Discourse synthesis in integrated second language writing assessment

Abstract

As integrated tasks become more common in assessing writing for academic purposes, it is necessary to investigate how test takers approach these tasks. The present study explores the processes of test takers undertaking reading-to-write tasks developed for a university English placement exam. Think-aloud protocols and interviews of university-level non-native writers of English were collected to capture the writers’ composing processes. These data were analysed to determine if the tasks elicited an academic writing process of discourse synthesis and to identify what language issues were present. The results revealed some writers use discourse synthesis subprocesses in composing responses to the reading-to-write tasks, with apparent d ifferences across writers. Language difficulties that emerged for writers were vocabulary knowledge and use, as well as stylistic concerns. The implications of the study suggest that reading-to-write tasks may elicit a discourse synthesis process that could be used for validity evidence in some contexts and lead to more appropriate placement into academic writing courses.

Using keystroke logging to understand writers’ processes on a reading-into-writing test

“…Cognitive validity concerns the extent to which 'the mental processes that a test elicits from a candidate resemble the processes that s/he would employ in non-test conditions' (Field, 2004, p.7). There is a gap in the existing research because although models of writing have been proposed, the reading-into-writing processes are not well understood (Hirvela, 2004;Plakans, 2009).…”

“…Chan, 2013;Plakans, 2010). A small number of studies investigated one of these reading-into-writing sub-processes such as task representation (Wolfersberger, 2013), discourse synthesis (Plakans, 2009) and revising (Barkaoui, 2016).…”

“…Their work (Spivey, 1990(Spivey, , 2001Spivey & King, 1989) has revealed that writers transform a new representation of meaning through three processes: (a) selecting relevant content from sources, (b) organising the content according to the writing goals, and (c) connecting the content from various sources and generating links between these ideas. Using think aloud, Plakans (2009) investigated six L2 writers' discourse synthesis processes on two reading-into-writing argumentative essay tasks. The results revealed significant differences among the writers.…”

“…In particular, task type is found to have a significant impact on writers' choice of writing approach (Severinson Eklundh & Kollberg, 2003). A number of studies concluded that reading-into-writing test tasks offer advantages over writing-only tasks in encouraging a knowledge transformation approach on the part of the writer (Plakans, 2009(Plakans, , 2010Plakans & Gebril, 2012. To effectively define the readinginto-writing construct, more empirical evidence regarding how writers compose from sources both in real-life and under test conditions is urgently needed.…”

Computer‐Assisted Language Testing

“…Although Ockey (2009) maintains that "the future of integrated skills tests appears bright" (p. 845), the use of integrated tasks in CBTs poses certain challenges, namely the vagueness of language ability constructs being measured by such tests. This demands more research on multidimensional constructs and on inferences that can be made about test takers' language proficiency based on their scores for integrated items (Plakans, 2009b).…”