Assessment of ESP Students' Writing Performance: A Translation-Based Approach
Emerging in the 1960s as an area of English language teaching (ELT), English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has been designed to instruct students to meet their academic needs. ESP is characterized by focusing on learners' needs, content knowledge, appropriateness of language used, single-skill in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Teaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran (TELLSI)
2016-12-01
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| Series: | Teaching English Language |
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| Online Access: | http://www.teljournal.org/article_53537_25d9c6ca6f935b9a62f9a8db4c171534.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818141277657497600 |
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| author | Habibollah Mashhady |
| author_facet | Habibollah Mashhady |
| author_sort | Habibollah Mashhady |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Emerging in the 1960s as an area of English language teaching (ELT), English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has been designed to instruct students to meet their academic needs. ESP is characterized by focusing on learners' needs, content knowledge, appropriateness of language used, single-skill instruction (usually reading), and its difference with English for general purposes. The purpose of the present study was to determine the reliability and validity of translation test as a writing ability assessment in relation to the method of testing, direct writing. To answer the research questions of this study, 100 Iranian ESP students were selected and tested. The results indicated that translation test was not only reliable, but also a valid testing method for assessing writing ability of ESP students (0.85, 0.82). Due to the second research question, the effects of proficiency level (between-subject factor) and test method (within-subject factor), the results clearly indicated that ESP students' writing performance was influenced. In other words, translation compositions were scored better and higher than direct compositions based on the effects of both factors (66.70, 79.86, 89.14), respectively. To see the interactional effects of both factors on the students' writing ability, the ANOVA results and the Scheffe test revealed that the two factors (test method proficiency level) had an F of (322.01) and (61.89), respectively. In sum, one can clearly observe an increase due to all proficiency levels in the new test (translation composition test). Regarding the third research question, raters' perception on the usefulness of testing types, they strongly believed that higher-level students more enjoyed in direct writing, while low-level subjects benefited more from translation test type. Implications are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T10:57:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-71389b737d934f27b02dff6c90923b1f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2538-5488 2538-547X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T10:57:20Z |
| publishDate | 2016-12-01 |
| publisher | Teaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran (TELLSI) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Teaching English Language |
| spelling | doaj.art-71389b737d934f27b02dff6c90923b1f2022-12-22T01:10:01ZengTeaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran (TELLSI)Teaching English Language2538-54882538-547X2016-12-01102254510.22132/tel.2016.5353753537Assessment of ESP Students' Writing Performance: A Translation-Based ApproachHabibollah Mashhady0University of Zabol, IranEmerging in the 1960s as an area of English language teaching (ELT), English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has been designed to instruct students to meet their academic needs. ESP is characterized by focusing on learners' needs, content knowledge, appropriateness of language used, single-skill instruction (usually reading), and its difference with English for general purposes. The purpose of the present study was to determine the reliability and validity of translation test as a writing ability assessment in relation to the method of testing, direct writing. To answer the research questions of this study, 100 Iranian ESP students were selected and tested. The results indicated that translation test was not only reliable, but also a valid testing method for assessing writing ability of ESP students (0.85, 0.82). Due to the second research question, the effects of proficiency level (between-subject factor) and test method (within-subject factor), the results clearly indicated that ESP students' writing performance was influenced. In other words, translation compositions were scored better and higher than direct compositions based on the effects of both factors (66.70, 79.86, 89.14), respectively. To see the interactional effects of both factors on the students' writing ability, the ANOVA results and the Scheffe test revealed that the two factors (test method proficiency level) had an F of (322.01) and (61.89), respectively. In sum, one can clearly observe an increase due to all proficiency levels in the new test (translation composition test). Regarding the third research question, raters' perception on the usefulness of testing types, they strongly believed that higher-level students more enjoyed in direct writing, while low-level subjects benefited more from translation test type. Implications are discussed.http://www.teljournal.org/article_53537_25d9c6ca6f935b9a62f9a8db4c171534.pdfespreliabilityvaliditytranslation abilitywriting ability |
| spellingShingle | Habibollah Mashhady Assessment of ESP Students' Writing Performance: A Translation-Based Approach Teaching English Language esp reliability validity translation ability writing ability |
| title | Assessment of ESP Students' Writing Performance: A Translation-Based Approach |
| title_full | Assessment of ESP Students' Writing Performance: A Translation-Based Approach |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of ESP Students' Writing Performance: A Translation-Based Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of ESP Students' Writing Performance: A Translation-Based Approach |
| title_short | Assessment of ESP Students' Writing Performance: A Translation-Based Approach |
| title_sort | assessment of esp students writing performance a translation based approach |
| topic | esp reliability validity translation ability writing ability |
| url | http://www.teljournal.org/article_53537_25d9c6ca6f935b9a62f9a8db4c171534.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT habibollahmashhady assessmentofespstudentswritingperformanceatranslationbasedapproach |