L2 French Writing Assessment: A Methodological Critique

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-25
Author(s):  
Sheri Dion
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Writing Assessment ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Specific Level ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
L2 Development

This paper presents a methodological critique of three empirical studies in second language (L2) French writing assessment. To distinguish key themes in French L2 writing assessment, a literature review was conducted resulting in the identification of 27 studies that were categorized into three major themes. The three studies examined in this article each represent one theme respectively. Within this analysis, the underlying constructs being measured are identified, and the strengths and limitations are deliberated.  Findings from this detailed examination suggest that three examined studies in L2 French writing assessment have significant methodological flaws that raise questions about the claims being made. From this investigation, several studyspecific  recommendations are made, and four general recommendations for improving French L2 writing assessment are offered: (1) the social setting in which L2 assessments take place ought to be a consideration (2) the difficulty of tasks and time on task should be taken into account (3) greater consistency should be used when measuring and denoting a specific level of instruction (i.e. “advanced”) and (4) universal allusions to “fluency” should be avoided when generalizing one component of L2 competency (such as writing achievement) to other aspects of L2 development. Key words: French writing, methodological critique, written assessment, language assessment, second language writing assessment

scholarly journals A REVIEW OF THEORIES AND RESEARCH INTO SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Duong Thu Mai
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Writing Assessment ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Major Development ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Criterion Referenced ◽  
Writing Competence

As language assessment in Vietnam is being intensively attended to by the Ministry of Education and Training and is actually critically transformed, criterion-referenced assessment has gradually been a familiar term for language teachers, assessors and administrators. Although the name of the approach has been extensively used, most teachers of English at all levels of language education still face the challenge of identifying “criteria” for writing assessment scales. This paper attempts to provide a reference for teachers and researchers in second language writing  concerning on the major development in the field in defining this construct of “writing competence”. The paper focuses more on the existing and published literature globally on English writing teaching approaches, research and practices. These contents are reviewed and summarized into two major strands: the product-oriented considerations and the process-oriented considerations.

scholarly journals Second Language Writing and Assessment: Voices from Within the Saudi EFL Context

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rana Obeid
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Writing Assessment ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Efl Students

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.

SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING RESEARCH AND WRITTEN CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK IN SLA

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana R. Ferris
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Student Writers ◽  
Written Corrective Feedback ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
History Of

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.

scholarly journals Revision in Second Language Writing: What Teachers Need to Know

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Barkaoui
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Instructional Practices ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Language Writing

This article reviews theories and research on revision in second-language (L2) writing. It examines how and what L2 writers revise, compares the revision practices of skilled and unskilled L2 writers, and suggests instructional practices to help learners improve their L2 revision skills.

scholarly journals Enhancing Second Language Writing Self-regulation Through Self-assessment and Peer-assessment: A Case of Iranian EFL Learners

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Jalil Fathi ◽  
Sara Mohebiniya ◽  
Saeed Nourzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Assessment Activities

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.

scholarly journals The locus of written corrective feedback in various SLA theories

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-139
Author(s):  
Ehsan Abbaspour
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Oral Feedback ◽  
Written Corrective Feedback ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Shed Light

Whether corrective feedback is effective in L2 writing has always been a controversial issue among Second Language Acquisition (SLA) scholars despite a vast body of research investigating the issue. This conflict is rooted in the fact that different researchers subscribe to different theories of SLA which are at times contradictory in nature. The present article reviews and investigates major SLA theories with respect to their views and stance toward the efficacy of Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) and error correction in second language writing. Many of these theories do not address the role of corrective feedback explicitly or merely focus on the role of oral feedback. Polio (2012) and Bitchener and Ferris (2012) have partially investigated the issue at stake reviewing a number of SLA theories. In this study, however, attempt is made to shed light on the role of WCF especially in the theories which are not directly concerned with L2 writing.

Studies on Positive Evidence Feedback in Second Language Writing: Status Quo and Implications

RELC Journal ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 003368822110729
Author(s):  
Zhenhao Cao ◽  
Zhicheng Mao
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Positive Evidence ◽  
Long Term Effect ◽  
The Status ◽  
Language Writing

While a surge of research has investigated the use of reformulations and models as positive evidence feedback (PEF) in second language (L2) writing, so far no research synthesis seeking to review the status quo of this particular topic has been published. To fill the gap, the present study synthesized 23 studies on reformulations and models as PEF in L2 writing and examined the salient findings regarding three major research strands: (1) students’ noticing and incorporation from reformulations; (2) students’ noticing and incorporation from models; and (3) effects of PEF on L2 writing. Informed by the study findings, we suggest L2 teachers vary their feedback decisions with flexibility, consider individual and contextual factors in PEF practices, combine PEF and corrective feedback to maximize student learning, and provide guidance to support student actions in response to PEF. We also propose three areas for further research, namely going beyond linguistic issues to explore the potential of PEF, systematically investigating factors influencing students’ engagement with PEF, and collecting longitudinal data to examine the long-term effect of PEF. This study enhances our understanding of this emerging research area and provides implications for L2 pedagogy, as well as suggestions for future investigations.

Identity Formation in Second Language Writing

2021 ◽  
pp. 178-199
Author(s):  
Nayef Jomaa
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
The Other ◽  
Solid Model ◽  
Comprehensive Model ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Postgraduate Research

Part of the researcher's duties towards his supervisees is to guide them in their postgraduate research journeys. Two important questions were raised by his supervisees. One of them is why the majority of studies follow Hyland's framework in analysing identity. The other question is why we do not follow Hyland's (framework in analysing the reporting verbs instead of Halliday's transitivity system. Is it because the latter is so difficult to understand? Therefore, this chapter aims at focusing on identity in second language (L2) writing, comparing between Halliday's modality, Vande Kopple's taxonomy, Crismore et al.'s taxonomy, and Hyland's model of metadiscourse. The findings showed a sort of similarity as well as variety, thus resulting in overlapping and lacking a solid model for analysing how writers reveal their identity. Therefore, a necessity arises to present a comprehensive model that can be used to identify all the categories and subcategories related to interpersonal meanings.

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