The Impact of Computer-Assisted Assessment on EFL Learners’ Writing Cohesion and Coherence

Abstract

There are many studies that have been conducted with respect to the effectiveness of assessment on EFL learners, However, the computer-assisted assessment technique has been left underexplored. The purpose of the current study is to fill this gap in the literature. For this aim, the researcher selected 61 upper-intermediate EFL learners through the convenience sampling method. The participants were at the age of 17 to 23. The researcher assigned the participants into two groups, the experimental group (n=31) and the control group (n=30). A computer-assisted assessment technique was employed with Edmodo software in the experimental group. This way mostly follows an interventionist model with mediation offered from a menu of predetermined clues, hints, and leading questions selected in a lock-step fashion (moving from most implicit to most explicit) by the computer. The participants of the control group continued in a conventional way. The results of this study showed that computer-assisted assessment can be regarded as an effective technique for enhancing EFL learners’ writing cohesion and coherence. EFL teachers and teacher educators can be the beneficiaries of the current study to enrich their concourses with the more computer-assisted assessment based.