rEFLections

Evaluation of Technical Description Writing: An Assessment for ESP Learners in Engineering Programs

Samia Naqvi — 2025-12-30

This paper reports an empirical evaluation of a CBT (Closed Book Test) designed to assess technical description writing skills among first-year engineering students enrolled in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) module. Grounded in Bachman and Palmer’s (1996) test usefulness framework, the study examines the assessment in terms of its validity, reliability, practicality, authenticity, interactiveness, and impact. The CBT required students to produce a written description of an electronic object, using appropriate terminology, critically evaluating the product, and suggesting improvements. Test development involved content expert validation, internal and external moderation, and alignment with ESP module outcomes. Data were collected through test scripts from the entire student cohort (N = 34), expert CVI ratings, post-test survey responses (Likert-scale and open-ended items), and moderators’ comments. Analysis included blind marking of all test scripts by two examiners using standardised analytic rubric, paired samples t-test for inter-rater reliability (p = 0.163), and exploratory factor analysis for construct validity. The mixed-methods approach combined quantitative analysis (survey ratings, statistical tests) with qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses and moderator feedback. The post-test student survey across all six usefulness dimensions yielded consistently high mean scores (4.1–4.5). The evaluation confirmed the CBT's overall test usefulness across all six dimensions through multiple validation methods, with 85% of students affirming its effectiveness in improving their technical writing skills. Limitations include the small sample size, single-institution context, and potential response bias. Future research should focus on scaling the CBT model across institutions and disciplines, implementing hybrid automated scoring systems, refining rubric analytics, and conducting longitudinal studies to examine skill transfer to professional contexts.

Beyond Defensive Fixations: Using the Adult-Ego-Centric (ADEC) Model to Enhance Critical Thinking in L2 Speakers

Hlaing Minn Khant — 2026-02-17

Critical thinking (CT) is central to education, including EFL and EMI contexts, yet effectively fostering it in learners remains a challenge. CT is often assessed through multiple-choice tests or essay writing, but rarely within the context of spoken interactions, which are more challenging, as responses are not only more spontaneous in nature but can also be influenced by a need to defend self-face rather than seek optimal solutions, particularly during disagreements. Defensive fixations, driven by a desire to protect face, hinder active listening necessary for critical engagement by triggering emotionally charged responses. The Adult ego state (Berne, 1960s) refers to the aspect of individuals’ personalities that enables accurate data processing and problem-solving using facts, reducing defensive fixations caused by prejudged thoughts (Parent ego) or reactive emotions (Child ego), which hinder CT in spoken interactions. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods design aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Adult-Ego-Centric (ADEC) instructional model on enhancement of CT in Burmese learners of English. A total of Sixty B2-level participants completed the four-week intervention. Quantitative analysis confirmed that the ADEC model significantly enhanced learners’ CT in spoken interactions, with qualitative data from interview and posttest responses providing triangulated support. Furthermore, perceived delayed post-test data indicated that such improvements were sustained, with participants reporting confidence in applying CT ability in real-world settings weeks after the course. Overall, the findings have demonstrated that the ADEC model can effectively enhance CT in L2 speakers by specifically addressing the socio-cognitive barriers that impede critical engagement during spoken communication.

Literature Review and Theoretical Framework Sections in the Thesis Defense Presentation Slides: Their Rhetorical Structure by Chinese English-majored Master’s Students

Mei He — 2026-02-20

This study aims to investigate the rhetorical structure of the Literature Review (LR) section and the newly observed Theoretical Framework (TF) section in thesis defense presentation slides (TDPS) written by Chinese English-majored master’s students. A further purpose is to examine whether these two adjacent sections share the same communicative functions. In the corpus of 20 TDPSs, eight LR sections, and eight TF sections were discovered and collected as data for the present study. Through move analysis using Chen and Kuo’s (2012) framework, four moves and seven steps were identified in the LR sections, whereas for the TF sections, four moves and three steps were found. Moreover, our findings confirmed that these two sections share similar communicative purposes, namely, to establish the territory of one’s research and to indicate the niche, both of which reveal how the niche is occupied. Nevertheless, the variations in terms of the status of certain moves and steps identified lead to a conclusion that these two sections place the emphasis on different communicative functions. Based on the findings, pedagogical implications for the production of the TDPS genre are provided.

100 Great Activities in Language Teaching by P. Ur & S. Thornbury

Trung Kien Pham — 2025-12-30