Journal article
Fairness, justice, and criticality: Reviewing second language writing assessment
Language teaching, Vol.59(1), pp.1-28
01/2026
DOI: 10.1017/S0261444825100876
Appears in UI Libraries Support Open Access
Abstract
This State-of-the-Art review examines second language (L2) writing assessment research over the past 25 years through a framework of fairness, justice, and criticality. Recognizing the socio-political implications of assessment, the authors argue for a shift toward more equitable and socially conscious approaches. Drawing from a corpus of 869 peer-reviewed articles across leading journals, the review identifies five major themes: (1) features of writing performance, (2) rating and scoring, (3) integrated assessment, (4) teacher and learner perspectives, and (5) feedback. Each theme is reviewed for foundational findings, then critiqued through questions related to fairness and justice using a critical lens. The authors advocate for a multilingual turn in writing assessment, greater attention to teacher and student voices, and questioning dominant norms embedded in assessment practices. The review concludes with a call for future research to engage with fairness, justice, and criticality in both theory and practice, ensuring that writing assessments serve as tools for empowerment rather than exclusion.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Fairness, justice, and criticality: Reviewing second language writing assessment
- Creators
- Lia Plakans - University of IowaKwangmin Lee - Western Michigan University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Language teaching, Vol.59(1), pp.1-28
- DOI
- 10.1017/S0261444825100876
- ISSN
- 0261-4448
- eISSN
- 1475-3049
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Number of pages
- 28
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 09/29/2025
- Date published
- 01/2026
- Academic Unit
- Teaching and Learning
- Record Identifier
- 9984969113402771
Metrics
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