Using emotional intelligence in an EFL integrated writing assessment

The use of integrated writing tasks instead of traditional impromptu writing-only tasks is gaining ground in the teaching and assessment of EFL/ESL writing. Source text as the distinct feature of the integrated writing and the concern to improve its quality for the enhanced students' engagement has been a fertile line of inquiry. In this regard, the present study used a body of 67 Iranian intermediate EFL learners in three modalities: emotionalized reading-to-write (ERW) group which received emotionally-loaded source texts along with the emotional activities based on Goleman's Emotional Intelligence framework, reading-to-write (RW) group which developed their essays based on the texts with no focus on their emotional content and a writing-only (WO) group as the control group which followed the traditional writing procedure. The findings showed that ERW group outperformed RW group on the integrated writing tasks. In addition, ERW group performed better than the RW and WO on the overall independent writing task. Furthermore, the emotional intelligence of the students in the ERW group improved more than that of the RW and WO groups in the study. The study discusses that the emotional content of the source text followed by the emotionalized activities would significantly enhance the learners’ engagement with the source text in the reading-to-write tasks and consequently improve their writing. The implications and suggestions for further research are next discussed.     

Modeling the process of summary writing of Chinese learners of English as a foreign language

In language learning contexts, writing tasks that involve reading of source texts are often used to elicit more authentic integrative language use. Thus, interests in researching these read-to-write tasks in general and as assessment tasks keep growing. This study examined and modeled the process of summary writing as a read-to-write integrated task. Data of test-taking process were collected from 94 Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners who completed two summarization tasks. Seven students first completed the tasks while thinking aloud their mental process. The researcher observed their test-taking process and conducted post-test interviews to learn more about how they completed the tasks. Participants’ verbal reports were coded into mental moves, which were then grouped according to their purposes. These formed the basis for identifying the processes and sub-stages participants followed while completing the tasks. Based on the analysis of the think-aloud, observation, and interview data, a questionnaire was developed containing items specifying the processes task takers went through. The questionnaire was completed by the remaining 87 participants to test the generalizability of the findings. A process model of summarization was constructed subsequently. The implications of the study are discussed with reference to construct validity of summarization tasks, EFL writing instruction and assessment.     

A closer look at integrated writing tasks: Towards a more focussed definition for assessment purposes

The use of integrated tasks is increasingly common in second language assessment in both high stakes and classroom contexts. However, because of the vague definition of what constitutes an integrated task, the types of tasks included in this area and the assessment of the resulting writing is highly varied. In this paper, we argue for a better definition of the term ‘integrated writing task’. We start by reviewing current definitions available in the literature, discuss the construct underlying integrated tasks and then propose a number of features which we feel need to be present in integrated tasks. We then propose a new, narrower definition of the term. We hope that this will result in better task design, improved assessment outcomes for test takers, more detailed test specifications, better replicability of research and a shared research agenda.     

Processes and effects of test preparation for writing tasks in a high-stakes admission test in China: Implications for test takers

This study investigated the processes and effects of test preparation for a high-stakes English admission test in the context of tertiary education. A total of 623 Chinese college students who were preparing for the writing tasks of the Graduate School Entrance English Examination (GSEEE) responded to the questionnaire survey. In terms of the processes for test preparation, five components emerged: memorization, test familiarization, comprehensive learning, skill development, and drills. With regard to the effects of test preparation, regression analysis of 161 GSEEE writing scores revealed that test takers’ language proficiency and individual preparation efforts had a significantly positive effect on test scores. The findings highlight two specific preparation activities that produce positive test outcomes and cast doubt on the effects of prevailing memorization practices, which consist of the memorization of all-purpose sentence patterns. The implications of these results for improving test preparation for test takers are discussed.     

浅谈大学英语教学中交互式教学模式的应用

在大学英语教学过程中,针对学生英语综合应用能力差,尤其是听说和写作能力薄弱的现状,引进交互式大学英语教学新模式。通过对新教学模式探究、全面实施、推广应用,以期能增强学生学习兴趣、养成自主学习习惯、提高英语综合应用能力。     

发挥阅读与写作的协同效应，发展英语专业大学生的思辨能力

提高思辨能力是高校英语专业学生培养的一项重要目标。将阅读与写作任务有机整合,是提高思辨能力的一个重要途径。实现该目标的第一步是研究思辨能力的构成,然后根据协同效应理论,设计读写协同任务,整合阅读与写作,以此提高学生的思辨能力。研究表明,虽然阅读与写作分别代表输入与产出两个不同指向的认知活动,但是当两者通过协同任务有机整合时,可以发挥协同效应,促使学生与原文作者进行模拟互动,激发学生积极的思辨活动,从而提高思辨能力。     

Native and non-native students’ interaction with a text-based prompt

The present study aims to continue in a vein of research which examines the effects of essay prompts on examinees’ writing performance by closely investigating 40 student essays produced from a university-wide reading-to-write test. Quantitative and qualitative results of this study show that native and non-native writers at different proficiency levels exhibit variety in their selection of lexical items and propositional material from the background reading. Among other things, it is found that the higher-rated native group outperformed the other groups in their ability to identify topical information and in a better sense of what details from the source text to include. The two non-native groups, although able to locate superordinate propositions of the source text, lack native writers’ ability to readjust their selection of material according to the author's epistemological stance. The lower-rated native writers paid little attention to the source text and merely used the substance of the text as a “springboard” to elicit their own opinions in response to the topic. Possible explanations for these results and their implications for writing pedagogy and assessment are also discussed.     

