English language writing assessment: Teacher practices in Thai universities

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Copyright: Khongput, Somruedee
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Abstract
This thesis explored the assessment practices of teachers of writing for English major students in Thai public universities in different parts of the country. Both teachers' views on assessment practices and their actual rating processes were investigated using an exploratory qualitative research design. First, a questionnaire was used to gather data about teachers’ personal and professional backgrounds as well as their views on effective writing instruction and writing assessment in Thai public university contexts. Then, follow-up case studies were conducted to gather more in-depth data from four teachers in four different locations. Semi-structured interviews, think-aloud protocols and stimulated recall interviews were adopted to gather verbal data from each teacher. The think-aloud protocols were used to capture the teachers’ thinking processes as they assessed their students’ work and to clarify what aspects of writing assessment criteria were emphasised. The data obtained by semi-structured interviews and stimulated recall interviews were then analysed using inductive analysis to identify the major themes relating to the teachers’ writing instruction and assessment practices; the think-aloud data were analysed using an adaptation of Cumming et al.’s (2002) framework to identify teachers’ decision-making behaviours during their rating processes. The overall findings revealed that teachers in Thai public universities noticeably varied in their writing assessment practices. The variability revealed itself in relation to teachers’ selection of rating criteria and their components, the degree of cooperation among co-teachers of the same course, the way in which teachers aimed to maintain validity and reliability in their assessment, and the decisions they took in coming to scoring decisions. The findings also revealed a high level of teacher autonomy in the conduct of writing instruction and assessment in the Thai public university contexts. The teacher variability was influenced by various factors: their individual perceptions, their prior or immediate education, their expertise and professional experiences, and contextual factors. This study offers contributions to the relationship between teacher perceptions and writing assessment, a practical basis for universities and teachers in relation to writing instruction and assessment, and further investigations in the areas of writing instruction, writing assessment and related teacher education in Thailand.
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Khongput, Somruedee
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Publication Year
2014
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Thesis
Degree Type
PhD Doctorate
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