The effects of a critical thinking oriented instructional pattern in a tertiary EFL argumentative writing course

ABSTRACT

This study introduced an instructional pattern that integrated the framework of the International Critical Thinking Reading and Writing Test (ICTRWT), designed by Paul and Elder, into a tertiary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) argumentative writing course. To measure the effects of the instructional pattern, a mixed methods approach was adopted. Two groups of students were involved in the experiment, with the treatment group receiving the instructional intervention and the control group receiving regular instruction in a tertiary argumentative writing course. A critical thinking test and a writing test were used to investigate the effects of the treatment, and questionnaires and interviews were also employed to examine students’ attitudes toward the instructional pattern. The quantitative statistic data reveals that students who received the instructional treatment outperformed the students in the control group in terms of overall critical thinking skills and skills of identifying and evaluating the elements of thoughts. Meanwhile, the treatment group also performed better with regard to overall writing ability, organization and coherence. Additionally, the data gained from the questionnaires and interviews suggest students’ general positive attitudes toward the instructional pattern.     

Harming not helping: The impact of a Canadian standardized writing assessment on curriculum and pedagogy

Test-based accountability programs are designed to promote improved standards of teaching and learning within the systems of education that they are connected to. Brenan [Brenan, A. L. (2006). Perspectives on the evolution and future of educational measurement. In: Robert (Ed.), Educational measurement (4th ed., pp. 1–16). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers], however, suggests that little evidence exists to support the claim that these standardized assessment programs are achieving this goal. This study examines a Canadian high-stakes writing assessment's effect on the teaching of writing in three grade 12 academic English classrooms. Analysis across cases revealed that factors shaping the exam's impact on teachers’ pedagogical choices include their attitude toward the exam, the pressure they felt from their school communities and their years of experience. The study also found that the exam caused teachers to narrow their teaching of writing in relation to processes taught, assignment design, and evaluation criteria utilized. The study concludes that in the cases observed, the exam is having a negative impact on the teaching of writing.     

The quality assurance of a national English writing assessment: Policy implications for quality improvement

The purpose of this study was to examine the quality assurance issues of a national English writing assessment in Chinese higher education. Specifically, using generalizability theory and rater interviews, this study examined how the current scoring policy of the TEM-4 (Test for English Majors – Band 4, a high-stakes national standardized EFL assessment in China) writing could impact its score variability and reliability. Eighteen argumentative essays written by nine English major undergraduate students were selected as the writing samples. Ten TEM-4 raters were first invited to use the authentic TEM-4 writing scoring rubric to score these essays holistically and analytically (with time intervals in between). They were then interviewed for their views on how the current scoring policy of the TEM-4 writing assessment could affect its overall quality. The quantitative generalizability theory results of this study suggested that the current scoring policy would not yield acceptable reliability coefficients. The qualitative results supported the generalizability theory findings. Policy implications for quality improvement of the TEM-4 writing assessment in China are discussed.     

The Web as a source of unconventional research materials in second language academic writing

This study examined 68 Web sources selected by 19 second-language (L2) students while preparing to write research papers. Students submitted an annotated bibliography consisting of ten sources from print or electronic media. Each Web source was classified according to type (e.g., news or advocacy). Of the 68 sites, 29 were considered conventional, i.e., similar to materials housed in libraries (e.g., books and journal articles), and eight were “dead” links. The remaining 33 were rated unconventional, consisting of materials from interest groups, commercial enterprises, and informal academic materials. This paper presents an assessment of the 33 unconventional sites based on WATCH, a rating scale consisting of four broad criteria: author's reputation; the site's objectivity; its academic rigor; and the transparency of its publishing information (Stapleton, P., and Helms-Park, R. (in press). Evaluating Web sources in an EAP course: Introducing a multi-trait instrument for feedback and assessment. English for Specific Purposes). In addition, the paper analyzes seven unconventional sources to illustrate the need to focus on Website evaluation skills in academic contexts.     

Keyboarding compared with handwriting on a high-stakes writing assessment: Student choice of composing medium, raters’ perceptions, and text quality

This article examines the influence of keyboarding versus handwriting in a high-stakes writing assessment. Conclusions are based on data collected from a pilot project to move Old Dominion University's Exit Exam of Writing Proficiency from a handwritten format into a dual-option format (i.e., the students may choose to handwrite or keyboard the exam). This test case is used to demonstrate the complex implications for a writing assessment tool when universities aim to accommodate students’ various methods of physically creating a text. Discussion includes speculation about the format of the writing component on the SAT. It is argued that by analyzing the differences in high-stakes exams when students keyboard and when they handwrite, researchers can better understand how the material conditions for composing influence students and raters. It is concluded that if handwriting and keyboarding represent even slightly different composing skills and cognitive processes, then high-stakes writing assessments should aim to accommodate students by providing methods of textual production with which students are most comfortable, even as this accommodation produces new challenges for the creators and managers of large-scale writing assessments.     

