Robert M. Rowan imagines if writing instructors created a tool or method for the writing classroom that helps focus each student's mind on the experience by inviting students to slow down so they can explain, critique, and analyze their work before it is reviewed by their instructors. When the instructors respond, they can have a more fully…

Background/purpose: Writing is an essential skill for EFL learners, and the development of flawless writing proficiency in English is the intended learner outcome of every writing course in an EFL program. Development of flawless writing skills involves perfection in orthography (spelling, punctuation, capitalization), grammaticality and syntax,…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of learning-oriented assessment (LOA) on the academic writing ability of EFL students (N:40) during a 12-week in the semester of 2019-2020 academic year in the context of a higher education. Within a pretest-posttest intact group design, the experimental group received instruction following…

Peer review is a common practice in writing studies. However, while there is considerable research on peer review, pedagogical studies on other forms of student-led assessment strategies are less prevalent. This study investigates the expansion of assessment practices into student-led rubric development and peer grading, focusing on their effect…

Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) has been used in several development studies, but few have used it for the purposes of formative assessment. This article reports from a study where the activity system was used to conduct a historical and actual-empirical analysis of the assessment culture at a purposively selected school. The article…

Although much research has compared the functioning between analytic and holistic rating scales, little research has compared the functioning of binary rating scales with other types of rating scales. This quantitative study set out to preliminarily and comparatively validate binary and analytic rating scales intended for use in formative…

Recent years have witnessed an increased interest in automated writing evaluation (hereafter AWE). However, few studies have examined the use of AWE with apprehensive writers. Hence, this study extends research in this area, investigating the effect of using AWE on reducing writing apprehension and enhancing grammatical knowledge. The participants…

In recent decades, with the rapid economic development of China, there has been a large influx of Chinese students into Western countries to pursue their studies. Empirical research reveal that some students encounter linguistic and academic challenges, and find it difficult to adapt to the Western learning environment. Adopting a qualitative…

How writing teachers conduct their assessment is an important but under-researched topic in the field of language assessment. By partly adopting Cheng et al.'s (2004) survey, this mail survey study aims to fill this gap by examining how tertiary-level EFL writing teachers assess their students in basic English writing classes in Taiwan. The…

The authors present a model for program-wide assessment of the effectiveness of writing instruction in a chemistry laboratory course. This model, which involves collaboration between faculty from chemistry, the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program, and the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, is based on several theories and…

Designed to identify and tabulate the various cohesive ties in writing, this instrument is a tabulation sheet for recording all instances of cohesive ties. The sheet includes columns for recording the cohesive word, the number of the sentence in which it appears, the referent of the cohesive word, and the number of the sentence in which it…

As a means of assisting school districts in their appraisal of kindergarten through grade twelve writing programs, a brief list of questions concerning the major areas that form the nucleus of a balanced program is presented in the form of a rating scale. The questions cover the following areas: (1) background for a writing program, (2) overall…

The purpose of this book is to assist teachers as they work with emergent readers and writers--children who are in the early stages of reading and writing development, typically in preschool through grade 2. Section 1 of the book presents an overview of emergent literacy. Section 2 consists of a group of 15 informal early literacy pretests. The…

A study was conducted by the Student Development Center of the University of Hawaii at Hilo to develop a writing placement procedure in a community college setting which would be practical, reliable, and valid. The key to this procedure was an English composition placement device that could help readers rate, holistically, writing samples written…

A description is provided of a pilot study conducted at Butte College to develop and test evaluation procedures for the college's remedial and developmental reading, English, and math programs. Part I of the report includes five sections: (1) a description of the remedial reading, English, and mathematics programs as they existed at Butte College…