刊讯｜SSCI 期刊《写作评估》2022年第51卷

ASSESSING WRITING

Volume 51, January 2022

ASSESSING WRITING（SSCI一区，2021 IF：3.164）2022年第51卷共发文21篇，其中研究性论文16篇，书评5篇。研究论文涉及增量智能、反思性写作对话、写作策略、ESL书面论文等方面。

目录

ARTICLES

■ Constructing a data-based analytic rubric for an academic blog post, by Francisco Lorenzo, Adrián Granados, Nuria Rico, Article 100602.

■ The impact of essay organization and overall quality on the holistic scoring of EFL writing: Perspectives from classroom english teachers and national writing raters, by Junfei Li, Article 100604.

■ Incremental Intelligence Matters: How L2 Writing Mindsets Impact Feedback Orientation and Self-Regulated Learning Writing Strategies, by JianXu, Article, 100593.

■ Reflexive writing dialogues: Elementary students’ perceptions and performances as writers during classroom experiences, by M. Ryan, M. Khosronejad, G. Barton, D. Myhill, L. Kervin, Article 100592.

■  Assessing self-regulatory writing strategies and their predictive effects on young EFL learners’ writing performance, by Mark Feng Teng, Chuang Wang, Lawrence Jun Zhang, Article 100573.

■ Fostering student engagement with feedback: An integrated approach, by Zhe (Victor) Zhang, Ken Hyland, Article 100586.

■ Composing strategies employed by high-and low-performing Iranian EFL students in essay writing classes, by Rasoul Mohammad Hosseinpur, Zahra Kazemi, Article 100601.

■ Dimensions of text-based analytical writing of secondary students, by Jacob Steiss, Jenell Krishnan, Young-Suk Grace Kim, Carol Booth Olson, Article 100600.

■ Linguistic, cultural and substantive patterns in L2 writing: A qualitative illustration of MisLevy’s sociocognitive perspective on assessment, by Tony Xing Tan, Xiaohui Fan, Lauren B. Braunstein, Mark Lane-Holbert, Article 100574.

■ Cognitive validity evidence of computer and paper-based writing tests and differences in the impact on EFL test-takers in classroom assessment, by María Eugenia Guapacha Chamorro, Article 100594.

■ Noun phrasal complexity in ESL written essays under a constructed-response task: Examining proficiency and topic effects, by Kayla Marie Sarte, Ksenia Gnevsheva, Article 100595.

■ Appropriateness as an aspect of lexical richness: What do quantitative measures tell us about children's writing?, by Philip Durrant, Ayça Durrant, Article 100596.

■ Revisiting the predictive power of traditional vs. fine-grained syntactic complexity indices for L2 writing quality: The case of two genres, by Xiaopeng Zhang, Xiaofei Lu, Article 100597.

■ Association of keyboarding fluency and writing performance in online-delivered assessment, by Tao Gong, Mo Zhang, Chen Li, Article 100575.

■ Examining L2 English University students’uses of lexical bundles and their relationship to writing quality, by Susie Kim, Matt Kessler, Article 100589.

■ Dependency distance measures in assessing L2 writing proficiency, by Jinghui Ouyang, Jingyang Jiang, Haitao Liu, Article 100603.

REVIEWS

■ Toward a reconceptualization of second language classroom assessment: Praxis and researcher-teacher partnership, by Reza Neiriz,Agustinus Hardi Prasetyo.

■ Language Aptitude: Advancing Theory, Testing, Research and Practice, Z. Wen, P. Skehan, A. Biedroń, S. Li, R. Sparks, by Hang Sun,Shengkai Yin.

■ Critical Perspectives on Global Englishes in Asia: Language Policy, Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, Fan Fang, Handoyo Puji Widodo, by Ananda Astrini Muhammad, Jeanne Beck, Sebnem Kurt.

■ Scoring Second Language Spoken and Written Performance: Issues, Options and Directions, Ute Knoch, Judith Fairbairn, Yan Jin, by Li Yang.

■ Assessment rubrics decoded: An educator's guide, K.H.K. Tan, by Ting Chen,Yan Jin.

