User-Task-Tool Interactions in Second-Language Writing Assessment: A Mixed-Methods Ergonomic Analysis

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: Quality, Rigor, and Validity in Mixed-Methods Research (Table 3)

Abstract

Validity research in language testing involves collecting evidence to construct an argument for the use and interpretation of language tests. Yet firsthand accounts of test-takers’ experience with assessment are often neglected in such studies. Moreover, within the domain of writing assessment, limited research exists on how test-takers, writing resources, and writing tasks interact. To better understand these interactions, a single case analysis using a mixed method ergonomic framework was conducted. The focal participant completed two argumentative writing tasks—one simulating a testing condition and one characteristic of “real-world” academic writing. Analysis of video screen capture recordings, questionnaire and interview data, and essays indicated that writing performance, processes, and perceptions were all impacted by resource accessibility. Methodological implications will be discussed.  

Authors

• Kerry J. Pusey, University of Pennsylvania
  Presenting Author

• Yuko G. Butler, University of Pennsylvania
  Presenting Author