Writing assessment: A pedagogical perspective on variations and dichotomies

This chapter reports on the findings of a contextual mixed-method study investigating the factors that influence how teachers at the Language Center (LC) of Sultan Qaboos University, Oman (SQU), assess students' academic writing and the features on which they focus. Results from the quantitative data analysis indicate that the influence of raters' first language (L1) is statistically significant, while the impact of their experience of teaching a particular course is effectively insignificant. Findings from the qualitative data analysis, however, reveal other influential factors, notably teaching experience in general terms, learning experience, educational background, culture, and personality. As for the features teachers focus on while assessing writing, both quantitative and qualitative data analyses show different patterns for the L1 groups involved. Findings from this study could be useful for informing decision makers on the various ways teachers from different L1 and experiential backgrounds assess writing and the constructs they follow.