This study investigated generalizability of writing performance of individual students and schools within the context of a large-scale direct writing assessment. The study focused on the sampling effects of the two major components of writing tasks--writing topics and discourse modes. Generalizability studies were conducted to estimate the sampling effects of writing topics and discourse modes using data from the 1994 Florida Writing Assessment for Fourth Grade. / Results at both individual and school level indicate that topics requiring the same discourse skills had little effect on writing performance. The study found significant discourse mode effects, which strained the generalization of writing scores beyond the sample discourse mode. The results suggest that different aims of discourse may put unequal cognitive demands on students. As a result, writing competency on one discourse domain may not generalize well to other aims of discourse. / The study also investigated the effects of school size on generalizability of school writing scores. The study found that writing scores of large schools have a higher level of generalizability than those of smaller schools, indicating a positive relationship between the generalizability and school size. / The study confirmed the need for a large number of tasks to obtain a reliable estimate of writing competency in both individual- and school-level assessments. The study, however, demonstrated that an assessment can provide a more reliable estimate of writing competency for schools than for individual students. Furthermore, school-level assessments based on matrix sampling design proved to be a viable solution for overcoming limited sampling problem, thus improving generalizability of school writing scores. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-03, Section: A, page: 0901. / Major Professor: Albert Oosterhof. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77375 |
| Contributors | Um, Kooghyang Ro., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 133 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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