scholarly journals Determining English Language Lecturers’ Quality of Marking in Continuous Assessment through Rasch Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (S3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mardiana Idris
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Assessment Criteria ◽  
Continuous Assessment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Strict Adherence ◽  
Total Data ◽  
Written Assessment ◽  
English Academic Writing

English language lecturers at matriculation colleges are generally equipped with assessment criteria for marking students’ written assessment. However, these criteria are normally susceptible to lecturers’ interpretation and understanding, which threatens quality marking. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the severity and consistency of English language lecturers’ marking of English academic writing (EAW) in continuous assessment. The participants were five English language lecturers and 50 matriculation students. Each lecturer selected ten EAWs randomly from 318 matriculation students. The five-part EAW was marked first by the class’s lecturer and later, it was marked by pre-assigned peer moderators who did not teach the students. The total data set collected was 250 (5 lecturers x 10 EAWs x 5 parts of EAW). The data were analyzed with Many-Facets Rasch Measurement (MFRM) application. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with both lecturers and students for triangulation purposes. Findings revealed that four out of five lecturers were lenient in marking but the marking was found to be internally consistent with infit and outfit mean squares for each lecturer ranged between 0.5 and 1.5. From interview responses analyzed, students perceived their lecturers as fair but strict in awarding marks. These responses were consistent with most lecturers’ responses on their strict adherence to assessment criteria. Discussion of findings is centered on the issue of severity and consistency of the assessors. This study could offer a practical solution in providing evidence for quality marking of written assessment and, consequently, aid in developing remedial measures for misfit assessors in educational institutions.

Paraphrasing in English Academic Writing by Thai Graduate Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 48-54
Author(s):  
Buaboun Pinjaroenpan ◽  
Uthaivan Danvivath
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Coding Scheme ◽  
English Academic Writing

Objective - The primary objective of this study is to investigate the use of paraphrasing in writing, as practiced by graduate students who are majoring in English Language at a university in Thailand. Methodology/Technique - The research data was collected from multiple sources including a questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews, and students' written assignments. The participants were graduate students majoring in English at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, at Khon Kaen University. Students' paraphrased texts were analysed using a coding scheme adapted from Campbell (1987), Keck (2006), and Shi (2004). The coding scheme focuses on textual transformation, which has been further analysed for retaining the original meaning of the paraphrased text. Findings - The results reveal that, generally, students had a sound appreciation and understanding of paraphrasing and plagiarism at a conceptual level. However, the students made clear errors when required to paraphrase. In many cases, their lack of skill and knowledge led to instances of plagiarism in a significant number of respondents. In conclusion, greater attention should be given to educating graduate students how to paraphrase, to reduce plagiarism as well as to improve the standard of academic writing. The findings of this study provide beneficial knowledge concerning the practice of paraphrasing by graduate students' in Thailand; this understanding may foster improved paraphrasing standards among students. Novelty – This study is specifically concerned with the examination of perception, knowledge, and paraphrasing typology of students' English within a foreign language context. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Academic Writing; English as a Foreign Language; Graduate Students; Paraphrasing; Plagiarism. JEL Classification: I20, I21.

scholarly journals ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE ACADEMIC WRITING IN ENGLISH

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 41-43
Author(s):  
Yu.V. Lysanets ◽  
O.M. Bieliaieva ◽  
L.B. Slipchenko ◽  
K.H. Havrylieva ◽  
H.Yu. Morokhovets
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Professional Communication ◽  
Academic Standards ◽  
Medical Setting ◽  
British Council ◽  
Academic Communication ◽  
English Academic Writing

The article discusses the features of academic writing in English based on the recommendations from the British Council in Ukraine in the framework of the “Researcher Connect” project, aiming to facilitate the transition to academic standards of English and improve the academic discourse produced by non-native language users. The authors outline major tendencies in the modern English language as pertains to written discourse and provide recommendations for rendering academic writing persuasive. It is a well-established fact that academic writing in English possesses unique features, which must be respected and taken into account. Hence, a transfer of academic norms from a person's mother tongue to English can be a challenge, which may impair the quality of academic writing. Presenting the research results without consideration of academic norms, grammar, and lexical features of English academic writing can lead to mistakes and misunderstanding, and result in a written work of poor quality, even if the research findings are valid. The mechanisms of improving the academic writing skills during the study of English for Academic Communication with due account for relevant grammar and lexical peculiarities have been explored. Therefore, the major challenge for researchers is the difficulty in transition to academic standards of a foreign language. The article discusses the surface and the deeper purposes in any academic writing; the significance of understanding one’s audience; the concepts of persuasion, clarity, and conciseness, as well as grammar and lexical means for achieving them. Developing the communication skills of Ukrainian scientists is crucial for successful international communication and cooperation. The study of potential difficulties, which the Ukrainian medical professionals may face in the process of academic writing in English, is important for developing the guidelines to eliminate possible mistakes and avoid misunderstanding in a medical setting. Further study of the peculiarities of academic writing in English will contribute to the optimization of international professional communication, the expansion of inter-institutional dialogue, and the integration of Ukraine into the world community.