摘要

Constructing a data-based analytic rubric for an academic blog post

Kristin Rock, Georgetown University, Department of Linguistics, United States

Abstract 

Recently, educational stakeholders have seen an accelerated move to online learning within which the ability to correspond effectively depends on good writing skills. Language learners are increasingly being asked to navigate new digital genres, such as academic blogs and discussion boards, without access to empirically-based descriptions of corresponding genre conventions. Furthermore, researchers have utilized multiple methods for assessing writing within this genre, ranging from full credit for completion to rubrics based on complexity, accuracy, and fluency. A genre-based approach to writing assessment would suggest identifying key features of academic blogs, and in turn, utilizing those descriptions to guide learners in improving their writing performance. For this project, six knowledgeable individuals reviewed the academic blog posts written by 148 English as a foreign language university students in response to a prompt on the pros and cons of using technology for language learning. The reviewers sorted the posts into six groups in order of merit, and they described each post with short phrases. This data informed the creation of a blog-specific analytic rubric containing five categories around which the reviewers assessed learners’ written performance: task fulfillment and relevancy, content, organization and balance, genre specific features (i.e., use of emojis and hyperlinks), and language use.

Key words Academic blog posts, Mixed methods research, Online writing, Rubric creation

The impact of essay organization and overall quality on the holistic scoring of EFL writing: Perspectives from classroom english teachers and national writing raters

Junfei Li, Shanghai Dianji University, China

Abstract This three-phase mixed-methods study aimed to examine if essay organization and overall quality interferes with the holistic scoring of EFL essays in both classroom and national large-scale standardized writing assessment contexts in Chinese higher education. Phase One involved semi-structured interviews with 16 college English teachers across China in terms of their perceptions of the impact of essay organization and overall quality on their holistic scoring of EFL essays. Phase Two included 20 national writing raters’ holistic scoring of 30 EFL essays of low and high overall qualities for the quantitative investigation of score variability and reliability within the framework of generalizability theory. Phase Three involved follow-up writing rater interviews for the qualitative examination of their consideration and treatment of essay organization and overall quality in scoring EFL essays in the national large-scale writing assessment context. Phases One and Three qualitative results indicated that most classroom teachers and national writing raters considered language, content, and organization integratively while scoring high overall quality essays but mainly considered language or content while scoring low overall quality essays. Phase Two quantitative results showed that in the large-scale writing assessment the holistic score variability decreases but its reliability increases as the EFL essay overall quality increases from low to high. Important implications for EFL writing assessment in both contexts are discussed.

Key words Holistic scoring of EFL writing, Essay organization, Essay overall quality, Classroom writing assessment, Large-scale standardized writing assessment

Incremental Intelligence Matters: How L2 Writing Mindsets Impact Feedback Orientation and Self-Regulated Learning Writing Strategies

Jian Xu, School of Business English, Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing, China

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between growth and fixed mindsets, orientation toward written corrective feedback, and self-regulated learning (SRL) writing strategies in English writing among a group of university-level Chinese learners of English (N = 311). A questionnaire survey was sent to participants, and path model and mediation analysis were utilized to model the direct and indirect relationships between mindsets, feedback orientation, and SRL writing strategies. The results indicated that growth mindsets were positively correlated with feedback-seeking orientation, negatively correlated with feedback-avoiding orientation, and positively associated with cognitive, metacognitive, social behavior, and motivational regulation strategies; fixed mindsets were positively related to feedback-avoiding orientation and motivational regulation strategies. The results of mediation analysis showed that feedback-seeking orientation played a mediating role in the relationship between growth mindsets and cognitive, metacognitive, social behavior, and motivational regulation strategies. Implications for training English writing teachers and L2 writing instruction are discussed.

