Comprehensive Review of Writing Assessments in EFL Contexts: A Meta-Synthetic Study

Writing assessments in the EFL context today have put a great concern on language acquisition and proficiency testing. However, diverse techniques and practices require a comprehensive synthesis to better understand trends, gaps, and best practices. This study reviews and synthesizes prior research on writing assessments in EFL contexts. It examines the dominant assessment approaches, their effectiveness, and their impact on EFL learners' writing skills holistically. The study employs a meta-synthesis approach. Fifty journal articles indexed by Scopus, ERIC, Crossref, Google Scholar, DOAJ, Copernicus, and other indexing databases between ۲۰۱۸ and ۲۰۲۴ were selected as the data to review in this study. The data selection was conducted to ensure the relevance and quality of the literature reviewed. The results include a variety of assessment practices such as teacher feedback, self-assessment, peer-assessment, blended or collaborative assessment, automated writing evaluation (AWE), and artificial intelligence in EFL writing settings. The study also concludes that, despite the diversity and complexity of writing assessments in EFL contexts, there is a strong need for more standardized and contextually valid assessment practices. Effective assessments align with instructional goals and offer meaningful feedback that supports student learning. The study recommends developing comprehensive assessment frameworks tailored to specific EFL contexts, providing more training for educators in assessment literacy, and conducting further research into the long-term impact of various assessment practices on the writing development of EFL learners.

کلیدواژه ها:

Automated writing evaluation ، EFL Context ، Meta-Synthesis ، teacher feedback ، Writing assessments