• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.45-66
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of two different SNS-based tasks on university students' English writing performance. To address our primary research question, Me2day, microblogging and Social Networking Service, was employed. 43 university students were divided into two experimental groups depending on the task types: a comparison task group and a sharing personal experiences task group. The main findings of the study were as follows: first, two different types of SNS-based tasks, 'spot the differences' and 'writing diaries', had a positive effect on learners' writing performance. The reason for this was that the succinct messages limited to 150 characters made it easier for the students to try writing in English without burden; and they may benefit from their peers by seeing their posts and interacting with each other. Yet there were no significant differences between the two groups when it came to the degree of improvement. Second, two different types of SNS-based tasks differently fostered certain aspects of the writing performance; 'contents knowledge' was supported by the 'writing diaries' task and range was supported by the 'spot the differences' task. Third, learners in the two experimental groups mostly had positive impressions regarding usage of Me2day as a new learning tool.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.189-208
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to investigate knowledge and use of English collocations in their relation to Korean college students' general English proficiency and writing abilities. Participants in the present study were 203 Korean college students. Their knowledge and use of English collocations were measured by a self-designed collocation test and an essay writing test. The findings were as follows: First, there was a significant difference in students' knowledge of collocations according to their general English proficiency. Students' performance in the collocation test increased as their level of proficiency increased. Second, there was a significant difference in students' knowledge of collocations according to their writing abilities. Students showed better performance in the collocation test as their level of writing abilities increased. Third, there was a significant difference in students' use of collocations according to their writing abilities. Students' collocation use in the writing test increased as their level of writing abilities increased. Fourth, there was a strong relationship between the students' knowledge of collocations and their general English proficiency and between the students' use of collocations and their writing abilities. Pedagogical implications of the study and suggestions for further research were discussed on the basis of the research findings.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.165-198
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• 2002

The purpose of this research is to improve the writing ability of students by an ideal test model of English writing based on strategies of procedural learning stages enhancing the level of students' writing ability. Assessment of writing in the field of English education has been limited so far to very restricted areas with no appropriate scientific scrutiny. Assessment is really meaningful only when it exactly estimates the ability of students. Since English writing competence has become indispensable in this era of global village, writing instruction should be most emphasized. The most forceful method of busting writing instruction is to utilize the so-called washback effect of testing. So, to develop a good test model of writing, the first thing that is required is to inspect writing strategy in steps and, then, testing itself. First of all, analyzed with a special reference to the 6th high school English curriculum were the goals and contents of the syllabus reflected in one kind of junior high textbook and eight different kinds of senior high textbooks. Then questionnaires on the whole area of writing and tendencies of English writing classes were given to 100 English teachers, 300 students. The results of questionnaires were statistically analyzed. Then, some suggestions and opinions about the questioning method were made: the procedural strategy in steps, English writing instruction and test model of assessment were applied to the syllabus referring to teaching plans. On the bases of the results of the questionnaires, three pretests and a final test of English writing were administered to verify the effect of enhanced English writing competence which had been gradually promoted and, through the promotion, produced the test criteria of English writing. In conclusion, guidance and evaluation of English writing through in steps are really indispensable to increase student's practical ability and, accordingly, we are in need of the development of a testing method of useful writing practiced in school class above anything else. So, it is necessary to further the study on methods to assess writing ability on the bases of participation and fluency of students with their keen interest in English. Also, to intensify the effect of the test model, more accommodating reorganization of syllabus is required in our education. For instance, we need a flexible operation in organizing time units from the current 50 minutes to 100-130 minutes.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.12-17
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• 2023

This study investigates the effects of online English writing instruction on university students' writing performance and their anxiety. A total of 34 participants completed the pre- and post- writing tests as well as the surveys regarding perceived anxiety toward English writing. Reflection papers and interviews were employed to triangulate the results of the questionnaires. Quantitative analysis of learners' writing outcomes and surveys revealed that online writing instruction helped improve students' writing skills and reduce writing anxiety. The interviews and reflection papers demonstrated that learners found the writing instruction helpful in reducing somatic anxiety, avoidance behavior, and cognitive anxiety. The current study suggests that adopting non-face-to-face online writing instruction aids EFL students in developing their writing and alleviating writing anxiety.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.149-170
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• 2012