Key words Mindsets, Self-regulated learning writing strategies, Feedback orientation, Written corrective feedback, English writing

Reflexive writing dialogues: Elementary students’ perceptions and performances as writers during classroom experiences

M. Ryan, Macquarie School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

M. Khosronejad, Macquarie School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

G. Barton, Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts, University of Southern Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

D. Myhill, Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter, United Kingdom

L. Kervin, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia

Abstract The ways in which we approach the process of writing can tell us much about our confidence, linguistic and textual knowledge, and our desire to please self or others through language. School writing often focuses on the process and product of writing, rather than the conditions that shape how we make decisions when writing for an authentic purpose and audience. This paper uses reflexivity theory, including an innovative Reflexive Writing Instrument (RWI), along with critical discourse analysis, to interrogate elementary students’ decisions-making modes in writing and how these align with teachers’ views, classroom experiences and writing outcomes. Findings show that students can have different perceptions than their teachers about their approach to writing, but the conditions that teachers enable can influence students’ decision-making modes. We argue that the RWI can be used to prompt reflexive writing dialogues so that formative assessment can be nuanced to support individual students’ reflexive writing modes, ensuring improved results and enjoyment of writing.

Key words Reflexive writers, Elementary writers, Writing dialogues, Writing pedagogy, Formative assessment

Assessing self-regulatory writing strategies and their predictive effects on young EFL learners’ writing performance

Mark Feng Teng, Centre for Linguistic Sciences, Beijin g Normal University, Zhuhai, China

Chuang Wang, Faculty of Education, University of Macau, China

Lawrence Jun Zhang, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Abstract This paper reports findings from two empirical studies on students’ reported use of self-regulatory writing strategies and the relationships with their writing performance in a secondary school English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Study One adopted a factorial design using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to validate the inferences and uses of a Self-Regulatory Writing Strategy Questionnaire; Study Two explored learner individual differences in developing self-regulatory writing strategies and the predictive effects of these strategies on students’ writing performance. Participants were two convenience samples of 669 and 239 students, who were young EFL learners in junior secondary schools in China. Results provided evidence of the construct validity of responses to the questionnaire. Students in higher grade levels reported more frequent use of self-regulatory writing strategies than those in lower grade levels, and female students reported using self-regulatory writing strategies more than male students. The six strategy factors (i.e., writing planning, goal-oriented monitoring, goal-oriented evaluation, emotional control, memorization, and metacognitive judgment) each had significant predictive effects on secondary school students’ writing performance. These findings suggest the importance of self-regulatory writing strategies to young learners’ writing performance.

Key words Metacognition, Self-regulatory writing strategies, Regulation, Writing performance, Young EFL learners

Fostering student engagement with feedback: An integrated approach

Zhe (Victor) Zhang, Department of English, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Ken Hyland, School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of East Anglia, UK

Abstract The construct of student engagement with feedback has gathered increasing attention in higher education because of its positive association with student learning outcomes. But while the literature recognises its importance, there is little research on what pedagogical approaches facilitate this engagement. This case study explores an authentic classroom and how a group of 33 students engaged with a pedagogical approach that systematically integrated three types of feedback on academic writing: automated, peer, and teacher feedback. The study was conducted at a Chinese university and based on the analysis of multiple drafts of students’ written assignments, the feedback provided by an automated writing evaluation system, peers, and a teacher, and transcribed retrospective interviews with the teacher and students. We found that the majority of students actively engaged with this integrated approach and that it effectively promoted students’ behavioural, affective, and cognitive engagement with feedback on their writing and encouraged thoughtful revisions. We conclude with pedagogical implications and offer suggestions for improving student engagement with feedback in similar tertiary contexts.

Key words Student engagement, AWE feedback, Peer feedback, Teacher feedback, Second language writing

Composing strategies employed by high-and low-performing Iranian EFL students in essay writing classes

Rasoul Mohammad Hosseinpur, University of Qom, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Qom, Iran

Zahra Kazemi, University of Qom, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Qom, Iran

Abstract The need to investigate writing strategy use in different socio-cultural contexts has been suggested as one of the primary themes in L2 writing research. To this end, drawing upon Mu’s (2005) taxonomy of ESL/EFL writing strategies, the present study explored the employment of writing strategies by 58 high-and low-performing Iranian EFL writers in their essay writing classes. The findings obtained through concurrent think-aloud procedure indicated that high-performing learners were more strategic than their low-performing counterparts and that they employed cognitive strategies, rhetorical strategies, meta-cognitive strategies, communicative strategies, and socio-affective strategies, respectively. The low-performing EFL writers employed cognitive strategies, communicative strategies, rhetorical strategies, meta-cognitive strategies, and socio-affective strategies, respectively. The results of the study suggest that it is the proper employment of the writing strategies that mainly distinguishes between successful and less successful writers. The findings also imply that awareness and employment of the metacognitive strategies seem to be a significant predictor of English writing ability, and that most of the low-performing EFL writers are ignorant about the significance of metacognitive strategies. It seems that raising L2 learners’ awareness of language learning strategies in general, and L2 writing strategies especially metacognitive strategies in particular can be beneficial for L2 learners’writing.

