Weighted six-trait writing scale by native and non-native writing instructors: rank of importance

Yıl 2015, Cilt: 4 Sayı: 4, 286 - 294, 09.02.2016

Ceylan Yangın Ersanlı

Öz

This study presents the findings of a descriptive study addressing the question of whether writing evaluations of non-native English speaking (NNS) instructors match with those of native English speaking (NS) instructors on the basis of a six-trait writing rubric. Given the fact that several Schools of Languages at tertiary level in Turkey hire native English speaking teachers to optimize the learning conditions for the learners and that they carry out the courses with their non-native colleagues complementarily, it is worth comparing native and non-native English instructors’ grading criteria of writing. The present study explores evaluations of 30 writing instructors (15 Native and 15 Non-native instructors) and the magnitude of weights assigned by them in terms of a six-trait writing rubric (ideas & content, organization, voice & tone, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions). The writing rubric is developed based on the related literature. Both groups of instructors were asked to rank the sections of the rubric according to their relevant importance. The results showed that both groups value ideas and content as the most important trait which is followed by organization. The NS instructors assign more weight to sentence fluency while the NNS instructors value word choice more. Both groups assign more weight to conventions of writing than voice and tone.

Keywords:  Magnitude of weights, native and non-native instructors, writing evaluation