|
Activity Number:
|
50
- Methodological Developments and Implications for Social Scientists
|
|
Type:
|
Contributed
|
|
Date/Time:
|
Monday, August 3, 2020 : 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
|
|
Sponsor:
|
Social Statistics Section
|
|
Abstract #313914
|
|
|
Title:
|
The Impact of Writing Prompts on the Writing Performance of English Language Learners
|
|
Author(s):
|
Ya Mo* and Qizhen Deng and Katherine Wright and Nell Sedransk
|
|
Companies:
|
Boise State University and Boise State University and Boise State University and National Institute of Statistical Sciences
|
|
Keywords:
|
English Language Learners (ELLs);
NAEP ;
Writing;
Large-scale Assessment;
Differential Item Functioning (DIF)
|
|
Abstract:
|
The large performance gap between English Language Learners (ELLs) and non-ELLs on National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing calls for more attention. ELLs’ English proficiency may have a big impact on their writing performance; however, the design of writing prompts is also critical to assess writing reliably and fairly. How writing prompts impact students’ writing performance remains imperfectly understood; even less is known about how the writing prompts impact ELLs’ performance. This research aimed to fill the gap through a combination of psychometric analyses and writing prompt analyses. The study conducted differential item functioning (DIF) analyses of the 11 released writing prompts using 2007 and 2011 NAEP writing databases as well as textual analyses of the released prompts using content experts’ judgment and automated text analytics software. The prompt features, more specifically in terms of wording and structure, were discussed in the presence of the DIF analysis results. Insights on how automated text analytics software can aid the content experts’ judgment on the appropriateness of writing prompts were also deliberated for writing assessment design.
|
Authors who are presenting talks have a * after their name.
