Written Communication Apr 1989

Reader Comprehension and Holistic Assessment of Second Language Writing Proficiency

MICHAEL JANOPOULOS

Abstract

Holistic reading is widely used to assess the proficiency of non-native-speaking (NNS) writers. However, ESL professionals, who have been profoundly influenced by the notion that attention to the NNS author's message is an integral part of teaching the writing process, have questioned how well native-speaking (NS) raters comprehend NNS texts, given that the task of decoding NNS prose is even further complicated by the time constraints of the holistic scoring process itself. This article describes a study that investigated the extent to which NS holistic raters comprehend NNS texts. After rating several practice compositions, subjects rated one of two qualitatively distinct essays, and then wrote recall protocols to test their comprehension. Data analysis revealed that readers of the better written text recalled significantly more than did readers of the less well written text, indicating that NS holistic raters attend to meaning when evaluating NNS writing proficiency.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
1989-04-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088389006002005
Open Access
Closed
Topics
writing across the curriculum multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. JOHNSON et al. (2001)
    Score Resolution and the Interrater Reliability of Holistic Scores in Rating Essays
    Written Communication

Cites in this index (2)

  1. Charney (1984)
    The Validity of Using Holistic Scoring to Evaluate Writing: A Critical Overview
    Research in the Teaching of English
  2. Perl (1979)
    The Composing Processes of Unskilled College Writers
    Research in the Teaching of English
Also cites 13 works outside this index ↓
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  2. 10.2307/3530598
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  4. 10.1037/0022-0663.71.3.328
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  5. 10.1016/S0022-5371(70)80003-2
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  6. 10.3758/BF03197399
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  7. 10.1080/01638537809544426
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  8. 10.2307/357843
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CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network →

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