写作自动评估系统对中国大学生英语写作水平影响的历时研究

A Longitudinal Study on the Impacts of an Automated Writing Assessment System on the English Writing Proficiency of Chinese College EFL Learners

很多研究表明写作自动评估系统对英语写作水平有积极影响,但缺少探讨这种影响是否具有持续性的历时研究。本研究采用定量研究的方法,使用写作自动评估系统"Writing Roadmap"为写作工具,通过前测、中测、后测和延测,历时考察该工具对非英语专业大学生英语写作水平的积极影响是否具有持续性。研究发现:实验班的语言形式和写作质量增幅均显著高于对照班,写作质量在延测中具有持续优势;实验班在语篇结构方面的增幅高于对照班,但无统计意义上的差异;两个班的写作水平在后测和延测的增幅都趋缓。研究表明,该系统对实验班英语写作水平的提高具有持续性影响。这一研究发现为写作自动评估系统与大学英语写作教学进一步融合提供了依据。

While many research results have proved that the automated writing assessment system has positive impacts on the improvement of writing quality, few researches examined the endurance of such effects in a longitudinal way. In this research, a longitudinal study was carried out to examine the effect of ＂Writing Roadmap＂ -- an automated writing assessment system, on the English writing proficiency of non- English major freshmen. Pre-, mid-, post- and extended-tests were conducted to examine the enduring effect of Writing Roadmap on their English writing proficiency. The results indicate that more improvements in language form and wdting quality were observed in the experimental group than that of the control one, and such an improvement in the writing quality was endured in the extended-test. Besides, non-significant improvements were found in textual structure in the experimental group. What＇ s more, there was little progress in post-test and extended test in both groups. So it is concluded that ＂Writing Roadmap＂ has showed enduring positive impact on the writing proficiency of the experimental qroup. It is expected that the findings of the study will provide references for the further integration of automated writing assessment system with writing teaching in the EFL classroom.