Key words Essay writing, High-performing learners, Low-performing learners, Writing strategies

Dimensions of text-based analytical writing of secondary students

Jacob Steiss, School of Education, University of California, Irvine, USA

Jenell Krishnan, School of Education, University of California, Irvine, USA

Young-Suk Grace Kim, School of Education, University of California, Irvine, USA

Carol Booth Olson, School of Education, University of California, Irvine, USA

Abstract To understand text-based analytical writing quality, we examined (a) the dimensions of this genre, (b) relations between these dimensions, (c) how student demographics factors predict performance in the identified dimensions of writing quality, and (d) how the identified dimensions predict overall writing quality. Text-based analytical writing data from grades 7–12 students (N = 206) were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Results showed that the dimensions of writing quality were best captured by a three factor model. Ideas/Structure, Evidence Use, and Language Use were related, but dissociable dimensions of writing. Key demographic variables predicted performance across dimensions in unique ways, which in turn, predicted holistic scores. Specifically, female students outperformed males in each dimension and English only students performed higher than English Learners in each dimension. We discuss the implications of a multidimensional view of writing quality in light of writing evaluation in research and practice.

Key words Analytical writing, Writing quality, Writing dimensions, Secondary students

Linguistic, cultural and substantive patterns in L2 writing: A qualitative illustration of MisLevy’s sociocognitive perspective on assessment

Tony Xing Tan, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China

Xiaohui Fan, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China

Lauren B. Braunstein, University of South Florida, USA

Mark Lane-Holbert, University of South Florida, USA

Abstract Mislevy’s sociocognitive perspective on assessment argues that examinees’ linguistic, cultural, and substantive (LCS) patterns serve to organize their ways of knowing and their knowledge construction. In this study, we used a purposefully designed prompt to obtain essays from 70 Chinese undergraduate English majors and 66 American undergraduate students to illustrate LCS patterns conveyed in texts produced by students in collectivistic and individualistic cultures (i.e., China and United States). We found that linguistically, compared to American students, Chinese students used more adjectives, adverbs, modal verbs of obligation, and were more direct in offering value judgements; culturally, while the texts from the two groups yielded overlapping themes, there were clear group difference in the rank order of number of codes for the themes and in the supporting text for each theme; substantively, there were noticeable group difference in the conceptualizations of how the themes were related to each other. Because it remains unknown how cultural and substantive features expressed in L2 essays may affect writing assessment, these differences presented both challenges and opportunities for the field of writing assessment. Implications for the equity and validity of L2 writing assessment were discussed.

Key words Sociocognitive perspective, L2 writing, LCS pattern, Qualitative analysis, Writing assessment

Cognitive validity evidence of computer- and paper-based writing tests and differences in the impact on EFL test-takers in classroom assessment

María Eugenia Guapacha Chamorro, Current address: 22Q Aratonga Avenue, Greenlane, Auckland. New Zealand

Abstract This mixed-methods study collected evidence of the cognitive validity of CB and PB writing tests and the impact on EFL university students’ cognitive processes (e.g., macro-planning, micro-planning) as part of the validity and fairness of classroom writing assessment. To this purpose, two sets of data were collected from 38 Colombian EFL undergraduates from two intact classes. Two retrospective writing process questionnaires were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively to examine students’ cognitive processing across CB and PB writing tests. Three perception questionnaires were analysed qualitatively to identify students’ perceptions of the impact of the writing mode on their cognitive processes. The findings suggest that both CB and PB tests are cognitively valid, as they activated cognitive processes necessary to perform a writing assessment task. However, each test mode impacted EFL students’ cognitive processes differently. The PB mode triggered greater detailed macro-planning of content and text organisation. In contrast, the CB mode triggered micro-planning of text organisation and after-writing revisions at both high and low levels. There were no significant differences in task representation and translating processes. The findings have implications for EFL writing teaching and classroom assessment validity and fairness.

