184 / 2018-03-30 13:30:32

Standards in selecting and developing L2 genre-specific writing rubrics

rubric, genre, writing, assessment, standard

全体主题 > Standards in developing language assessments

Wherever we need to select, make decisions based on human performance certain criteria or standards are required. In writing assessment, growth in performance based assessment resulted in the development of writing rubrics. Recently, in writing assessment, more and more emphasis is put on assessing writing knowledge from different genres. This calls the need for the development of genre-specific rubrics. Unfortunately, previous rubric studies have focused largely on large-scale generic rubrics rather than genre-specific or task-specific rubrics. Generic rubrics developed by large test companies are often used by L2 writing teachers but these rubrics cannot reflect the local assessment context. The purpose of this study is to review previously developed L2 genre-specific rubrics and propose a standard guideline that can assist teachers in choosing and developing writing rubrics for particular genres. For the study, twenty L2 genre-specific rubrics were selected from peer-reviewed journals, research reports, and doctoral dissertation. The rubrics were analyzed using thematic analysis to find possible patterns.
The rubric review revealed three characteristics that directed the content and design of genre-specific rubrics. First, was the goal of the task or course. Similar to other rubric development steps, the purpose of the task was the first factor that decided the content of the rubric. Depending on the emphasis of the genre (e.g., argumentative) or specific discipline area (e.g., history) the assessment construct and weightings were determined. Another factor that was considered in genre-specific rubrics was the language proficiency of the target learner. Learner’s language proficiency were directly related to the depth and breadth of language features covered in the rubric. If the target L2 learners had solid language background, the rubric contained less language related criterion. On the other hand if the rubric was used to assess a wide range of language learners it included more language related assessment criterion. Finally, the background of the rubric developer influenced the content of the rubric. Developers who came from a strong genre teaching background included more genre specific features, while developers who came from a language teaching background inserted more language related features. Genre-specific rubrics not only included the assessment construct that was measured but reflected the assessment criteria or focus of the developer. This study will end by suggesting a standard guideline writing teachers can refer to when developing or choosing a genre-specific rubric.