Development of a Rating Scale for Elementary EFL Writing
نویسنده
چکیده
In EFL programs, rating scales used in writing assessment are often constructed by intuition. Intuition-based scales tend to provide inaccurate and divisive ratings of learners’ writing performance. Hence, following an empirical approach, this study attempted to develop a rating scale for elementary-level writing at an EFL program in Saudi Arabia. Towards this goal, 98 students’ essays were scored and then coded using comprehensive taxonomy of writing constructs and their measures. An automatic linear modeling was run to find out which measures would best predict essay scores. A nonparametric ANOVA, the Kruskal-Wallis test, was then used to determine which measures could best differentiate among scoring levels. Findings indicated that there were certain measures that could serve as either good predictors of essay scores or differentiators among scoring levels, or both. The main conclusion was that a rating scale can be empirically developed using predictive and discriminative statistical tests. Keywords—Analytic scoring, rating scales, writing assessment, writing performance.
منابع مشابه
Developing an Analytic Scale for Scoring EFL Descriptive Writing
English language practitioners have long relied on intuition-based scales for rating EFL/ESL writing. As these scales lack an empirical basis, the scores they generate tend to be unreliable, which results in invalid interpretations. Given the significance of the genre of description and the fact that the relevant literature does not introduce any data-based analytic scales for rating EFL descri...
متن کاملCollaborative vs. Individual Task Planning and Iranian EFL Learners’ Writing Performance
Abstract This study was intended to compare collaborative and individual task planning effects on Iranian EFL learners’ writing performance. Therefore, a group of 90 upper intermediate EFL learners were placed in three groups of Collaborative Task planning, Individual Task planning, and Control. In the experimental groups, participants were asked to do task planning collaboratively and individu...
متن کاملCollaborative vs. Individual Task Planning and Iranian EFL Learners’ Writing Performance
Abstract This study was intended to compare collaborative and individual task planning effects on Iranian EFL learners’ writing performance. Therefore, a group of 90 upper intermediate EFL learners were placed in three groups of Collaborative Task planning, Individual Task planning, and Control. In the experimental groups, participants were asked to do task planning collaboratively and individu...
متن کاملDeveloping Rating Scale Descriptors for Assessing the Stages of Writing Process: The Constructs Underlying Students' Writing Performances
The purpose of the present study is to develop appropriate scoring scales for each of the defined stages of the writing process, and also to determine to what extent these scoring scales can reliably and validly assess the performances of EFL learners in an academic writing task. Two hundred and two students’ writing samples were collected after a step-by-step process oriented essay writing ins...
متن کاملAssessing Critical Thinking Ability via the Writing Process: Developing and implementing a Rating Scale
The present exploratory mixed methods study aimedto develop a scale for assessing critical thinking (CT) ability of Iranian EFL learners. The study wasconducted in three phases. In phase one, the features of CT components were examined in the writingsof 120 participants. A holistic and an analytic scale were developed based on their performance in exploiting the components of CT and the fea...
متن کامل