Improving Students’ English Writing Skills through Self-Assessment

Abstract

In Ecuador, secondary-level students face difficulties in their written expression while communicating in academic and real-life situations. According to Fabre et al. (2015), one of the reasons the Ecuadorian students’ English writing skills are deficient is the lack of collaborative learning strategies, the vague use of formative assessment, and effective feedback in the classroom. In my classroom, the context is the same; students have various difficulties expressing their ideas when writing. The main reasons are the lack of vocabulary, knowledge, and understanding of writing. Furthermore, they do not have enough opportunities to practice their writing skills in a real-life situations, making it hard for them to enhance their writing skills. This action research, with the application of quantitative and qualitative approaches, focuses on exploring the effect of self-assessment on students’ English writing skills. Thus, students were involved in different strategies, activities, and opportunities to assess and improve their own work by correcting their mistakes and using rubrics and technology.