Checking essays written by students is a very time consuming task. Besides spellings and grammar, they also need to be evaluated on their semantic content such as cohesion, coherence, etc. In this study we focus on one such aspect of semantic content which is the topic of the essay. Putting it formally, given a prompt or essay-statement and an…

This study explored the empirical evidence with regards to concurrency of learning among the Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) and Extended Essay (EE), which are the core components in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). This mixed method research used a concurrency of learning questionnaire…

The process of analyzing student data to determine an appropriate instructional decision is crucial for student academic growth. This article details how teachers can make data-driven decisions to carefully design writing instruction. Steps are presented for teachers to follow throughout the data driven decision-making process in order to meet…

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) problem-solving is necessary to be infused into the classroom. Nevertheless, the criticism of underrepresented mathematics in STEM problem-solving assessment is an issue. In this study, we develop and investigate the psychometric evidence of an integrated STEM-based mathematical…

Background: Since its integration into the European Higher Education Area, the Spanish educational system has evolved, introducing innovations into university teaching methodologies. This new approach entails the development of capacities, competencies, and skills that enable students to develop their critical thinking. Objective: This work aims…

In the United States, standardized tests shape what, how, and why English Language Arts teachers teach. For the last generation, these tests have increasingly taken a narrowly text-centered approach to literature, making it difficult to enact or research alternatives. But what if it were otherwise? In the current study, we asked teachers to…

The current study examined the development of early adolescents' social perspective taking (SPT) through collaborative small-group discussions. A total of 250 fifth-graders were assigned to three conditions, Collaborative Social Reasoning (CSR) discussions, Read-Aloud (RA) and Regular Instruction (RI). SPT was assessed before and after the…

It is widely believed that raters' cognition is an important aspect of writing assessment, as it has both logical and temporal priority over scores. Based on a critical review of previous research in this area, it is found that raters' cognition can be boiled to two fundamental issues: building text images and strategies for articulating scores.…

Automated essay scoring (AES) has become a valuable tool in educational settings, providing efficient and objective evaluations of student essays. However, the majority of AES systems have primarily focused on native English speakers, leaving a critical gap in the evaluation of non-native speakers' writing skills. This research addresses this gap…

This study explored the relationship between task complexity, textual emotionality, and linguistic complexity in second language (L2) writing. Fifty-eight L2 English learners performed simple and complex versions of an argumentative writing task manipulated along with resource-­directing variables. The essays were first analysed for textual…

Recently, audio-visual feedback produced through screencast technology has received increasing attention. Yet, as opposed to synchronous (immediate) and bi-directional (a two-way process) audio-visual feedback, most recent research has focused on asynchronous (delayed) and unidirectional (a one-way process) audio-visual feedback. Therefore, this…

This study develops a framework to conceptualize the use and evolution of machine learning (ML) in science assessment. We systematically reviewed 47 studies that applied ML in science assessment and classified them into five categories: (a) constructed response, (b) essay, (c) simulation, (d) educational game, and (e) inter-discipline. We compared…

Students who understand their writing process and see themselves as writers are more likely to successfully tackle unfamiliar genres and writing tasks. In this self-study, a college English professor and two first-year college students make a case for an extended-metaphor assignment that helps students build stronger identities as writers.…

The aim of this study is to explore Swedish preservice teachers' performance in coursework essays about their observations and analyses of teaching situations. A total of 38 essays were analysed using practical inferences in which the students' written utterances were interpreted as a means to an end. The results show that, in addition to the…

Persuasive writing is one of the main writing genres secondary students are required to master. However, while the students can naturally argue verbally and in an informal setting, they lack the skill to compose a persuasive argument for academic purposes. The main problem is that students can barely construct an argument while composing a…