• Journal of Korean language education
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.173-196
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• 2017

Writing is a subjective and performative activity. Writing ability has multi-facets and compoundness. To understand the examinees's writing ability accurately and provide effective writing scores, raters first ought to have the competency regarding assessment. Therefore, this study is significant as a fundamental research about rater's characteristics on the TOPIK writing assessment. 150 scripts of the 47th TOPIK examinees were selected randomly, and were further rated independently by 20 raters. The many-facet Rasch model was used to generate individualized feedback reports on each rater's relative severity and consistency with respect to particular categories of the rating scale. This study was analyzed using the FACETS ver 3.71.4 program. Overfit and misfit raters showed many difficulties for noticing the difference between assessment factors and interpreting the criteria. Writing raters appear to have much confusion when interpreting the assessment criteria, and especially, overfit and misfit teachers interpret the criteria arbitrarily. The main reason of overfit and misfit is the confusion about assessment factors and criteria in finding basis for scoring. Therefore, there needs to be more training and research is needed for raters based on this type of writing assessment characteristics. This study is recognized significantly in that it collectively examined writing assessment characteristics of writing raters, and visually confirmed the assessment error aspects of writing assessment.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.191-208
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• 2011

The quantitative study investigated perceptions of evaluative criteria in L2 writing between two groups - learners (N=212) and instructors (N=52) in Korea. Specifically, the purpose of the study is (1) to examine learners' and instructors' perceptions on evaluative criteria in L2 writing and to provide empirical evidence concerning how they respond to a list of them and (2) to ultimately devise appropriate rating criteria applicable to an EFL context like Korea. Analyses of evaluative criteria were conducted using factor analysis and yielded the following results: learner and instructor groups perceived the evaluative criteria differently and weighted them in a different way. For the learner group, the combined elements of grammar and language in use were identified as Factor 1 and mechanics as Factor 2. The results may infer that learners' response patterns are primarily linked to their instructors' writing practice in class, which may largely focus on grammatical knowledge based on lexical use and mechanical accuracy. Similarly, the instructor group acknowledged grammatical knowledge as Factor 1 and lexical use as Factor 2. The first two factors found in both learner and instructor groups indicate that in an EFL context like Korea, the form-then-content way of teaching and learning is still being considered more effective in L2 writing than any other method. Taking into consideration these perceptive similarities and differences between learners and instructors, the categories of evaluative criteria in writing include content and organization, grammar, mechanics, language in use, and flow of the essay, respectively.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.197-206
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• 2019

This study aims to analyze through the integrated textbooks whether writing tasks are designed to be successful in cultivating students' writing abilities in the general-purpose Korean language education. First, we established the concept and the components of the writing task based on the definitions mentioned in previous research. The analysis of the types of writing tasks revealed "free writing" and "imitation and writing" to be the most frequent types of writing tasks in both textbooks. The textbooks have only twenty-one subjects in common. And most instructions provide only themes and genres, excluding the purpose, form, quantity, and time necessary for the article or for comprehending the instructions. In these tasks, the reading passages are most often explanatory text. The scoring criteria and time were not provided for the evaluation criteria and other factors. Therefore it became necessary to express the components of the writing task as explicitly and concretely as possible to improve learners' performances.

• Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.181-210
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• 2003

The purpose of the study was to investigate how Korean EFL writing instructors give feedback to their students' writing and what influences their feedback. A total of 12 Korean EFL instructors in Korean universities teaching freshman English and intermediate EFL writing courses provided their feedback given on students' writing samples and participated in interviews. Interviews were analyzed qualitatively with a constant comparative approach and some data from writing samples and questionnaires produced descriptive statistics. The first lesson from the results of the study was that grammar was still the most frequent concern in giving feedback on students' writing. Contrary to the participants' report, comments on content and organization were not produced very often. The second lesson came from the interview data. Some aspects of teacher feedback seemed mostly influenced by their beliefs on L2 writing and experience in teaching L2 writing. The final and major lesson was that teachers chose how they would give comments on students' writing depending on whether they found their feedback helpful in students learning to write. EFL writing teachers can produce effective feedback by clearly communicating their beliefs about L2 writing and criteria in their feedback to students in their EFL writing classrooms.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.139-164
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to analyze the writing activity materials presented in the thirteen middle school textbooks and determine if the writing activity materials are appropriate for the goals and contents of the 7th national curriculum. The writing activity materials are analyzed based on three criteria. First, the writing activity materials are analyzed based on Rivers'(1981) five writing guidances, which are specified with detailed writing activity materials. The first criterion was suggested by Young-Ran Lee(2004). Second, the writing activity materials in the textbooks are analyzed according to the criterion prescribed by the 7th national curriculum, which are specified with writing activities presented by Rivers(1981), Raimes(1983), Hedge(1988), and Beverly and Carol(1988). Third, the writing activity materials related to other skills, such as listening, speaking, and reading, in the textbooks are selected and analyzed according to the proportion of the integration of skills. The results are as follows: First, writing activity materials in the textbooks belong to the type of 'reproduction', ie. the second stage of Rivers' writing guidance, 'recombination, which is the third stage of Rivers' writing guidance, and the type of 'guided writing', noted on the fourth stage of the guidance. Second, the writing activity materials satisfy the criterion in the 7th national curriculum, as for the proportions, but they are not balanced. Third, most of the writing activity materials contain writing activities that involve non-writing skills such as listening, speaking and reading, but they are not balanced. Particularly, writing activity materials related to reading activities are common.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.165-198
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• 2002

