University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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

Heald, Margaret

Content Files
HEALD-THESIS-2020.pdf

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

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
Date of Ingest
2020-10-07T20:59:44Z
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
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/108473
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2020 Margaret Heald

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