Exploring the Impact of Assessment as Learning on EFL Learners' Writing Performance: A Study of Varying Levels of Writing Engagement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v14i2.16872Keywords:
Argumentative writing performance, Assessment as learning, Factorial design, Writing engagementAbstract
In English as a Foreign Language (EFL) higher education, writing ability requires effective assessment. This study investigates the effect of Assessment as Learning (AaL) on students' argumentative writing performance. While AaL has been recognized for improving writing, limited research has explored its effects in relation to students' writing engagement (WE). This study examines (a) whether students taught through AaL perform better in writing than those given teacher feedback, (b) whether different WE level lead to different performance outcomes, and (c) whether there is an interaction between assessment type and WE level. Using a quasi-experimental 2x2 factorial design, the study involved two fourth-semester classes at an Islamic university in Kediri, Indonesia. One class (15 students) received AaL, while the other (13 students) received teacher feedback over 12 sessions. The AaL group followed Lee’s (2016) framework, incorporating personal goals, writing criteria, descriptive feedback, self- and peer assessment, and learning logs. Writing performance was measured through pre- and post-tests assessed by two raters, and WE levels were determined using a 27-item Writing Engagement Scale. Results from a two-way ANOVA showed a significant effect of AaL on students' writing performance. However, WE level and their interaction with the assessment method did not significantly affect outcomes. The findings suggest that AaL, particularly when adapted through Lee’s principles, enhances writing performance regardless of WE level. While engagement may not be the primary determinant of the success of AaL, EFL instruction could utilize AaL to enhance students writing outcomes and engagement in the classroom.
References
Alharbi, M. A. (2022). Exploring the impact of teacher feedback modes and features on students’ text revisions in writing. Assessing Writing, 52, 100610. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2022.100610
Andrade, H. L. (2019). A critical review of research on student self-assessment. Frontiers in Education, 4. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2019.00087
Arrafii, M. A. (2021). Assessment reform in Indonesia: Contextual barriers and opportunities for implementation. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2021.1898931
Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., Razavieh, A., & Sorensen, C. (2010). Introduction to research in education. New York: Nelson Education, Ltd.
Bennett, R. E., & Gitomer, D. H. (2009). Transforming K-12 assessment: Integrating accountability testing, formative assessment, and professional support. In C. Wyatt-Smith & J. Cumming (Eds.), Educational assessment in the 21st century.43–61. New York: Springer.
Buckingham, L., & Aktuğ-Ekinci, D. (2017). Interpreting coded feedback on writing: Turkish EFL students' approaches to revision. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 26, 1-16.
Cahyono, B. Y., Mukminatien, N., & El Khoiri, N. (2021). Collaborative writing using process writing approach: The effect of group size and personality types. International Journal of Instruction, 14(4), 391–410.
Carless, D. (2007). Learning‐oriented assessment: Conceptual bases and practical implications. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 44(1), 57–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703290601081332
Cheng, X., & Liu, Y. (2022). Student engagement with teacher written feedback: Insights from low-proficiency and high-proficiency L2 learners. System, 109, 102880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102880
Chong, S. W. (2018). Three paradigms of classroom assessment: Implications for written feedback research. Language Assessment Quarterly, 15(4), 330–347. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2017.1405423
Chung, H. Q., Chen, V., & Olson, C. B. (2021). The impact of self-assessment, planning and goal setting, and reflection before and after revision on student self-efficacy and writing performance. Reading and Writing, 34(7), 1885–1913. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-021-10186-x
Bennett, R. E., & Gitomer, D. H. (2009). Transforming K-12 assessment: Integrating accountability testing, formative assessment, and professional support. In C. Wyatt-Smith & J. Cumming (Eds.), Educational assessment in the 21st century.43–61. New York: Springer.
Creswell, J. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Dang, T. T. D., Scull, J., & Chowdhury, R. (2022). Vietnamese secondary students’ engagement in correcting their EFL writing: Using peer group and teacher feedback. Issues in Educational Research, 32(453–472), 20.
Dann, R. (2014). Assessment as learning: Blurring the boundaries of assessment and learning for theory, policy and practice. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 21(2), 149–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2014.898128
Earl, K. (2013). Self-assessment: Questioning my classroom practice. Teachers' Work, 10(2), 209-219.