Key words Cognitive validity, EFL writing, Writing mode, Classroom writing assessment

Noun phrasal complexity in ESL written essays under a constructed-response task: Examining proficiency and topic effects

Kayla Marie Sarte, School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, Australian National University, Acton, Canberra, Australia

Ksenia Gnevsheva, School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, Australian National University, Acton, Canberra, Australia

Abstract This corpus-based study examined the effects of proficiency and topic on noun phrasal complexity in argumentative essays in a constructed-response task written by English as a second language users. Noun modifiers in 64 essays were counted as they fit 16 types of grammatical structure at several developmental stages of phrasal complexity. The study goes beyond most previous work on noun phrasal complexity in writing by investigating the use of noun modifiers in a constructed response task where the topic can have a possible influence. Results revealed that the group with lowest proficiency used fewer noun modifiers than higher proficiency groups at all stages of phrasal complexity. Our findings also revealed that essays from a more cognitively demanding topic employed more post-modifiers than pre-modifiers, and more noun modifiers from higher stages. Furthermore, noun modifiers from lower stages were more prone to topic effects, which means that their use depends substantially on the topic requirements. The results suggest that a fine-grained analysis of noun phrasal complexity can discriminate second language writers of different proficiencies (especially at the intermediate level), and essay topic can affect noun phrase complexity.

Key words Second language writing, Corpus-based, Syntactic complexity, Phrasal complexity, Fine-grained approach, Proficiency, Topic

Appropriateness as an aspect of lexical richness: What do quantitative measures tell us about children's writing?

Philip Durrant, University of Exeter, St Luke’s Campus, UK

Ayça Durrant, INTO, University of Exeter, Streatham Campus, UK

Abstract Quantitative measures of vocabulary use have added much to our understanding of first and second language writing development. This paper argues for measures of register appropriateness as a useful addition to these tools. Developing an idea proposed by Durrant and Brenchley (2019), it explores what such measures can tell us about vocabulary development in the L1 writing of school children in England and critically examines how results should be interpreted. It shows that significant patterns of discipline- and genre-specific vocabulary development can be identified for measures related to four distinct registers, though the strongest patterns are found for vocabulary associated with fiction and academic writing. Follow-up analyses showed that changes across year groups were primarily driven, not by the nature of individual words, but by the overall quantitative distribution of register-specific vocabulary, suggesting that the traditional distinction between measures of lexical diversity and lexical sophistication may not be helpful for understanding development in this context. Closer analysis of academic vocabulary showed development of distinct vocabularies in Science and English writing in response to sharply differing communicative needs in those disciplines, suggesting that development in children’s academic vocabulary should not be seen as a single coherent process.

Key words Vocabulary, Children's writing, Academic vocabulary, Register, Corpus linguistics

Revisiting the predictive power of traditional vs. fine-grained syntactic complexity indices for L2 writing quality: The case of two genres

Xiaopeng Zhang, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China

Xiaofei Lu, The Pennsylvania State University, USA

Abstract This study investigated the extent to which traditional vs. fine-grained indices of syntactic complexity could predict second language (L2) raters’ quality ratings of 581 application letters and 595 argumentative essays produced by college-level Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Our results showed that fine-grained indices explained a larger proportion of variance in both letter and essay quality than traditional indices. More importantly, however, our results revealed substantial genre effects on the explanatory power of traditional and fine-grained indices as well as on the specific types of indices that significantly predicted L2 writing quality. Furthermore, our results differed from previous findings with respect to the effect size of traditional indices for essay quality as well as the relative importance of fine-grained phrasal and clausal complexity indices in essay quality. These findings call for the need to systematically assess the predictive power of syntactic complexity indices across different genres.

