Literature on the learning benefits and interpersonal mechanisms of peer assessment (PA) and teacher assessment (TA) has been inconsistent. As part of a large-scale study, the research reported here has addressed the effect of formative PA on language grammar uptake and complexity, accuracy, and fluency triad scale levels, in comparison both to TA…

A study of the writing of 12 sixth-grade students of English as a second language (ESL) compared the quantity and maturity of writing in three assigned tasks and unassigned entries in dialogue journals. The assigned tasks varied in topic control, audience, and purpose. Qualities of the writing were examined using measures of quantity, complexity,…

Compares formal writing (analytical essays) and informal writing (short answer workbook-type exercises identifying main themes and ideas) as part of English-as-a-Second-Language reading education. Examines informal and formal writing assignments given to groups of students of comparable reading ability. Shows that formal writing did more to…

The teacher of a class of pre-university students of English as a second language at the high-intermediate level assesses the usefulness of dialogue journal writing to develop second language skills and to promote better writing. The course emphasized essay-writing, not technical writing, and was organized around thematic units using a textbook.…

An experimental study compared the effects of controlled and free writing exercises and of evaluative vs. communicative feedback on the writing quality and apprehension of Korean college students of English as a foreign language (EFL). Students in two sections of a freshman reading course wrote dialogue journals as practice in free writing, and…

The selection of papers on language testing includes: "Language Testing in the 1990s: How Far Have We Come? How Much Further Have We To Go?" (J. Charles Alderson); "Current Research/Development in Language Testing" (John W. Oller, Jr.); "The Difficulties of Difficulty: Prompts in Writing Assessment" (Liz Hamp-Lyons,…