Abstract
Oman’s current education system,
like several others worldwide, faces challenges in keeping apace with
technological advancement and preparing students for the twenty-first century.
As the demands of education have grown and evolved, the educational system has
witnessed continuous practical and administrative improvements in the
assessment (of and for) learning since 1970. The expansion of information
technologies has granted schools greater scope for developing a more efficient
and user-friendly formative assessment culture that offers opportunities for
both teaching and learning. Experts suggest that automated formative assessment
can help teachers focus on instruction and grade data objectively with minimal
time and effort (Tomasik, Berger, & Moser, 2018). While research and
experiments in the tools used for automated writing evaluation have grown rapidly, minimal research has examined the experiences of students using them in
English as a foreign language writing for formative purposes, particularly in Oman,
where English is taught as a foreign language and tests and examinations are
the dominant assessment methods (Zhou & Qin, 2005).
This exploratory case study was
designed to examine the experiences of student participants engaged in AWE
sessions to evaluate their EFL writing formatively. Drawing on theories of
socio-constructionism and constructivism and approaching the subject from an interpretivist standpoint, the study reveals
how each of the twenty-two participants presented a unique experience.
The data for the study were
collected using a blend of qualitative and quantitative methods: screen video
recording, focus group discussions, analysis of students’ scores, and
system-generated error analysis of the participants’ essays. NVivo 12
was used to analyse the qualitative data, while SPSS 25 and Microsoft Excel
were used for the quantitative data. The results from both qualitative and
quantitative sources were compared to form a complete
picture and better understand the participants’ experiences and perspectives
with respect to the benefits and challenges of using AWE.
The study’s results demonstrated
that most of the participants had a positive attitude towards the use of AWE as
a formative assessment tool. Their experiences indicated several benefits,
including holistic writing enhancement and self-regulated learning skills. The
results also revealed challenges such as over-exaggeration of correction and
ignorance of crucial errors. Ultimately, the comparison of scores and error
analysis between the first and final drafts showed significant changes in the
learners’ writing.
This study indicates that
facilitating student involvement in the assessment of their writing has
significant potential. This study also highlights several pedagogical implications
of using AWE in EFL writing classrooms. Furthermore, it provides
recommendations and considerations for practitioners and policymakers. For
example, I recommend the redesign of EFL curricula to match
twenty-first-century requirements. I also suggest that the use of AWE in EFL
writing may be utilised as a formative assessment e-tool. However, I insist on
the importance of coupling it with teachers’ corrective feedback.