Teachers use of writing to support students’ learning in middle school: A national survey in the United States

A random sample of middle school teachers (grades 6–9) from across the United States was surveyed about their use of writing to support students’ learning. The selection process was stratified so there were an equal number of English language arts, social studies, and science teachers. More than one-half of the teachers reported applying 15 or more writing to learn strategies at least once a month or more often. The most commonly used writing to learn strategies were writing short answers to questions, note taking for reading, note taking while listening, and completing worksheets. While teachers reported using a variety of writing to learn strategies, most of them indicated they received minimal or no formal preparation in college on how to use writing to learn strategies to support student learning, less than one-half of teachers directly taught students how to use the writing to learn strategies commonly assigned, and the most commonly used writing to learn strategies did not require students to think deeply about the material they were learning. We further found that teachers’ reported use of writing to learn strategies was related to their preparedness and the composition of their classroom in terms of above and below average writers, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities.     

Intercultural and Transnational Negotiation of English Academic Written Discourse: A Few Cases in the USA,South Korea and Russia

This study attempts to explore the issue of intercultural and transnational negotiation in written English communication. I am interested in the reciprocal development of written discourse across cultural boundaries. My analysis focuses on academic writers’ sense of self and their individual ability to reach otherness when they share the roles of writer, translator, editor and reader. Using my experiences of writing instruction, translation and editing in the USA, South Korea and Russia, this article discusses the unconventional yet resourceful development of confidence in writing in English in the context of cross-lingual and transnational communication. As the examples show, emotional clarity and care for specific social purposes are often important in intercultural English academic written discourse.     

英语专业学生对议论文中名词词组成分的使用

在句法复杂性发展次序表中,Biber等将名词词组成分分为：口语体、中性语体和学术语体名词词组成分.以此理论为分析框架,调查了87位西南交通大学英语专业大三年级学生议论文中名词词组成分的使用情况,具体探讨不同写作能力的学生在口语体、中性语体和学术语体名词词组成分的使用上的差异.研究所涉及到的统计方法有描述性统计和独立样本T检验.研究结果发现：1.在口语体名词词组成分的使用上,写作水平高者比水平低者更多使用形容词作前置修饰.2.在中性语体名词词组成分的使用上,高水平写作者比低水平者更频繁使用名词或现在分词-ing或过去分词-ed作前置修饰,名词属格作前置修饰,介词of作后置修饰.3.在学术语体名词词组成分的使用上,写作水平高者比低者更广泛地使用非限定分句和表示抽象意义的介词短语作后置定语.根据以上研究结果,对大学阶段英语和英语写作教学开展提出了一些教学建议.     

建构主义理论指导下的英语写作评价

写作,作为一项重要的输出技能和交际手段,是英语教学的重点内容之一;而有效的写作评价对该教学亦具有促进作用。建构主义理论指导下的英语写作评价教学模式以写作任务为平台,引导学生以作者和读者的双重身份主动积极地完成学习活动,既能提高学生的语言综合能力,还能培养学生的思维能力、解决问题能力及自主学习能力。因而,该模式对英语写作教学中的任务设置、评价标准及课堂组织方面具有重要的启示作用。     

Do secondary school-leaving English examination results predict university students’ academic writing performance? A latent profile analysis

Abstract

Secondary school-leaving English examination results are often regarded as indicators of students’ competence to study in English-medium universities, which is usually demonstrated through source-based academic writing. In English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) contexts, many English-medium universities require local undergraduates to enrol in an academic writing course, unless they received outstanding English results in secondary school-leaving examinations. This study investigates the relationship between ESL undergraduates’ secondary school-leaving English examination results and their academic writing performance through latent profile analysis. Results show that students can be grouped into four classes of academic writing performer (AWP), namely Complex-AWP, High-AWP, Medium-AWP and Low-AWP. Surprisingly, the Complex-AWP group had the highest means in structure, argument and language, but the lowest in citation. Secondary school-leaving English examination results can generally predict students’ class membership in language, argumentation and, to some extent, structure, but not citation. An important implication is that students with high English proficiency do not necessarily do well in all aspects of academic writing. This study can inform university senior management on how to set policies about who needs an academic writing course and provide appropriate training in various aspects of academic writing for university students with diverse English proficiency.     

