two parallel lines of research on written CF and notes both contrasts and convergences. It then moves to a focused discussion of the possible implications and applications of this body of work for the L2 language and writing classroom and for future research efforts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chian-Wen Kao ◽  
Barry Lee Reynolds ◽  
(Mark) Feng Teng

AbstractThe question of whether grammar learning and correction is effective for second language writing development depends on students’ needs and tendency to study grammar. While the extent of the influence of grammar learning, grammar correction, and learner beliefs on second language writing for English as a second language settings and learners has been heavily debated, little of the research has considered the backgrounds and beliefs of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. To explore factors that have influenced EFL students’ writing, the current study investigated beliefs regarding grammar learning and correction of 306 EFL students studying at universities of science and technology. An exploratory factor analysis was performed on questionnaire data gathered from the Taiwanese EFL student writers. The analysis uncovered four significant factors including (1) emphasis on the connection between grammar learning and writing, (2) positive attitude towards analyses of grammar rules, (3) positive attitude towards written correction, and (4) negative attitude towards oral correction. Qualitative data gathered through ten open-ended questions further indicated that EFL student writers welcomed teachers’ written correction of grammar errors especially when grammar correction was received for writing produced during writing tasks tailored to students’ future work-related needs. Pedagogical implications and future materials development for university of science and technology EFL student writers were discussed.


Author(s):  
Phuong Thi Tuyet Nguyen

This study explores how Vietnamese EFL students view blogs as tools with which to practise writing, examines whether student comments assist in peer revision, and evaluates whether peer comments result in substantive revisions of written drafts. Participants in this study included 11 students in an English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) classroom in Vietnam. Data collected included students’ first and final drafts for two writing topics, comments posted online, and student responses to a questionnaire. Student responses to the questionnaire were analysed and their comments were coded as revision-oriented or non-revision-oriented (Liu & Sadler, 2003). This study’s findings indicate that most students expressed positive attitudes toward using blogs to practise second language (L2) writing and that most students made revision-oriented comments on their peers’ drafts. There is also evidence that students used their peers’ comments to revise their own final drafts. The implications of this study for language teaching practice are discussed.


Author(s):  
Jalil Fathi ◽  
Sara Mohebiniya ◽  
Saeed Nourzadeh

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of self-assessment and peer-assessment activities on second language (L2) writing self-regulation of Iranian English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners. For this purpose, a sample of forty-six English major students from two intact classes at an Iranian Islamic Azad University were recruited as the participants of the present study. Then, the two classes were randomly assigned to a self-assessment group (N=22) and a peer-assessment group (N=24). The self-assessment group was instructed on the writing assessment criteria in order to self-assess their writing tasks and the peer-assessment group was trained on how to assess the writings of their peers. The treatment carried out for the self-assessment and peer-assessment groups lasted for a period of one university semester. The data was collected through Second Language Writing Self-regulation (SLWS) administered as the pre-test and post-test of the study. The results obtained from the data analysis indicated that both self-assessment and peer-assessment were conducive in enhancing L2 writing self-regulation of the participants. Nevertheless, further analysis of the data indicated that the participants in the peer-assessment group were better than those in the self-assessment group with regard to writing self-regulation, suggesting that peer-assessment activities were more effective than the self-assessment activities in contributing to enhancing writing self-regulation of the EFL learners. The justification of the findings and their implications for L2 writing pedagogy are also discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Abdullah Altamimi ◽  
Mona Masood

The past two decades witnessed increased attention in the role of Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) in improving the English as a second language(ESL) students’ written linguistic accuracy. Several methods were suggested, including the use of the electronic means of providing corrective feedback. The electronic methods proved to be effective despite the limited numbers and contexts. However, the extent of these studies is still unknown. Furthermore, no comprehensive review of the studies had been conducted to date. This systematic literature review will identify and classify the research on providing ESL teachers with Electronic Written Corrective Feedback (EWCF). A survey of several experimental and analytical studies that focused on testing the effect of different methods of EWCF on ESL students was conducted, covering the period between 2006 and 2020. Two major groups of studies emerged from this research, and several gaps were identified. The research concluded with several recommendations regarding the potential tracks for future research on EWCF. The current research will serve as a guideline for ESL writing practitioners and researchers on future teacher corrective feedback in second language writing.


2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shulin Yu ◽  
Icy Lee

This article reviews research on peer feedback in second language (L2) writing published in the last decade (i.e. 2005–2014). We analyse first the theoretical underpinnings that have informed both peer feedback research and the pedagogical use of peer feedback in L2 writing instruction. We also provide a critical interpretation of existing peer feedback research and discuss seven important themes emerging from the literature, that is, (1) effectiveness of peer feedback compared with teacher and self-feedback; (2) benefits of peer feedback for feedback-givers; (3) computer-mediated peer feedback; (4) peer feedback training; (5) student stances and motives; (6) peer interaction and group dynamics; and (7) cultural issues in peer feedback. Next, we examine the contextual and methodological issues in peer feedback research and then conclude the article with implications for future research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 357
Author(s):  
Reni Kusumaningputri ◽  
Tri Ayu Ningsih ◽  
Wisasongko Wisasongko

This research reported the types, as well as the causal factors of writing anxiety experienced by 44 volunteered Indonesian student writers from the first and second year of college. This research applied two questionnaires to get descriptions of types and causal factors of writing anxiety; Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) and Causes of Writing Anxiety Inventory (CWAI), and interview. The findings show that cognitive anxiety is found to be the most experienced type of writing anxiety among both students’ levels. There is a slight difference in the result of CWAI questionnaire in that three major causal factors of freshmen writing anxiety are language difficulties, time pressure, and insufficient writing practice. Meanwhile, the causal factors of sophomores are insufficient writing practice, language difficulties, and insufficient writing technique. These suggest that classroom instructions need to gear on improving students’ linguistic capabilities and writing techniques through modeling.


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