Key words Syntactic complexity, L2 writing quality, Genre

Association of keyboarding fluency and writing performance in online-delivered assessment

Tao Gong, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ, USA

Mo Zhang, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ, USA

Chen Li, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ, USA

Abstract Keyboard-based writing has become increasingly important in everyday living and professional working. However, keyboarding literacy is presumed in most situations; there lack systematic studies on keyboarding and its association with writing processes and qualities of written products. Using the keystroke data of over 1300 middle-school students, we investigated keyboarding fluency, a key subskill of writing transcription measured by an internally reliable metric, and its association with writing process, score, and text characteristics extracted by NLP techniques. We find that: keyboarding fluency is a reliable individual-level property, subject to demographic and linguistic factors of gender, ethnicity, and grade; there exists a threshold keyboarding fluency, which varies by writing purposes and reflects the minimum level of keyboarding skill at which other writing processes are least affected; and more and less fluent typists (differentiated by the threshold) show different text production, transcription, and editing behaviors during writing processes, and distinct linguistic qualities in written products. These findings imply a keyboarding threshold hypothesis and are informative to different stakeholders including practitioners, researchers, test developers, and policy makers. They also provide practical implications for teaching and learning writing in classrooms under a digital environment and help generate personalized feedback on improving writing practice.

Key words Keystroke, Keyboarding fluency, Segmented regression, Mixed-effects regression

Examining L2 English University students’ uses of lexical bundles and their relationship to writing quality

Susie Kim, Department of East Asian Studies, Princeton University 211 Jones Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA

Matt Kessler, Department of World Languages, University of South Florida 4202 East Fowler Avenue, USA

Abstract Responding to limited extant scholarship in the second language writing (L2) and testing literature, the current study explores the production of recurring formulaic sequences in the writing of L2 English learners in a testing context. In particular, the authors investigate the lexical bundles produced in the academic writing of L2 English learners at a Chinese university using a corpus of 120 argumentative essays as writers prepared to take China’s College English Test. Along with exploring characteristics of the bundles produced by the writers, we examine the relationship between learners’ bundle use and holistic writing quality. The results suggest that quantitatively, there were differences between the number of 3-word bundles produced by learners who received high- and low-scores. Likewise, there were clear qualitative differences in specific features of the bundles learners used, which potentially contributed to differences in scores. Beyond highlighting such features, the authors discuss the pedagogical implications for the L2 writing classroom along with the need for future researchers to investigate the formulaic language produced by L2 learners and how it may impact scoring.

Key words Corpus, EFL, Lexical bundles, Language testing, Writing quality, Academic writing

Dependency distance measures in assessing L2 writing proficiency

Jinghui Ouyang, School of Foreign Languages, Tongji University, Shanghai, China

Jingyang Jiang, Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

Haitao Liu, 

Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

Center for Linguistics & Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China

Abstract Syntactic complexity is one of the key research foci in writing assessment. This study combines traditional syntactic complexity (SC) measures with newly-proposed dependency distance measures to better assess second language (L2) SC development. Based on a syntactically-annotated corpus of 400 compositions, we aim to investigate the extent to which the traditional SC measures and dependency distance measures can differentiate the writing proficiency of beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners. In terms of traditional SC measures, length-based measures fare better when pinpointing the different writing proficiency levels, but none of these can significantly differentiate all adjacent levels. As for dependency distance measures, the overall mean dependency distance can significantly discriminate all pairs of adjacent proficiency levels, serving as the best metric explored in our study. Moreover, dependency distance measures can further explain the findings of the traditional SC measures from the perspective of language processing.

Key words Syntactic complexity, Writing assessment, L2 writing proficiency, Dependency distance measures, Dependency syntactic annotation

Toward a reconceptualization of second language classroom assessment: Praxis and researcher-teacher partnership,  M. Poehner, O. Inbar-Lourie

Reza Neiriz, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, USA

Agustinus Hardi Prasetyo, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, USA

Extract Understanding the construct of writing and finding better ways of measuring writing ability are some of the major goals of assessing writing research. However, as Slomp (2019) puts it, assessing writing research is consequential. This means that the findings in this field affect stakeholders ranging from students and teachers all the way through parents. Therefore, it is necessary to create a two-way avenue between theory and practice so that those involved in both fronts inform each other. One possible impediment, however, might be the technocentric orientation of research in assessment of writing (Slomp, 2019).

