To get more insight into using self-assessment in writing instruction, the present study intends to explore the effects of student self-assessment on students＇ EFL writing by adopting writing assignments, analytic sc...To get more insight into using self-assessment in writing instruction, the present study intends to explore the effects of student self-assessment on students＇ EFL writing by adopting writing assignments, analytic scoring rubric, questionnaires and interviews. It is found that students are able to make judgments about the overall quality of their writing in a manner consistent with those made by the teacher and students made significant improvements in content, organization, and mechanics of their writing after the practice of self-assessment while qualities concerning vocabulary and language use have been improved but not to a significant level. Moreover, the study demonstrates that the practice of self-assessment has exerted positive influence on students＇ perceptions of their writing skills in terms of organization, language use and mechanics while it does not result in any change of students＇ perceptions of their writing skills in content and vocabulary. These implications are conductive to working out a set of new models of the teaching of writing and helping further intensify the innovations of Chinese foreign language teaching.展开更多
This study examined the effectiveness of positive self-evaluation used as an intervention to cultivate students＇ English writing self-efficacy and improve their writing performance. Multiple sources of data were coll...This study examined the effectiveness of positive self-evaluation used as an intervention to cultivate students＇ English writing self-efficacy and improve their writing performance. Multiple sources of data were collected from 90 students of grade 10 at a high school in Beijing, including the pretest and posttest writings, writing self-efficacy questionnaires, interviews, and follow-up questionnaires over one semester. Data analyses showed that the experimental group excelled the control group in writing performance and became more confident in writing at the end of positive self-evaluation practices. This study also found that writing self-efficacy and writing performance were positively related. The students with high writing self-efficacy tended to perform better in their writing than those with low writing self-efficacy.展开更多
Automated writing evaluation （AWE） technology is being adopted in classrooms in China and the USA. This paper presents the results of a case study of the application of AWE in Dalian, China. The quasi-experimental s...Automated writing evaluation （AWE） technology is being adopted in classrooms in China and the USA. This paper presents the results of a case study of the application of AWE in Dalian, China. The quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2010 in Chinese middle school English language classrooms. An effect size of 0.30 was found in favor of the experimental group using AWE as an online formative assessment. Student survey responses and teacher observations are presented as convergent evidence to illustrate the impact AWE technology has on teachers, students, and student achievement in English writing.展开更多
One of the characteristics of good writing is appropriate use of cohesive devices, which many learners often find difficult to do. Although there is a substantial body of research on cohesion in writing, little has be...One of the characteristics of good writing is appropriate use of cohesive devices, which many learners often find difficult to do. Although there is a substantial body of research on cohesion in writing, little has been documented on how to teach it to EFL students. The present study was an attempt to address this under-researched issue by taking a terminological approach, as the diverse and vague terminology used to describe link words has been found to be more of a hindrance than a facilitator in the teaching/learning process. A total of 16 cohesion-related terms were surveyed to find out about the quality and quantity of their use in a self-built corpus of 14 grammar books of different levels. Furthermore, a test was run to measure students＇ familiarity with these terms, and field-notes were taken while scoring the students＇ papers in their presence. The findings, in addition to giving insights into the usage points regarding each of the 16 terms, led to drawing a terminological network, which, if used consistently, could help in teaching and learning to use cohesion effectively.展开更多
文摘To get more insight into using self-assessment in writing instruction, the present study intends to explore the effects of student self-assessment on students＇ EFL writing by adopting writing assignments, analytic scoring rubric, questionnaires and interviews. It is found that students are able to make judgments about the overall quality of their writing in a manner consistent with those made by the teacher and students made significant improvements in content, organization, and mechanics of their writing after the practice of self-assessment while qualities concerning vocabulary and language use have been improved but not to a significant level. Moreover, the study demonstrates that the practice of self-assessment has exerted positive influence on students＇ perceptions of their writing skills in terms of organization, language use and mechanics while it does not result in any change of students＇ perceptions of their writing skills in content and vocabulary. These implications are conductive to working out a set of new models of the teaching of writing and helping further intensify the innovations of Chinese foreign language teaching.
文摘This study examined the effectiveness of positive self-evaluation used as an intervention to cultivate students＇ English writing self-efficacy and improve their writing performance. Multiple sources of data were collected from 90 students of grade 10 at a high school in Beijing, including the pretest and posttest writings, writing self-efficacy questionnaires, interviews, and follow-up questionnaires over one semester. Data analyses showed that the experimental group excelled the control group in writing performance and became more confident in writing at the end of positive self-evaluation practices. This study also found that writing self-efficacy and writing performance were positively related. The students with high writing self-efficacy tended to perform better in their writing than those with low writing self-efficacy.
文摘Automated writing evaluation （AWE） technology is being adopted in classrooms in China and the USA. This paper presents the results of a case study of the application of AWE in Dalian, China. The quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2010 in Chinese middle school English language classrooms. An effect size of 0.30 was found in favor of the experimental group using AWE as an online formative assessment. Student survey responses and teacher observations are presented as convergent evidence to illustrate the impact AWE technology has on teachers, students, and student achievement in English writing.
文摘One of the characteristics of good writing is appropriate use of cohesive devices, which many learners often find difficult to do. Although there is a substantial body of research on cohesion in writing, little has been documented on how to teach it to EFL students. The present study was an attempt to address this under-researched issue by taking a terminological approach, as the diverse and vague terminology used to describe link words has been found to be more of a hindrance than a facilitator in the teaching/learning process. A total of 16 cohesion-related terms were surveyed to find out about the quality and quantity of their use in a self-built corpus of 14 grammar books of different levels. Furthermore, a test was run to measure students＇ familiarity with these terms, and field-notes were taken while scoring the students＇ papers in their presence. The findings, in addition to giving insights into the usage points regarding each of the 16 terms, led to drawing a terminological network, which, if used consistently, could help in teaching and learning to use cohesion effectively.
