Effect of Prompt Type on Test-Takers' Writing Performance and Writing Strategy Use in the Continuation Task

Autor/inn/en	Shi, Bibing; Huang, Liyan; Lu, Xiaofei
Titel	Effect of Prompt Type on Test-Takers' Writing Performance and Writing Strategy Use in the Continuation Task
Quelle	In: Language Testing, 37 (2020) 3, S.361-388 (28 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Shi, Bibing) ORCID (Huang, Liyan) ORCID (Lu, Xiaofei)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0265-5322
DOI	10.1177/0265532220911626
Schlagwörter	Cues; Writing Tests; Writing Evaluation; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Grammar; Language Fluency; Language Tests; Foreign Countries; Task Analysis; Connected Discourse; Writing Strategies; Syntax; Scores; High School Students; Second Language Instruction; Vocabulary Skills; Language Usage; Text Structure; China + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Stichwort; Writing test; Schreibtest; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Grammatik; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Language test; Sprachtest; Ausland; Aufgabenanalyse; Schreibtechnik; High school; High schools; Student; Students; Oberschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Aktiver Wortschatz; Sprachgebrauch; Textstruktur
Abstract	The continuation task, a new form of reading-writing integrated task in which test-takers read an incomplete story and then write the continuation and ending of the story, has been increasingly used in writing assessment, especially in China. However, language-test developers' understanding of the effects of important task-related factors on test-takers' performance with regard to this task is still in its infancy. In this study we investigate the effect of prompt type on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' writing performance and writing strategy use in a continuation task. Four groups of Chinese EFL learners performed a continuation task with four different prompts and filled out a writing strategy questionnaire. The participants' continuations were scored holistically and textually analyzed using a range of fluency, grammatical accuracy, lexical complexity, syntactic complexity, cohesion, and source-use features. Prompt type significantly affected the participants' overall continuation writing scores, syntactic complexity, cohesion, and source-use features. It also significantly affected the participants' monitoring strategy. We discuss how continuation-task conditions, such as providing opening sentences or key words (or both) for test-takers to use will affect how the test-takers orient themselves to the writing task and, concomitantly, may affect performance outcomes. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01