Second Language Learners’ Use of Writing Resources in Writing Assessment

ABSTRACT

Many second language (L2) learners utilize writing resources (e.g., linguistic tools that help check their language, search engines, and websites) when writing in their L2. Nevertheless, these tools and resources are prohibited in most writing assessments based on the assumption that using them provides an inaccurate or unfair measure of test-takers’ writing ability. However, if L2 writing ability were re-conceptualized to include these writing resources, the assessment would more closely simulate writing behaviors in the real world, and we would be better positioned to generalize test-takers’ performance in authentic contexts. Accordingly, the current study aimed to investigate L2 learners’ use of writing resources in English writing assessment by examining the nature of test-takers’ use of writing resources, investigating the difference between their performance with and without having access to the writing resources, and understanding test-takers’ perspectives on using these resources. It was found that test-takers performed better with access to writing resources, but when compared across the proficiency levels, the relative standing of the proficiency levels remained the same regardless of the assessment conditions. Additionally, a conflict between the extent to which test-takers want to use writing resources and their perception of test fairness was identified.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

¹ In this paper, “writing resources” refers to the external resources people commonly utilize when they write, and among the various writing resources, those specifically related to linguistic components of writing (i.e., spelling, grammar, vocabulary) are referred to as “linguistic tools”.

² Dummy facets are anchored at zero and do not contribute to the main measurement effect but are included to investigate interactions (Linacre, 2012).

³ Bias analyses are performed by FACETS to find the size and direction of any systematic interaction effects between two facets.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the 2015 British Council Assessment Research Award.