The purpose of this research is to improve the writing ability of students by an ideal test model of English writing based on strategies of procedural learning stages enhancing the level of students' writing ability. Assessment of writing in the field of English education has been limited so far to very restricted areas with no appropriate scientific scrutiny. Assessment is really meaningful only when it exactly estimates the ability of students. Since English writing competence has become indispensable in this era of global village, writing instruction should be most emphasized. The most forceful method of busting writing instruction is to utilize the so-called washback effect of testing. So, to develop a good test model of writing, the first thing that is required is to inspect writing strategy in steps and, then, testing itself. First of all, analyzed with a special reference to the 6th high school English curriculum were the goals and contents of the syllabus reflected in one kind of junior high textbook and eight different kinds of senior high textbooks. Then questionnaires on the whole area of writing and tendencies of English writing classes were given to 100 English teachers, 300 students. The results of questionnaires were statistically analyzed. Then, some suggestions and opinions about the questioning method were made: the procedural strategy in steps, English writing instruction and test model of assessment were applied to the syllabus referring to teaching plans. On the bases of the results of the questionnaires, three pretests and a final test of English writing were administered to verify the effect of enhanced English writing competence which had been gradually promoted and, through the promotion, produced the test criteria of English writing. In conclusion, guidance and evaluation of English writing through in steps are really indispensable to increase student's practical ability and, accordingly, we are in need of the development of a testing method of useful writing practiced in school class above anything else. So, it is necessary to further the study on methods to assess writing ability on the bases of participation and fluency of students with their keen interest in English. Also, to intensify the effect of the test model, more accommodating reorganization of syllabus is required in our education. For instance, we need a flexible operation in organizing time units from the current 50 minutes to 100-130 minutes.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.83-97
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• 2000

Ninety 6th graders were randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group in this 5 week study of the effects of constructivist instruction on writing performance. After the writing pre-test, the experimental group was treated with constructivist instruction while the control group was treated with a tradition procedure based on Joyce and Weil's(1992) basic exercise model Instruction consisted of ten 40-minute sessions. The effectiveness of the constructivist instruction was tested by post-and retention-tests. Two raters scored the children's writing by the analytical scale of Jin-Suk Won(1994). Results were analyzed by t-test. The writing performance and the retention scores of the experimental group were higher than that of the control group. The results of the sub-criteria scores showed significant effects on children's understanding of contents and constructive performance.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.25-39
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to develop a letter type rubric as a learning method for elementary school students to learn science writing easily and efficiently. For this study, five topics in science textbooks were chosen and modified in everyday life situation. The rubric evaluation criteria were composed of four steps. Two classes of 4th grade of an elementary school in Seoul were selected for applying the developed rubric. The experimental group consisted of 25 students and control group consisted of 28 students. The letter type rubric was treated to experimental group. The results showed that there was a significant difference between two groups in the science writing ability after application. From the survey results, we could conclude that the rubric helps elementary school students to develop the science writing ability and confidence in writing.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.12-19
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• 2018

This article aims to discuss the transition of the Kazakh writing system from Cyrillic to Latin. First, the study investigates the relationship between the Kazakh Cyrillic alphabet and phonology, in order to linguistically evaluate the efficiency of the writing system. Second, the process of determining the Kazakh Latin alphabet is discussed in terms of the Kazakh phonological system. Third, the factors that determined the Latin alphabet of Kazakh language are analyzed. In Kazakh, the phonemic system is subject to controversy among linguists, but it can be said that the phonological system basically follows the one-to-one correspondence to the Russian and Kazakh phonemes. As for the depth of orthographies, Kazakh Cyrillic writing system is not based on the shallow orthographies, so it incorporates morphophonemic information to make skilled readers understand easier. The political and social aspects are considered as a cause of the alphabet change. Although there are studies suggesting the conversion of the writing system is caused by the extrinsic factors rather than the intrinsic factors, the five criteria of Smalley (1964), which compromise the intrinsic and extrinsic factors, are also persuasive. The five factors are 1) Maximum motivation for the learner, 2) Maximum representation of speech, 3) Maximum ease of learning, 4) Maximum transfer, 5) Maximum ease of reproduction.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2021

Critical thinking ability based on a sound sense of logic is essential for analyzing a given engineering design problem and assessing it to arrive at the most plausible conclusion. Engineering design classes require students to organize their engineering design experiences through reports, and engineering design reports require detailed specifications of their tasks at each stage. Given the nature of these curriculums, design classes provide writing courses focusing on science and engineering within specialized fields, but there still lies many obstacles for communication education that embraces both general education and major subjects. This study proposes a specified step-by-step writing model for engineering design reports that encompasses critical thinking for the objective of systemizing design experiences from engineering design report writing. For the purpose of the study, the concepts and relationship between critical thinking and creative problem solving have been examined, followed by a proposal of application methods for critical thinking criteria and elements from a case example on engineering design. Furthermore, the study proposes a critical thinking-based assessment rubric for logical decision making at each stage of engineering design as well as a resulting model for engineering design report writing.