Automated Writing Evaluation in an EFL Setting: Lessons from China.

CTB/McGrawHill, USA Changhua.rich@act.org This paper reports a series of research studies on the use of automated writing evaluation (awe) in secondary and university settings in China. The secondary school study featured the use of awe in six intact classes of 268 senior high school students for one academic year. The university study group comprised 460 students from five universities across the country. The teaching experiment included the introduction of an awe tool, Writing Roadmap, to the English as a Foreign Language classroom and offering support to the teachers. A mixed-methods approach in the form of quasiexperimental research design, questionnaires, interviews and journals were undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of the teaching experiment. In this paper, we summarize the results of these studies in relationship to implementation, teacher and student attitudes, effects on writing and revision processes, and impact on writing test score outcomes. We also discuss the key factors affecting the successful integration of this technology in the classroom.

[1]  D. Allwright.  Exploratory Practice: rethinking practitioner research in language teaching , 2003 .

[2]  María de la O López Abeledo.  Sociocultural Theory and the Genesis of Second Language Development , 2008 .

[3]  Volker Hegelheimer,et al.  The role of automated writing evaluation holistic scores in the ESL classroom , 2014 .

[4]  P. Black,et al.  Assessment and Classroom Learning , 1998 .

[5]  Andrew Klobucar,et al.  Automated Scoring in Context: Rapid Assessment for Placed Students. , 2013 .

[6]  M. Warschauer,et al.  Automated Writing Assessment in the Classroom , 2008 .

[7]  Carless.  Pre-emptive formative assessment , 2006 .

[8]  Tang Jin-lan.  Impact of Integrating an Automated Assessment Tool into English Writing on University Teachers , 2012 .

[9]  Ying-Jian Wang,et al.  Exploring the impact of using automated writing evaluation in English as a foreign language university students' writing , 2013 .

[10]  Volker Hegelheimer,et al.  Rethinking the role of automated writing evaluation (AWE) feedback in ESL writing instruction , 2015 .

[11]  Mark Warschauer,et al.  Automated writing evaluation: defining the classroom research agenda , 2006 .

[12]  Christian D. Schunn,et al.  Writing to Learn and Learning to Write through SWoRD , 2016 .

[13]  John W. Creswell,et al.  Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research , 2006 .

[14]  Allan Feldman,et al.  Teacher Learning of Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment , 2008 .

[15]  Rob Kling,et al.  What Is Social Informatics and Why Does It Matter? , 2007, D Lib Mag..

[16]  Paul Deane,et al.  On the relation between automated essay scoring and modern views of the writing construct , 2013 .

[17]  Karen Willetts.  Technology and Second Language Learning. ERIC Digest. , 1992 .

[18]  Tang Jin-lan.  Using automated writing evaluation in classroom assessment:A critical review , 2011 .

[19]  Mark Warschauer,et al.  Utility in a Fallible Tool: A Multi-Site Case Study of Automated Writing Evaluation. , 2010 .

[20]  Volker Hegelheimer,et al.  Automated Writing Evaluation in Language Teaching: Theory, Development, and Application , 2015 .

[21]  Chi-Fen Emily Chen,et al.  Beyond the Design of Automated Writing Evaluation: Pedagogical Practices and Perceived Learning Effectiveness in EFL Writing Classes. , 2008 .

[22]  Yigal Attali,et al.  Exploring the Feedback and Revision Features of Criterion , 2004 .