个性化:作文教学的走向

作文教学是语文教育改革的重点和难点。当今作文教学改革的一大趋势就是走向个性化。本文根据个性化作文教学主体性、真实性、独特性、民主性、创造性的特点 ,提出了几点具体的实施策略     

裕固族

裕固族是我国人口较少的民族之一。他们主要聚居在甘肃省张掖地区南裕固自治县,使用裕固语,属阿尔泰语系,没有本民族文字,一般用汉字。裕固族有着悠久的历史和古老的文化。本期“品读中国”。小编就带大家品读一下裕固族。     

The impact of the scoring system of a large-scale standardized EFL writing assessment on its score variability and reliability: Implications for assessment policy makers

Using generalizability (G-) theory and rater interviews as research methods, this study examined the impact of the current scoring system of the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4, a high-stakes national standardized EFL assessment in China) writing on its score variability and reliability. One hundred and twenty CET-4 essays written by 60 non-English major undergraduate students at one Chinese university were scored holistically by 35 experienced CET-4 raters using the authentic CET-4 scoring rubric. Ten purposively selected raters were further interviewed for their views on how the current scoring system could impact its score variability and reliability. The G-theory results indicated that the current single-task and single-rater holistic scoring system would not be able to yield acceptable generalizability and dependability coefficients. The rater interview results supported the quantitative findings. Important implications for the CET-4 writing assessment policy in China are discussed.     

Source use and argumentation behavior in L1 and L2 writing: a within-writer comparison

The aim of this study was to test whether Cummins’ Linguistic Interdependence Hypothesis (LIH) might also apply to writing, by determining to what extent writers’ text quality, source use and argumentation behavior are related in L1 and L2, how effective writers’ behavior is and whether their L2 proficiency influenced the relations between them. To answer these questions, twenty students wrote four short argumentative source based essays each in L1 (Dutch) and four in L2 (English). A within-writer cross-linguistic comparison of their texts revealed that their L1 and L2 writing competencies appear to be related. Furthermore, writers’ source use behavior differed to some extent between languages, but the strong positive correlations found between source use features suggest that in most cases this was more a person than a language effect. Similarly, for argumentation behavior, results showed some learner specific features (e.g. inclusion of titles and reference lists), but differences between languages for others (e.g. the inclusion of both arguments and counter-arguments). Effects of the different source use and argumentation features studied on text quality were limited and no clear effect of L2 proficiency on writers’ behavior or their influence on text quality were found. Overall, in line with earlier research, these findings provide some additional support for Cummins’ LIH and the idea that writers might have a common underlying source for writing related knowledge and practices which they can apply in multiple languages.

     

大学生英语写作中的句法复杂性研究

为检验二语学习者写作中的句法复杂性是否随二语水平的提高而变化,系统分析120篇英语论说文中的句法特征。研究发现：写作单位的长度和频数与学期水平密切相关;非英语专业大学生同样经历着从并列句到子句的过渡;句子类型使用上,简单句使用过多。句法复杂性与作文质量显著正相关,对写作教学和作文评分具有一定的启示意义。     

Improving Spoken and Written English: From research to practice

This paper will argue that skills development need be neither low-level nor mechanistic, but can be concurrent with, rather than detracting from, any typical English studies curriculum. It contextualises an innovative approach to teaching and learning, which has been developed at Anglia Polytechnic University over 3 years (January 1997 to December 1999). In particular, it describes a practical course entitled Varieties of Speaking and Writing, which aims to raise the standard of students' language awareness and use through the study of a variety of extracts from literary and non-literary writing. It addresses some fundamental pedagogical issues: how to improve undergraduate writing skills; how to train and assess undergraduates' speaking skills; and how to ensure that the acquisition of these advanced skills is relevant and enjoyable to undergraduates studying English Literature. Skills development viewed this way embraces fundamentally sound pedagogical principles, which are concerned with encouraging student autonomy and an appetite for life-long learning.     

ArchiBabel: Tracing the Writing Architecture Project in Architectural Education

Though much recent scholarship has investigated the potential of writing in creative practice (including visual arts, drama, even choreography), there are few models in the literature which discuss writing in the context of architectural education. This article aims to address this dearth of pedagogical research, analysing the cross‐disciplinary Writing Architecture Project based in the undergraduate course of Queens University Belfast's School of Architecture. Over the course of four years, teaching staff, in partnership with the university's Learning Development Service, technicians and specialist librarians, have addressed an unfortunately persistent struggle for both architecture students and professionals alike to research and construct argument in written form. The article examines the current problem as identified in the literature before analysing the efficacy of the variety of teaching methods used in the Writing Architecture Project, with conclusions about the project's success and continuing challenges.     