The purpose of the present study is to examine the degree to which the writing instruction using animations has effects on the writing performance of $4^{th}$ year elementary school students. This study also examined the effects of the animation-based writing instruction on the interest and confidence of those students. To this aim, the present study utilized a set of writing tests and questionnaires before and after the instruction. The data were collected from 63 elementary school students. The data were then analyzed using a series of statistical analyses. The results suggested that the students who received the writing instruction using animations performed significantly better on the writing test than those who received the textbook-based instruction. The results also suggested that those who received the animation-based instruction showed more positive interest and confidence on English and English learning. Finally, limitations of the present study and suggestions for further studies are discussed at the end of the paper.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.156-162
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of peer scaffolding on the writing fluency of English language learners. This study was intended to confirm that peer scaffolding in English as a foreign language (EFL) writing classes can improve students' English proficiency. An analysis of 20 EFL learners studying at a university in Gyeonggi Province was conducted based on the English Proficiency Test. In this study, 20 intermediate learners with similar proficiency levels were included in the sample. Randomly, 10 students were designated as members of the control group, and 10 students were designated as members of the experimental group. In the experimental group, students practiced essay writing, while a skilled student provided scaffolding for a less skilled student. A variety of tools were used to gather data, including tests, questionnaires, and interviews Statistical analyses of quantitative data were conducted using t-tests for independent samples, whereas analyses of qualitative data were conducted based on themes. Pre-test results indicated a significant value of sig. =0.87, which was higher than α = 0.05. According to the results of this study, the writing performance of both experimental and control groups of students was equal and homogeneous prior to treatment. However, there were significant differences between the writing of students in the two groups after the completion of the program. Due to the post-test analysis of the writing test, the test resulted in a sig. =0 .043, a value lower than α = 0.05. As a result, the experimental group participants showed a marked improvement in their writing abilities after treatment.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.123-142
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• 2009

The present study used multi-faceted Rasch measurement to explore the characteristics and bias patterns of non-native raters when they scored L2 writing tasks. Three raters scored 254 writing tasks written by Korean university students on two topics adapted from the TOEFL Test of Written English (TWE). The written products were assessed using a five-category rating scale (Content, Organization, Language in Use, Grammar, and Mechanics). The raters only showed a difference in severity with regard to rating categories but not in task types. Overall, the raters scored Grammar most harshly and Organization most leniently. The results also indicated several bias patterns of ratings with regard to the rating categories and task types. In rater-task bias interactions, each rater showed recurring bias patterns in their rating between two writing tasks. Analysis of rater-category bias interaction showed that the three raters revealed biased patterns across all the rating categories though they were relatively consistent in their rating. The study has implications for the importance of rater training and task selection in L2 writing assessment.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.37-45
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• 2020

The purpose of the study is to explore the perceptions or attitudes about utilizing the AWE(Automated Writing Evaluation), Grammarly in English writing. A total of 131 students who are in first grade and in beginner level participate in the study. As a research tool of the study, pre and post-surveys, pre and post-tests, and learning journals were collected and analyzed. The study was conducted for 15 weeks in the 2^nd semester of 2019. According to the results, the findings are as follows. First, the students in the study had difficulty with English grammar and found it useful to get English feedback in English writing. Next, the students showed positive attitudes toward the use of Grammarly. It was helpful for English learning and assignment performance and showed high usefulness. Finally, Grammarly's effect showed a statistically significant result between the pre and post-tests. Based on the results some suggestions are as follows. First, let the students take some time with the program to use to operate. Second, teachers have to make the students understand that AWE's feedback is not always correct. Lastly, it should be provided with teachers' feedback.

• Journal of Digital Contents Society
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.343-348
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• 2013

The purpose of this paper is to explore how effectively can learners improve their written skills in English language classrooms with the application of internet tools and software. First, the study compares and analyzes existing research on English writing and describes research background. Second, the study describes how internet tools can be used effectively in the English writing classrooms. For example, learners pick up vocabulary on the internet bulletin board and create sentences using the vocabulary. Third, the study analyzed changes in learners' in-class attitudes towards software and internet tools using comparative measures of performance. Unlike with offline instrumented classes, the in-class application of diverse software and internet tools such as websites and IRC (Internet Relay Chat) had a major impact on the improvement of learners' writing skills.

• Journal of KIISE
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• v.41 no.11
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• pp.911-920
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• 2014

In this paper, we introduce an automatic scoring system for middle-school level writing test based on using machine learning techniques. We discuss overall process and features for building an automatic English writing scoring system. A "concept answer" which represents an abstract meaning of text is newly introduced in order to evaluate the elaboration of a student's answer. In this work, multiple machine learning algorithms are adopted for scoring English writings. We suggest a decision process "optimal combination" which optimally combines multiple outputs of machine learning algorithms and generates a final single output in order to improve the performance of the automatic scoring. By experiments with actual test data, we evaluate the performance of overall automated English writing scoring system.