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Teacher assessment of grammatical ability in second language academic writing: A case study

Title:

Teacher assessment of grammatical ability in second language academic writing: A case study

Neumann, Heike ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8977-7219 (2014) Teacher assessment of grammatical ability in second language academic writing: A case study. Journal of Second Language Writing, 24 . pp. 83-107. ISSN 10603743

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2014.04.002

Abstract

In the language assessment literature, grammatical ability is widely accepted as a key component of second language (L2) ability in general and L2 writing ability in particular. Indicators of grammatical ability have been investigated in L2 writing research, but the indicators L2 writing teachers attend to when determining grammatical ability levels of their students have not been studied. Furthermore, there is no research on what students know about their teachers’ assessment criteria and how that knowledge might affect their writing and learning process. This mixed methods triangulation study examines these questions in university L2 academic writing classes through a quantitative text-based analysis of academic essay exams, student questionnaires, and teacher and student interviews. The combined results of all data sources indicate that the teachers in this study focus primarily on accuracy when assessing grammatical ability. This leads to risk avoidance behaviour by students and may have a negative impact on their learning as students adapt their writing to meet above all their teachers’ expectations for grammatical accuracy.

Divisions:Concordia University > Faculty of Arts and Science > Education
Item Type:Article
Refereed:Yes
Authors:Neumann, Heike
Journal or Publication:Journal of Second Language Writing
Date:17 May 2014
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):10.1016/j.jslw.2014.04.002
Keywords:Second Language Writing, Academic Writing, Grammatical Ability, Assessment Criteria, Rating Scales
ID Code:985473
Deposited By: Heike Neumann
Deposited On:06 Jun 2019 17:52
Last Modified:06 Jun 2019 17:52

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