Junior High School Teachers’ Feedback Giving and Perceptions of the CSE Writing Scale

Abstract

Chinese EFL learners’ deficiencies in writing have become increasingly apparent in their secondary education, especially in the originality of ideas and the logic of arguments. However, they may not be made aware of this as many teachers still use traditional feedback such as a single score to mark and report on students’ performance. The Writing Scale of China’s Standards of English Language Ability (hereinafter referred to as the CSE Writing Scale) released in 2018 provides a framework of reference against which Chinese students’ English writing ability can be assessed. It consists of descriptors of writing ability in different contexts and genres. It makes detailed and analytical feedbacking possible and has far-reaching implications for the development of formative assessment in English teaching. Nevertheless, to date, there has been scarce empirical research as to whether teachers actually use the Writing Scale in teaching and whether they are able to utilize it in an effective way.

    This study aims to investigate the current situation of feedback giving in junior high school and teachers’ views of and attitudes towards the application of the CSE Writing Scale. Through a questionnaire and interviews with the teachers, the study revealed three major findings. Firstly, although teachers were aware of the importance of giving feedback on students’ writing, they had problem providing individualized comments on student writing. Secondly, students had difficulty understanding teachers’ feedback. Lastly, teachers were generally not familiar with the CSE Writing Scale and concerned whether it could be effectively used in the process of feedback giving. Conclusions are drawn together with implications and recommendations for teachers to resolve the problems identified.