Predicting performance in first-semester college basic writers: Revisiting the role of self-beliefs

This study of 118 students who placed into basic skills sections of College English suggests that students’ self-beliefs may be a particularly important predictor of success in weak writers in first-semester courses. Two types of writing self-efficacy scales—a writing tasks/skills scale and an approach-to-writing scale—were developed to follow current composition practice more closely. Locus of control was the single most powerful predictor of success. This finding is congruent with theory about the importance of locus of control in new and ambiguous situations. High school performance, writing proficiency, and negative academic behaviors were also significant factors in regression analyses for both course grade and writing proficiency test. Various ways that writing instructors can help improve students’ self-beliefs are discussed.     

Penning the 3 AM Thoughts: What Students Say about Writing Personally in English Class

This article features student perspectives on the role of personal writing in English class. Key findings and quotations are shared from two in-depth interviews with students who wrote exceptional personal essays as part of a narrative nonfiction unit in a 10th grade English class. Participants reported that writing personally generated more investment than a traditional academic assignment, controlling the level of sharing was key to being able to write honestly and openly, and mentor texts and writers’ notebooks were key tools which empowered their successful writing.     

词典使用与二语写作相关性的实证研究

对随机抽取的79名英语专业的大学生在英语写作过程中词典使用的原因和频数进行统计,利用SPSS软件对词典使用和二语写作水平之间的相关性,高分组和低分组对词典使用的差异性进行定量分析,得出以下结论：学生在写作过程中对词典的使用率不高;不当的词典使用技能与二语写作水平呈负相关;高分组和低分组学生在二语写作过程中对词典的使用存在显著差异。     

The use of exemplars in English writing classrooms: from theory to practice

Recent literature on the use of exemplars in the context of higher education has shown that exemplar-based instruction is implemented in various disciplines; nevertheless, how exemplar-based instruction can be implemented in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing classrooms in higher education institutions remains under-explored. In this connection, this article reports on a textbook development project which adopts an exemplar-based instruction approach to be used by university English instructors to prepare students for IELTS writing (academic module). The goal of the textbook is to cultivate students’ understanding of the assessment standards of the two IELTS writing tasks through the design and use of exemplar-based dialogic and reflective activities. In this article, theoretical underpinnings of the use of exemplars, namely tacit knowledge, assessment as learning and dialogic feedback, will first be discussed in detail. Then, an overview of an ongoing project which aims to develop an exemplar-based IELTS writing textbook will be given. The last section of this article suggests practical strategies for ESL writing teachers who are interested in using exemplars to develop students’ understanding of assessment standards.     

The relationship between writers’ perceptions and their performance on a field-specific writing test

Writing performance is greatly affected by task-related elements such as topic familiarity, difficulty, task-type, and subject matter of the prompt, which are perceived differently by each individual writer. Yet, little has been reported on the direct relationship between writers’ perceptions of a prompt and their actual performance on the prompt. The present study explored possible associations between students’ perceptions of a writing prompt and their actual writing performance on a field-specific (FS) English for academic purposes (EAP) writing test, compared to those on a general-topic test. Each of the 124 students produced two writing samples, one on an assigned regular topic and the other on one chosen from the four FS prompts. The writers also responded to a survey of their perceptions of the FS prompts and the FS test in general. The subjects’ performances on the two tests were compared across the four prompt subgroups, and analyzed against their survey responses. It was found that students’ performances were not statistically different on the two different tests or across the prompts chosen on the FS EAP writing test. Further analysis revealed that student subgroups varied in their perceptions of the degree of prompt familiarity. Based on the results, future research implications are proposed for EAP testing and L2 writing research.     

Using think-aloud protocols and interviews in investigating writers’ composing processes: combining concurrent and retrospective data

Research comparing the use of retrospective interviews (RIs) and think-aloud protocols (TAPs) as two data sources of writers’ composing processes is almost nonexistent. Trying to address this research gap, the present study examined the data obtained from the task-specific RIs and TAPs about the composing processes of 30 second language (L2) writers. Each participant thought aloud by concurrently verbalizing thoughts while performing an argumentative writing task, and then was interviewed immediately after the think-aloud session about their composing processes. The RI and TAP data was analyzed and compared in terms of five aspects of L2 writers’ composing: pre-writing stage, while-writing planning, first language (L1) use, composing problems and problem-solving, and text reviewing and changing. Though the results generally indicate that concurrent verbalizations provide much richer data than RIs about L2 writers’ composing processes, RIs were found to be a valuable source for revealing the ‘why’ of such processes. Besides, the gap between the data provided by the two sources differed from one composing aspect to another. Recommendations for how to optimally combine and make use of the two data sources in writing process research are provided.