Rater's perception of handwriting legibility and word- processing in l2 writing assessment

The roar of technology can be heard in every hall and classroom in the nation. Schools are in a rush to "computerize" everything from classrooms to testing. Research in the effectiveness of these moves has been brushed to the wayside and scientific scrutiny has given way to blind obedience. It is time to step back and investigate the basic tenets of computerization. This study focuses on the issue of handwriting quality and word-processing as biasing factors in English as a Second Language testing, specifically the English as a Second Language Placement Test (EPT) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Four expert EPT raters rated a total of forty essays, twenty original and twenty transcribed in either messy or neat handwriting or on a word-processor. Results indicate an interesting biasing effect for word-processed transcriptions. Word-processed transcriptions were scored lower than their handwritten counterparts regardless of original legibility. No such effect was found for handwriting legibility, though regardless of legibility handwritten transcriptions were rated higher than their original counterparts.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Teaching English as a Second Language

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2001

Author dc:creator

• Craig, Daniel Allen

Contributors dc:contributor

• Berg. Catherine
• Davidson, Fred

• Teaching English as Second Language
• Computerization in education
• ESL testing bias
• Handwriting quality
• Word-processing in testing

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright by Daniel Allen Craig, 2001

Language dc:language

eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125876

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/125876