Tapping into Assessment Literacy: Unfolding Assessment as Learning Strategies and EFL Learners’ Writing Development

Abstract

Assessment literacy in EFL education has been a growing area of interest, yet there is a lack of experimental research on assessment strategies for writing skills. This study aims to explore the impact of assessment as learning on writing development for EFL intermediate learners. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, including quantitative and qualitative phases. Thirty male EFL learners participated in the quantitative phase, while six students took part in the qualitative phase. The experimental group, exposed to assessment as learning strategies, showed significant improvement in writing skills compared to the control group. Semi-structured interviews revealed positive student perceptions, highlighting the strategies as challenging, new, and beneficial for reducing stress and enhancing participation. The results of the study confirmed that the experimental group demonstrated significant improvement in writing skills compared to the control group. Following the inter-rater and agreement reliability, seven common codes emerged from the semi-structured interviews with the students regarding the effectiveness of assessment as learning strategies including: challenging, new, good experience, improvement, good feeling, less stress, and more participation. A further implication of the study for EFL learners and teachers is that the holistic execution of assessment as learning strategies could enhance learners’ collaborative learning of writing skills and teachers’ writing assessment literacy. In the end, the study suggests that implementing assessment as learning strategies can enhance collaborative learning and teachers' assessment literacy in EFL writing education, providing a new perspective on assessment strategies in language learning.

Keywords

• assessment as learning
• assessment literacy
• assessment strategies
• writing development
• efl learners