Journal article
Shaping a score: Complexity, accuracy, and fluency in integrated writing performances
Language testing, Vol.36(2), pp.161-179
04/01/2019
DOI: 10.1177/0265532216669537
Abstract
The present study investigates integrated writing assessment performances with regard to the linguistic features of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF). Given the increasing presence of integrated tasks in large-scale and classroom assessments, validity evidence is needed for the claim that their scores reflect targeted language abilities. Four hundred and eighty integrated writing essays from the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) were analyzed using CAF measures with correlation and regression to determine how well these linguistic features predict scores on reading-listening-writing tasks. The results indicate a cumulative impact on scores from these three features. Fluency was found to be the strongest predictor of integrated writing scores. Analysis of error type revealed that morphological errors contributed more to the regression statistic than syntactic or lexical errors. Complexity was significant but had the lowest correlation to score across all variables.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Shaping a score: Complexity, accuracy, and fluency in integrated writing performances
- Creators
- Lia Plakans - University of IowaAtta Gebril - American University in CairoZeynep Bilki - Kirkwood Community College
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Language testing, Vol.36(2), pp.161-179
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- DOI
- 10.1177/0265532216669537
- ISSN
- 0265-5322
- eISSN
- 1477-0946
- Number of pages
- 19
- Grant note
- Educational Testing Service TOEFL Committee of Examiners
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 04/01/2019
- Academic Unit
- Teaching and Learning
- Record Identifier
- 9984371094002771
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