Elmaadaway, M. A. N. (2018). The effects of a flipped classroom approach on class engagement and skill performance in a Blackboard course: Effects of the flipped classroom approach. British Journal of Educational Technology, 49(3), 479–491. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12553
Fitriyah, I., Bastomi, Y., Khotimah, K., & Gozali, I. (2022). Implementation of assessment for learning in online EFL writing class: A case of novice undergraduate teachers. LEARN, 15(2), 31.
Fletcher, A. (2018). Classroom assessment as a reciprocal practice to develop students’ agency: A social cognitive perspective. Assessment Matters, 12, 34–57. https://doi.org/10.18296/am.0032
Fletcher, A. K. (2016). Exceeding expectations: Scaffolding agentic engagement through assessment as learning. Educational Research, 58(4), 400–419. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2016.1235909
Gholami, H. (2016). Self assessment and learner autonomy. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 6(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0601.06
Han, Y., & Hyland, F. (2019). Academic emotions in written corrective feedback situations. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 38, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.12.003
Hidayat, R., Sujadi, I., Usodo, B., & Siswanto. (2023). Description of assessment: Assessment for learning and assessment as learning on teacher learning assessment. Journal of Education Research and Evaluation, 7(4), 653–661. https://doi.org/10.23887/jere.v7i4.59950
Hinduja, P., Thomas, M., & Siddiqui, S. (2021). The effects of Assessment as Learning (AaL) on ESL students’ academic performance and motivation in the light of self-regulated learning (SRL) Theor. FWU Journal of Social Sciences, 14, 26–42. https://doi.org/10.51709/FW12723
Huang, Y., & Zhang, L. J. (2022). Facilitating L2 writers’ metacognitive strategy use in argumentative writing using a process-genre approach. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 1036831.
Ismail, S. M., Nikpoo, I., & Prasad, K. D. V. (2023). Promoting self-regulated learning, autonomy, and self-efficacy of EFL learners through authentic assessment in EFL classrooms. Language Testing in Asia, 13(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-023-00239-z
Jafarigohar, M. (2020). The effect of assessment technique on EFL learners’ writing motivation and self-regulation. Iranian Journal of English for Academic Purposes (IJEAP), 9(4), 141–162.
Kim, Y.-H., Kwon, H., Lee, J., & Chiu, C.-Y. (2016). Why do people overestimate or underestimate their abilities? A cross-culturally valid model of cognitive and motivational processes in self-assessment biases. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 47(9), 1201–1216. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022116661243
Lam, R. (2018). Understanding assessment as learning in writing classrooms: The case of portfolio assessment. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 6(3), 19-36. Doi: 10.30466/IJLTR.2018.120599
Lam, R. (2020). Investigating assessment as learning in second language writing: A qualitative research perspective. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, 160940692093857. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920938572
Lee, I. (2016). Putting students at the centre of classroom L2 writing assessment. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 72(2), 258–280. https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.2802
Lee, I. (2017). Classroom Writing Assessment and Feedback in L2 School Contexts. Springer. https://utpjournals.press/doi/10.3138/cmlr.599
Lee, I., Mak, P., & Yuan, R. E. (2019). Assessment as learning in primary writing classrooms: An exploratory study. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 62, 72-81.
Mamad, A., & Vígh, T. (2023). Moroccan EFL public university instructors’ perceptions and self-reported writing practices. Heliyon, 9(5).
Montgomery, D. C. (2017). Design and analysis of experiments. John wiley & sons.
Nimehchisalem, V., Chye, D. Y. S., Singh, J., Kaur, S., Zainuddin, S. Z., Norouzi, S., & Khalid, S. (2014). A self-assessment checklist for undergraduate students' argumentative writing. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 5(1), 65-80.
Noroozi, O. (2023). The role of students’ epistemic beliefs for their argumentation performance in higher education. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 60(4), 501-512.
Nurdianingsih, F. (2018). Language learning strategy and students’ writing skill achievement: A correlational research. Indonesian EFL Journal, 4(2), 23–31. https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v4i2.1372
Panadero, E. (2017). A review of self-regulated learning: Six models and four directions for research. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 422. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00422
Panadero, E., Lipnevich, A., & Broadbent, J. (2019). Turning self-assessment into self-feedback. The impact of feedback in higher education: Improving assessment outcomes for learners, 147-163.
Reeve, J., & Tseng, C. M. (2011). Agency as a fourth aspect of students’ engagement during learning activities. Contemporary educational psychology, 36(4), 257-267.