scholarly journals Exploring the Writing Challenges Faced by M.Phil. and Ph.D. Scholars: A Case

2021 ◽  
Vol VI (IV) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
Hina Iqbal ◽  
Muhammad Saeed
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Interactive Programming ◽  
Report Quality ◽  
Grammatical Errors ◽  
Language Courses

Academic writing plays a pivotal role in developing research proposals. The present study aimed to explore the grammatical errors that M.Phil/PhDs scholars commit in academic writing. The present study employed a qualitative case study designed to explore the challenges in the English language faced by the M.Phil and PhDs scholars. The 20 Ph.D. and 36 M.Phil scholars were selected by busing purposive sampling technique. Data were collected by using two self-developed semi-structured interviews protocol. Thematic analysis approach was employed for data analysis. The findings revealed that all the participants reported that correct use of tenses was a big hurdle that entailed the other grammatical mistakes and reduced the report quality because all the lexical aspects are linked with these mechanics. The study recommended that English language courses be offered to postgraduate, M. Phil and Ph.D. scholars to learn the technical aspects of the language and provide students with online interactive programming.

scholarly journals Proposed Model to Assist Saudi Postgraduate Students in their English Academic Writing

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 527-542
Author(s):  
Noof Saleh Alharbi
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Written Feedback ◽  
Mixed Methods Design ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
English Academic Writing ◽  
Qualitative Phase

This current research forms part of a broader investigation into the problems Saudi postgraduate students face in English academic writing. The study used the interpretive paradigm to investigate and interpret the perceptions of Saudi postgraduate students and their supervisors in relation to the difficulties they encountered regarding academic writing in English. Therefore, the study adopted a sequential mixed-methods design. The quantitative phase of the research employed a questionnaire whereas the qualitative phase employed semi-structured interviews and document analysis. In total, 275 students completed the prepared questionnaire whilst 15 students, both male and female, and 9 supervisors participated in the semi-structured interviews. The research also used ten samples of written feedback students had received from their supervisors. SPSS descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data quantitatively, and MAXQDA software was used to analyse the data qualitatively. The study identified that Saudi postgraduates encounter a range of difficulties in their academic writing, which were due to several underlying causes. Therefore, to address this issue and to contribute to knowledge in the field, the author of this study devised a theoretical model to assist Saudi postgraduate students overcome their difficulties with English academic writing. The main focus of the current study is to explain this model in detail.

scholarly journals Using Rubrics in A University EFL Process Writing Program: An Exploratory Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yamin Qian
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Writing Programs ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Writing Classes ◽  
Peer Reviews ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Student Cohorts

While rubrics have been widely recognized as an effective instructional tool for teachers to evaluate students’ writing products, fewer studies explored how students use it for their writing process in an EFL university academic writing classes. This study explores the application of process-oriented rubrics in two EFL writing programs, and investigates whether English language proficiency, motivation to writing, and their previous experiences with writing programs would significantly affect the use of the rubrics. The participants (N=190) were from two student cohorts, each of which had 95 participants. The data set includes students’ self-, peer- use and the instructor’s use of the rubrics, and students’ written reflection upon peer feedbacks. The data showed that the rubrics can guide students to practice a writing process, and that the 20-item rubric was statistically reliable.  The data of rubrics also showed that the participants were more critical on their peers’ writing, and the reflection data showed students’ awareness of revision strategies. The qualitative data seemed to suggest that peer reviews and reflections upon such reviews could enhance students' revision strategies. This article will conclude itself by providing some pedagogical suggestions in EFL contexts

scholarly journals A Discourse Analysis: Cohesion of the Introduction Section of Research Article

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Anis Firdatul Rochma ◽  
Sulis Triyono
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Semantic Meaning ◽  
Lexical Cohesion ◽  
Research Article ◽  
English Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Competence

<em>As an effort to give contribution to the existing knowledge, it is expected for the undergraduate students to compose an engaging research article in order to convince the readers about the importance of the research article. However, there is only a little attention given to the articles written by the undergraduate students although it is considered very critical to examine whether the exposure of English academic writing has significantly enhances the writing competence of the students. Furthermore, as it is also very crucial to build a meaningful semantic meaning among the sentences in order to disclose the worthiness of the research article, it is essential to analyze the cohesion of the research article written by the undergraduate students. Henceforth, the present research is projected to investigate the cohesion of the research articles written by the undergraduate students of English Language Teaching. As the introduction section of research article is likely to be an area to portray the logical explanation of the research, the present research solely focuses on examining the cohesion of the introduction section of research article. By adopting a qualitative design and involving several steps to analyze the introduction section, it is revealed that the grammatical cohesion is considered to be the most utilized type of cohesion in writing the introduction section. Still, the lexical cohesion is also necessary to build an eloquent semantic meaning about the topic as well the importance of the research article.</em>

scholarly journals Proposed Model to Assist Saudi Postgraduate Students in their English Academic Writing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noof Saleh Alharbi
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Written Feedback ◽  
Mixed Methods Design ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
English Academic Writing ◽  
Qualitative Phase