Language Aptitude: Advancing Theory, Testing, Research and Practice, Z. Wen, P. Skehan, A. Biedroń, S. Li, R. Sparks

Hang Sun, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China

Shengkai Yin, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China/University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Extract Foreign language aptitude (FLA) refers to a special talent for learning a foreign or second language (Dörnyei & Skehan, 2003). Since American psychologist John Carroll’s pioneering work in developing the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) and conceptualizing the FLA construct, language aptitude has been proven to be a strong predictor of L2 achievement: MLAT scores have been found to be highly correlated with learners’ language course performance (r = 0.4–0.6; Skehan, 2002). Despite the predictive power of FLA, research on this topic has been limited since 1970 (DeKeyser, this volume). Such marginalized interest in FLA stems from the perception that aptitude is antiegalitarian and associated with outdated methodologies (Skehan, 2002). 

Critical Perspectives on Global Englishes in Asia: Language Policy, Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, Fan Fang, Handoyo Puji Widodo

Ananda Astrini Muhammad, Department of English, Iowa State University, USA

Jeanne Beck, Department of English, Iowa State University, USA

Sebnem Kurt, Department of English, Iowa State University, USA

Extract Global Englishes (GE), a concept adopted as an umbrella term for World Englishes (WE) and English as a lingua franca (ELF; Galloway & Rose, 2015), has become more relevant in the increasingly globalized world. This evolving notion in applied linguistics has motivated the discussion of issues such as whose ‘English’ is being taught and tested, and how can teachers and students be better prepared to adopt a GE-oriented approach to English language teaching (ELT) and English language learning (ELL). 

Scoring Second Language Spoken and Written Performance: Issues, Options and Directions, Ute Knoch, Judith Fairbairn, Yan Jin

Li Yang,

Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, China

University of Auckland, New Zealand

Extract Providing accurate, fair, and reliable ratings for writing or speaking language tests with constructed responses is generally challenging. The outcomes of performance-based assessment are the result of an interaction involving all aspects of assessment: rater, scale, performance, instrument, candidate and scoring (McNamara, 1996). The quality of ratings is a central consideration in the interpretation of results from rater-mediated language assessments (Hamp-Lyons, 2007). However, scoring performance assessment is a formidable task, requiring skill and judgement on the part of the rater whose experience, expectations, background, and values may impact scoring (Weigle, 2002).

Assessment rubrics decoded: An educator's guide, K.H.K. Tan

Ting Chen, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Yan Jin, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Extract Rubrics are scoring guides that contain descriptors of criteria at different levels of standards (Panadero & Jonsson, 2020). They are most commonly used to grade students’ performances on assessments for various purposes and provide feedback to support students’ long-term learning. It is argued that rubrics are beneficial for scoring as they improve scoring consistency and efficiency, and promote assessment transparency (Jonsson & Svingby, 2007). More importantly, rubrics can serve as teaching and learning tools to help students achieve better learning outcomes (Becker, 2016). However, the complexities of using rubrics have yet to be fully recognized (Rezaei & Lovorn, 2010). 

期刊简介

Assessing Writing is a refereed international journal providing a forum for ideas, research and practice on the assessment of written language. Assessing Writing publishes articles, book reviews, conference reports, and academic exchanges concerning writing assessments of all kinds, including traditional ('direct' and standardised forms of) testing of writing, alternative performance assessments (such as portfolios), workplace sampling and classroom assessment. The journal focuses on all stages of the writing assessment process, including needs evaluation, assessment creation, implementation, and validation, and test development; it aims to value all perspectives on writing assessment as process, product and politics (test takers and raters; test developers and agencies; educational administrations; and political motivations). The journal is interested in review essays of key issues in the theory and practice of writing assessment.

《写作评估》作为国际期刊，为书面语言评估提供思想、研究和实践的论坛。评估写作发表有关各种写作评估的文章，书评，会议报告和学术交流，包括传统的（“直接”和标准化形式的）写作测试，替代绩效评估（如作品集），工作场所抽样和课堂评估。该期刊侧重于写作评估过程的所有阶段，包括需求评估，评估创建，实施和验证以及测试开发；本刊旨在重视将写作评估的所有观点视为过程，产品和政治（应试者和评分者；考试开发人员和机构;教育管理;和政治动机）。

本刊对写作评估理论和实践中关键问题的评论论文感兴趣。

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