Digital assessment literacy and feedback in writing classrooms among undergraduate EFL learners
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30659/e.11.2.722-736Keywords:
digital assessment literacy, feedback practice, writing classroomAbstract
Digital technology in higher education has altered the assessment and feedback processes, specifically in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing classroom. Although digital tools are widely used, feedback is still not as effective as it could be, partly because of the differences in the digital assessment capabilities of lecturers. This research paper focuses on this topic by exploring how the digital assessment literacy (DAL) of lecturers and the effective feedback practices (EFP) in the eyes of students are connected. This study aimed at finding out the level of DAL, the level of EFP and the extent to which DAL is a predictor of EFP in EFL writing classrooms at Universitas Persatuan Guru Republik Indonesia Semarang, Indonesia. A quantitative study with a cross-sectional survey design was used. The structured questionnaire was used to gather data on 95 undergraduate students, and the data were analysed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression. The findings reveal that both DAL (M = 3.83) and EFP (M range = 3.63–3.82) are at high levels. More crucially, as it turned out, DAL was a powerful and statistically significant predictor of EFP (R =.74; R 2=.54; p <.001), which implies that 54.4% of the variance in feedback effectiveness is attributable to lecturers being digitally assessment literate. The paper concludes that the competence of lecturers when it comes to digital assessment is essential in improving the quality of feedback in EFL writing contexts. The study not only provides empirical evidence of the relationship between DAL and EFP but also demonstrates the importance of student perceptions in assessing instructional practices and offers suggestions to enhance digitally mediated feedback in higher education.References
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