Influencing factors of L2 writers’ engagement in an assessment as learning-focused context
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Lu Wang
Lu Wang is a lecturer in the Center for General Education at Tokyo Keizai University. She did her Ph.D. in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction of the Faculty of Education at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include classroom writing assessment, learner engagement, and teacher assessment beliefs and practices. Her articles have appeared in
Assessing Writing ,RELC Journal ,International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching andStudies in Educational Evaluation .
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Bin Shen
Bin Shen is an associate professor at the School of Foreign Languages, Fuzhou University and Director of Center for Foreign Language Education and Teaching, Fuzhou University. She got her BA in English Language and Culture (Dalian University of Foreign Languages, China), MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (Teachers College, Columbia University, U.S.A) and PhD in English Education (Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China). Her research interests include second language writing, writing motivation, academic emotions and self-regulation. Her articles have appeared in Language Teaching Research, System, Applied Linguistics Review, Frontiers in Psychology, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Journal of Education for Teaching and Studies in Educational Evaluation.
Abstract
While prior research on engagement in L2 writing mainly focused on engagement with feedback, little is known about the relationship between engagement and the broader formative assessment context. To fill this gap, this study investigated what and how contextual and individual factors influenced three Chinese undergraduates’ engagement in an assessment as learning (AaL)-focused writing classroom. Drawing on data from interviews, stimulated recalls, classroom observation, and documents, findings indicated that student empowerment, instructional scaffolding, and a teacher-student rapport in an AaL context afforded and motivated students to enact engagement. Meanwhile, sociocultural factors such as beliefs regarding teachers as authorities may constrain students from utilizing learning opportunities. Moreover, when there was an alignment between students’ will and capacity at the individual level, as well as contextual factors at instructional, interpersonal, and sociocultural levels, students were more likely to engage in classroom writing assessment.
Funding source: Fujian Provincial Social Sciences Fund
Award Identifier / Grant number: FJ2023B030
Funding source: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Council, China Association of Higher Education
Award Identifier / Grant number: 23WYJ0427
About the authors
Lu Wang is a lecturer in the Center for General Education at Tokyo Keizai University. She did her Ph.D. in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction of the Faculty of Education at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include classroom writing assessment, learner engagement, and teacher assessment beliefs and practices. Her articles have appeared in Assessing Writing, RELC Journal, International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching and Studies in Educational Evaluation.
Bin Shen is an associate professor at the School of Foreign Languages, Fuzhou University and Director of Center for Foreign Language Education and Teaching, Fuzhou University. She got her BA in English Language and Culture (Dalian University of Foreign Languages, China), MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) (Teachers College, Columbia University, U.S.A) and PhD in English Education (Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China). Her research interests include second language writing, writing motivation, academic emotions and self-regulation. Her articles have appeared in Language Teaching Research, System, Applied Linguistics Review, Frontiers in Psychology, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Journal of Education for Teaching and Studies in Educational Evaluation.
Appendix A: Teaching materials
Appendix B: Students’ writing drafts
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Supplementary Material
This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2023-0159).
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