Assessing foreign/second language writing ability

Coombe, Christine

doi:10.1108/17537981011070091

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(13 reference statements)

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“…Assessment of students' writing skills is considered an issue when it comes to language testing (Coombe, 2010).…”

Section: Assessment In Writingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Padlet as a Technological Tool for Assessment of Students Writing Skills in Online Classroom Settings

Jong¹,

Tan²

2021

International Journal of Education and Practice

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The lifestyle of humans is constantly changing due to globalisation. The demand for suitable and appropriate technological tools applicable in the teaching and learning processes is therefore increasing. The traditional method of chalk and talk in a classroom setting is slowly being replaced with Web 2.0 due to various implications. However, studies on the implications and effectiveness of these tools towards students' assessment of their learning process are lacking, especially in the writing skill. This study aims to provide a report on the use of an online learning platform for assessing students' writing skills. Padlet is used in this study as an online learning platform. The respondents comprise 70 level two teachers from national primary schools in Sarawak. Level two refers to years 4, 5 and 6 in the Malaysian education context. Survey questionnaires, observation checklists and semi-structured interviews were employed and their results were analyzed through frequency and thematic content analysis. The main findings in this research show that the respondents exhibit positive responses towards Padlet. This study also provides some concerns that arise during the implementation of Padlet in the classroom. Limited Internet connection and lack of Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills amongst the students are the two major issues found during the intervention. The implication of this study is relevant to the new pedagogical tool in writing assessment for the current generation of students. Contribution/Originality:This study contributes to the existing literature on teaching and learning strategy and methodology in language writing assessment relevant to the current generation of students. It aims to analyze and explore the feasibility of an online learning platform, namely Padlet, to be used among primary students for writing assessments. vocabulary, grammar, thinking skill, planning, editing, revising and other elements in writing' (Ien, Yunus, & Embi, 2017). Purwanto (2020) added that students can use their writing skills to express their ideas, feelings and thoughts to other people in a relatively permanent form.Ahangari and Behzady (2011) stated that "the ability to write well is also considered as one of the best ways to assess and keep track of ESL students' learning progress" (as quoted in Ien et al., 2017). Despite being a good assessment for the learning of English language, writing in English is quite a difficult skill to be acquired by

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“…Assessment of students' writing skills is considered an issue when it comes to language testing (Coombe, 2010).…”

Section: Assessment In Writingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Padlet as a Technological Tool for Assessment of Students Writing Skills in Online Classroom Settings

Jong¹,

Tan²

2021

International Journal of Education and Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…According to Coombe [ 75 ], the recommended number of evaluators is two, with a third in case of extreme disagreement. Two instructors with more than five years of English writing instruction experience were invited to rate the students’ writing tests, and a PhD candidate in applied linguistics as an alternate evaluator in case of disagreement.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the relationship between EFL students’ writing performance and activity theory related influencing factors in the blended learning context

Wang,

Kasuma,

Lah

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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With the rapid development of technologies, blended learning is widespread in English writing instruction. The effect of blended learning on EFL writing outcomes is affected by various factors. This study examines the relationship between EFL students’ writing performance and influencing factors and the relationship between these factors in a blended learning context based on the Activity Theory. The study used a quantitative method: English argumentative writing tests and questionnaires with 33 undergraduates. The results reveal that EFL students’ argumentative writing performance is significantly and positively correlated with five influencing factors, in descending order of correlation: subject, community, object, rules, and division of labor. Moreover, the findings suggest a significant positive relationship within each factor in the blended learning environment, except for no relationship between rules and division of labor. Furthermore, the research provides useful references and insights for further research and educational practice in blended writing instruction. Due to limitations such as the relatively small sample size, the focus on argumentative writing, and the reliance on quantitative data, this study gives the impression that the results only represent a portion of the population and situation. Therefore, future research could consider enlarging the sample size, adopting a more comprehensive range of writing genres, involving qualitative methods, or expanding the scope of research on the impact of BL on other disciplines.

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“…The primary instrument of data collection in this study is a three-point scale holistic scoring rubric. As explained by Wahlstrom (2010) and others (Arslan, 2013;Bielinska-Kwapisz, 2015;Coombe, 2010), the holistic scoring rubric was designed to focus on the following key elements: content, spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence structure, legibility, and organisation. Additionally, each section in the holistic scoring rubric included the writing subskills to be measured.…”

Section: Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Writing Proficiency Levels Among Arabic and English Language Student Teachers and their Perceptions of Challenges in Writing Skill

2019

JLLL

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The purposes of this study were to compare the writing proficiency levels between Arabic and EFL student teachers, measure the differences in the perceptions of both parties of challenges concerning writing skills, and identify the most common types of writing mistakes made by both of them. The study was based on a sample of 72 Arabic (n=40) and EFL (n= 32) Saudi student teachers. A mixed quantitative and qualitative approach was used in this study, where the analysis of writing proficiency levels was based on the participants' written samples and information on the perceptions of challenges concerning writing skills was collected using a five Likert-scale ranked questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The results of a Mann-Whitney U Test revealed a statistically significant difference between Arabic and EFL student teachers in the content, grammar and sentence structure of written materials, legibility, organisation, and overall writing skill proficiency levels in favour of the EFL student teachers. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups regarding spelling and punctuation proficiency levels. Regarding perceptions of challenges concerning writing skills and subskills, the results revealed a statistically significant difference in favour of EFL student teachers. The replies to the open-ended question revealed writing challenges faced by both Arabic and EFL student teachers. The results of the semi-structured interviews showed that that both Arabic and EFL student teachers made some common types of mistakes while writing on the board or designing activities at home. The study concludes with some practical implications, recommendations, and suggestions for future research.

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Assessing foreign/second language writing ability

Abstract: She is the president-elect of TESOL. She has published in the areas of language assessment, teacher effectiveness, language teacher research, task-based learning and leadership in ELT.

Cited by 8 publications

References 6 publications

Using Padlet as a Technological Tool for Assessment of Students Writing Skills in Online Classroom Settings

Using Padlet as a Technological Tool for Assessment of Students Writing Skills in Online Classroom Settings

Exploring the relationship between EFL students’ writing performance and activity theory related influencing factors in the blended learning context

Writing Proficiency Levels Among Arabic and English Language Student Teachers and their Perceptions of Challenges in Writing Skill

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