Validating automated essay scoring for online writing placement

In this paper, I describe the design and evaluation of automated essay scoring (AES) models for an institution's writing placement program. Information was gathered on admitted student writing performance at a science and technology research university in the northeastern United States. Under timed conditions, first-year students (N = 879) were assigned to write essays on two persuasive prompts within the Criterion^® Online Writing Evaluation Service at the beginning of the semester. AES models were built and evaluated for a total of four prompts. AES models meeting recommended performance criteria were then compared to standardized admissions measures and locally developed writing measures. Results suggest that there is evidence to support the use of Criterion as part of the placement process at the institution.     

同伴互评对大学生英语写作焦虑影响的实证研究

通过一项同伴互评写作教学实验,采用《二语写作焦虑量表》,对179名被试进行了教学实验前后的对比研究,考察同伴互评对于大学生英语写作焦虑的影响。研究结果表明:同伴互评能够显著降低学生的总体写作焦虑、躯体焦虑与回避行为;非常显著地降低认知焦虑。     

Do students' beliefs about writing relate to their writing self-efficacy,apprehension, and performance?

This study tested a model in which beliefs about writing, writing self-efficacy, and writing apprehension predict writing performance. The Beliefs About Writing Survey, the Writing Self-Efficacy Index, and the modified Writing Apprehension Test were administered to 738 undergraduates to predict their grade on a class paper. In a hierarchical regression, beliefs about writing predicted variance in writing scores beyond that accounted for by writing self-efficacy and apprehension. Audience Orientation, a new belief associated with expert practice, was the strongest positive predictor of the students' grade. Transmission, a belief in relying on material published by authorities, was the leading negative predictor. Writing self-efficacy predicted performance, albeit modestly. The traditional measure of writing apprehension (anxiety about being critiqued) was not significant, but Apprehension About Grammar, a new construct, significantly and negatively predicted performance. These results support the possibility that beliefs about writing could be a leverage point for teaching students to write.     

Bilingual education through a pluri-centric approach: A case study of the effects of simultaneously learning two languages on L1 and L2 reading and writing proficiency

Language education has often been conducted based on monoglossic ideologies that keep L1 and L2 separate, a practice that receives growing criticism as out of sync with today’s multilingual globalized world. Informed by interdependence hypotheses and translanguaging theory, this research study explored the effects of a pluri-centric approach to learning L1 and L2 simultaneously. Through a bilingual intervention course with data collected from interviews, parents’ logbooks, observation field notes, questionnaires, and L1 and L2 reading and writing tests, this case study (n = 9) revealed that the approach effectively improved learners’ L1 and L2 proficiency, learning behaviour outside the classroom, self-efficacy, and confidence. Overall, the participants also perceived the bilingual course as effective, efficient, and innovative. The study provides a basis to reflect upon transferrable skills and core underlying proficiency as powerful concepts to draw upon in enhancing bilingual proficiency and effecting positive changes in learners’ behaviour and psychological well-being.     

Multiple voices in tests: towards a macro theory of test writing

Tests, especially high-stakes ones, occupy a prominent role in education and impact on students’ personal and professional trajectory. Therefore, it is crucial that they are well understood. Enhancing understanding of the workings of tests requires a multidisciplinary approach, one that treats tests not only as assessment instruments, but also as sociolinguistic and sociopolitical products. Using data collected by means of non-participant observation, stimulated recall and one-to-one interviews with writers of GCSE and IGCSE tests, this paper attempts to provide a macro-analysis of the process of test writing. It does so by identifying the various actors and discourses that directly or indirectly take part in test writing. It uses Bakhtin’s framework of voice as a tool to facilitate this. The paper concludes by proposing a macro model of test writing, one that explains the macro process of test writing by capturing the main voices involved in it and their interrelationships.     

Unconventional Internet genres and their impact on second language undergraduate students' writing process

The Web has become a vast and appealing source of information for undergraduate students writing academic papers. While some online resources are comparable in quality to the materials housed in a library, newly accessible, Web-specific genres, such as interest groups, often undermine traditional expectations of scholarly authority, rigor, and objectivity. Since many of these genres harbor hidden agendas, their impact is often manipulative. Giving the illusion of rigor, they can present challenges for novice undergraduate second language writers who are unfamiliar with North American academic guidelines, yet few studies have examined the impact of such sites on their writing. In order to assess this influence, unconventional, opinion-supporting Web citations in argumentative essays from 70 undergraduate ESL students were isolated and evaluated. Findings revealed that the students who cited unconventional sources appeared to be unaware of their ideological agendas. Additionally, viewing such sources as objective, they used them to support their own viewpoints.