Examining maintained authenticity in a modified process-oriented English placement test

Heald, Margaret

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/108473 Copy

Description

Title

Examining maintained authenticity in a modified process-oriented English placement test

Author(s)

Heald, Margaret

Issue Date

2020-07-15

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Yan, Xun

Department of Study

Linguistics

Discipline

Teaching of English Sec Lang

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.A.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• Process-oriented writing
• ESL
• Assessment authenticity
• English placement test

Abstract

Attempting to create an authentic placement exam for a program using process-oriented writing pedagogy presents many challenges. Practitioners and researchers have debated both the nature of authentic assessment and nature of process-oriented writing for more than forty years. The University of Illinois found some success creating an authentic process-oriented English Placement Test in 2000, but over the next twenty years that exam underwent many changes. Using a database of exams from Summer 2018, this thesis investigates whether the test takers utilized the first drafting period in a way consistent with how process-oriented writing is taught to ESL students at the University of Illinois. Four main patterns of first drafts were found and while all of these indicated some level of process-oriented writing they were not all consistent with the process-oriented writing pedagogy at the University of Illinois. Additionally, this thesis investigated the changes in writing from what was submitted at the end of the first drafting period to what was submitted at the end of the final drafting period and whether those changes aligned with what would be expected of process-oriented writing. Process-oriented writing involves a mix of micro and macro revisions to writing which was not the finding in this data. Post-test surveys provided test taker perspective on the exam and findings were consistently positive.

Graduation Semester

2020-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/108473

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2020 Margaret Heald

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