Effects of Rubric-referenced Self-assessment on Korean High School Students' English Writing

Abstract

The present study attempts to provide empirical and qualitative evidence to support the feasibility of rubric-referenced self-assessment, as a means of promoting learning, in a Korean EFL high school context. Nineteen high school students participated in four rubric-referenced self-assessment lessons over two weeks. In each class, with the help of a teachers instruction, students wrote a 1st draft of an essay, and then assessed it using a scoring rubric. Then, based on the self-assessment of the 1st draft, they wrote a 2nd draft, which was also followed by a self-assessment, as well as the writing of a self-assessment diary. Following completion of all four self-assessment lessons, the students were surveyed and interviewed. To obtain quantitative data, the scores of the 1st draft of the 1st class were compared with those of the 2nd draft of the 4th class. Then, for the qualitative data, the survey questionnaires, interviews, self-assessment diaries, and self-assessments of the essays were examined. The findings are summarized in the following paragraphs. First, rubric-referenced self-assessment displayed positive effects on students writing: there was improvement in total essay scores, scores on each criterion, and the total number of words. Second, the students came to perceive the effectiveness of rubric-referenced self-assessment. They believed that their writing quality had improved and thought the teachers instruction and feedback, as well as the self-assessment diary served as beneficial tools for ensuring effective self-assessment. In addition, they felt that rubric-referenced self-assessment had affected writing ability and affective domains such as motivation and self-confidence the most. Third, rubric-referenced self-assessment positively influenced changes in students learning strategies and attitudes toward writing in terms of metacognitive, cognitive, and affective domains. Therefore, the pedagogical implications of this study are that rubric-referenced self-assessment promotes students learning and that students can become self-regulated learners by taking responsibility for their learning.