Abstract

This study explores the washback effect that automated essay scoring has on undergraduates of China. In this study, the experimental study method is adopted. The experiments lasted for one term during which the teaching of writing of undergraduates were researched on. The main purpose of this study is to explore the effect that the automated essay scoring has on the writing ability of undergraduates.

  The objects of this study, 72 freshmen from different majors in Yancheng Teachers University, were divided equally into an experimental group and a control group. Some conclusions are made through experiments. First, there are some significant differences in scores of composition between the experimental group and the control group. It is found that the holistic scores of the experimental group are higher than those of the control group. Second, some striking differences are found in syntactic fluency and complexity. It is found that the experimental group is more complex in syntactic fluency and complexity than the control group. In a word, the above research indicates that, under the proper guidance of teachers, the AES can effectively improve the writing scores of undergraduates.

Key words: washback effect; English writing; AES; writing proficiency

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

1.1 Background of the Study-1

1.2 Focus of the Study-2

1.3 Significance of the Study-2

1.4 Structure of the Thesis-3

2 Literature Review-4

2.1 The Theory of Washback-4

2.2 The Formative Evaluation Theory-6

2.3 Computer-assisted Language Learning Theory-6

2.4 The Introduction to Automated Essay Scoring-7

3 The Process of the Experiment-7

3.1 The Objects of the Study-8

3.2 The Pretest of the Experiment-8

3.3 The Post Test of the Experiment-9

3.4 The Analysis of Data of the Experiment-10

4 Analyses of the Washback Effect-10

4.1 The Effect that AES has on the Writing Ability of Undergraduates-10

4.1.1 The Effect of AES on the Writing Quality of Undergraduates-10

4.1.2 The Effect of AES on the Syntactic Ability of Undergraduates-13

4.2 The Conclusions of the Experiment-16

5 Conclusion-17

5.1 Major Findings-17

5.2 Limitations and Suggestions-17

References-18