This current research forms part of a broader investigation into the problems Saudi postgraduate students face in English academic writing. The study used the interpretive paradigm to investigate and interpret the perceptions of Saudi postgraduate students and their supervisors in relation to the difficulties they encountered regarding academic writing in English. Therefore, the study adopted a sequential mixed-methods design. The quantitative phase of the research employed a questionnaire whereas the qualitative phase employed semi-structured interviews and document analysis. In total, 275 students completed the prepared questionnaire whilst 15 students, both male and female, and 9 supervisors participated in the semi-structured interviews. The research also used ten samples of written feedback students had received from their supervisors. SPSS descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data quantitatively, and MAXQDA software was used to analyse the data qualitatively. The study identified that Saudi postgraduates encounter a range of difficulties in their academic writing, which were due to several underlying causes. Therefore, to address this issue and to contribute to knowledge in the field, the author of this study devised a theoretical model to assist Saudi postgraduate students overcome their difficulties with English academic writing. The main focus of the current study is to explain this model in detail.

scholarly journals STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARD THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COLLABORATIVE BRAINSTORMING IN ACADEMIC WRITING CLASSES

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Listyani - Listyani
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
21St Century Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
English Language Education ◽  
Writing Classes

The 21st century skills include collaboration and teamwork, creativity and imagination, critical thinking, and problem solving. In writing  classes collaborative brainstorming is one of many activities that can be conducted by teachers to help students develop their 21st century skills. It is because collaborative brainstorming makes students think critically, creative, work better in a group, and solve problems collaboratively. This study investigated students’ perceptions on the use of collaborative brainstorming in Academic Writing classes and its effectiveness in the students’ eyes in writing. The participants of this study were 33 English Language Education Program (ELEP) students who were taking Academic Writing class. The data were analyzed qualitatively, supported by open ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results of the data analysis exposed to prove that collaborative brainstorming helps students in Academic Writing projects. Finally, this study indicates the importance of classroom interaction during classroom learning activities. This study also suggests a strategy to overcome students minor participation during group discussions. The 21st century skills include collaboration and teamwork, creativity and imagination, critical thinking, and problem solving. In writing  classes collaborative brainstorming is one of many activities that can be conducted by teachers to help students develop their 21st century skills. It is because collaborative brainstorming makes students think critically, creative, work better in a group, and solve problems collaboratively. This study investigated students’ perceptions on the use of collaborative brainstorming in Academic Writing classes and its effectiveness in the students’ eyes in writing. The participants of this study were 33 English Language Education Program (ELEP) students who were taking Academic Writing class. The data were analyzed qualitatively, supported by open ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results of the data analysis exposed to prove that collaborative brainstorming helps students in Academic Writing projects. Finally, this study indicates the importance of classroom interaction during classroom learning activities. This study also suggests a strategy to overcome students minor participation during group discussions.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Intrinsic/Extrinsic Motivation and Medical Students’ L2 Writing

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 71-81
Author(s):  
Sepideh Nourinezhad ◽  
Nasrin Shokrpour ◽  
Zahra Shahsavar
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
English Language ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Learning Skill ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
English Academic Writing ◽  
The Relationship

Despite the increasing interest in the need to increase the students’ learning motivation, there have been few attempts to determine the relationship between the students’ motivation and their L2 writing skill.The present study aimed at investigating the effect of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on Iranian medical students’ L2 writing. 100 EFL medical students (both males and females) who had enrolled in an English academic writing course held in English Language Department of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences participated in this study.We used a questionnaire to classify the students’ extrinsic/intrinsic motivation. The results showed that the students’ motivation has a positive effect on their writing. Moreover, students with intrinsic motivation were more successful than those with extrinsic motivation in L2 writing. This study can provide the instructors with an in-depth understanding of motivation as a key factor which can improve the students’ writing. Understanding different types of students’ motivation and what promotes their learning skill can assist the teachers in fostering positive and realistic beliefs to maximize their teaching in an educational setting.

scholarly journals Students’ Perspectives on Academic Writing in European Higher Education (Based on 2019 Erasmus Teaching Experience in Slovak and Hungarian University)

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 87-102
Author(s):  
Olena Hundarenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
English Language Acquisition ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
European Universities ◽  
Writing Instructions ◽  
English Academic Writing ◽  
The University

Although studies on the approaches and methods of teaching Academic Writing in university classroom are extensive, comparative studies on students’ evaluation of the classroom strategies and techniques applied are still scant. Therefore, this research implies a quantitative study based on comparative analysis of Slovak and Hungarian EFL learners’ responses on a special questionnaire in English Academic Writing. The objective of the study was to explore senior university students’ attitude to the academic writing tasks, specificity of a writing program at the university, its advantages and disadvantages; to evaluate their own writing abilities and provide recommendations concerning feedback and writing instructions in class along with the ways of their improvement. It accords to the area of study on effective writing assignments, techniques and methods involved in everyday practice in Central European universities, which can make academic writing both a productive and joyful tool in English language acquisition process.

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