Saeli, H., & Cheng, A. (2021). Peer feedback, learners’ engagement, and l2 writing development: The case of a test-preparation class. TESL-EJ, 25(2). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1314054
Schellekens, L. H., Bok, H. G., De Jong, L. H., Van der Schaaf, M. F., Kremer, W. D., & Van der Vleuten, C. P. (2021). A scoping review on the notions of Assessment as Learning (AaL), Assessment for Learning (AfL), and Assessment of Learning (AoL). Studies in Educational Evaluation, 71, 101094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.101094
Shen, R., & Chong, S. W. (2022). Learner engagement with written corrective feedback in ESL and EFL contexts: A qualitative research synthesis using a perception-based framework. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 0(0), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2022.2072468
Sun, Q., & Zhang, L. J. (2023). Examining the effects of English as a foreign language student-writers’ metacognitive experiences on their writing performance. Current Psychology, 42(27), 23743-23758.
Tayyebi, M., Abbasabady, M. M., & Abbassian, G.-R. (2022). Examining classroom writing assessment literacy: A focus on in-service EFL teachers in Iran. Language Testing in Asia, 12(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-022-00161-w
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (Vol. 86). Harvard university press.
Wan Mohd Yunus, W. N. M. (2020). Written corrective feedback in English compositions: Teachers’ practices and students’ expectations. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 3(2), 95. https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v3i2.2255
Wang, L., & Lee, I. (2021). L2 learners’ agentic engagement in an assessment as learning-focused writing classroom. Assessing Writing, 50, 100571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100571
Wiliam, D. (2011). What is assessment for learning?. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 37(1), 3-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2011.03.001
Xiang, X., Yuan, R., & Yu, B. (2022). Implementing assessment as learning in the L2 writing classroom: A Chinese case. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(5), 727–741. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1965539
Xu, J., & Zheng, Y. (2024). Understanding the interconnectedness of evolving L2 learners’ writing assessment literacy and engagement: A longitudinal survey. System, 103318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103318
Yan, Z. (2022). Student Self-Assessment as a Process for Learning. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003162605
Yan, Z., & Brown, G. T. (2017). A cyclical self-assessment process: Towards a model of how students engage in self-assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(8), 1247-1262.
Yan, Z., & Carless, D. (2022). Self-assessment is about more than self: The enabling role of feedback literacy. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(7), 1116–1128. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.2001431
Yan, Z., Panadero, E., Wang, X., & Zhan, Y. (2023). A systematic review on students’ perceptions of self-assessment: Usefulness and factors influencing implementation. Educational Psychology Review, 35(3), 81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09799-1
Yan, Z., & Pastore, S. (2022). Are teachers literate in formative assessment? The development and validation of the Teacher Formative Assessment Literacy Scale. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 74, 101183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2022.101183
Yan, Z., Wang, X., Boud, D., & Lao, H. (2023). The effect of self-assessment on academic performance and the role of explicitness: A meta-analysis. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 48(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.2012644
Yan, Z., & Yang, L. (Eds.). (2021). Assessment as learning: Maximising opportunities for student learning and achievement. Routledge.
Yu, S., & Liu, C. (2021). Improving student feedback literacy in academic writing: An evidence-based framework. Assessing Writing, 48, 100525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100525
Zhang, Z. (Victor), & Hyland, K. (2018). Student engagement with teacher and automated feedback on L2 writing. Assessing Writing, 36, 90–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2018.02.004
Zhang, Z. (Victor), & Hyland, K. (2022). Fostering student engagement with feedback: An integrated approach. Assessing Writing, 51, 100586.
Zheng, Y., & Yu, S. (2018). Student engagement with teacher written corrective feedback in EFL writing: A case study of Chinese lower-proficiency students. Assessing Writing, 37, 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2018.03.001
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 IMA FITRIYAH
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
License and Publishing Agreement
In submitting the manuscript to the journal, the authors certify that:
- They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
- The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal.
- That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
- That its publication has been approved by all the author(s) and by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
- They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
- They agree to the following license and publishing agreement.
Copyright
Authors who publish with JOLLT Journal of Languages and Language Teaching agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
Licensing for Data Publication
-
Open Data Commons Attribution License, http://www.opendatacommons.org/licenses/by/1.0/ (default)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
