Pursuing fair writing assessment
Halo effects in primary school foreign language writing in grade six
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22420554 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ruth Trüb (0000-0002-9915-8611, FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, corresponding author), Julian F Lohmann (0000-0002-5864-9692, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education), Julian Lohmann, Joanne Moller (0000-0003-1767-5859), Stefan Keller (0000-0003-0115-5314, Zurich University of Teacher Education), Stefan D Keller |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 68 |
| Pages | 101036 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Assessing Writing (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1075-2935 • E-ISSN: 1873-5916 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.asw.2026.101036 |
| OpenAlex | W7140085885 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
Assessing the writing competence of pupils learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at primary school is associated with specific challenges because of learners’ limited language resources. This study investigates the extent to which characteristics of their texts trigger so-called halo effects. Halo effects are an assessment bias where the quality of one feature unintentionally influences the evaluation of other aspects. The study examines halo effects across nine aspects of text quality (communicative effect, level of detail, coherence, cohesion, complexity of syntax and grammar, correctness of syntax and grammar, vocabulary, orthography and punctuation), based on a random sample of narrative texts from a sixth-grade corpus. 200 pre-service teachers assessed four randomly assigned texts. Halo effects were calculated by comparison to expert ratings using multi-level regression analyses. Results show that orthography and vocabulary were the two main triggers of halo effects. Punctuation also triggered some halo effects, but to a smaller extent. The assessment of communicative effect, complexity and correctness of syntax and grammar was not determined by the corresponding text quality but dominated by other criteria. Results highlight the importance of being aware of halo effects when assessing young EFL learners’ texts and emphasise the need for suitable training measures. • Analysis of halo effects across nine aspects of text quality. • Random sample of narrative texts from a sixth-grade EFL corpus. • Orthography and vocabulary are the two main triggers of halo effects. • Punctuation also triggers halo effects but to a smaller extent. • Halo effects call for awareness and targeted training.
Foreign language · Grammar · Halo · Halo effect · Orthography · Punctuation · Spelling · Syntax · Vocabulary · Reading and Literacy Development · Second Language Acquisition and Learning · Writing and Handwriting Education
Accuracy of teachers' judgments of students' academic achievement
Assessment Literacy of Foreign Language Teachers
Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Motivation, and Achievement in Writing
Relationship between second language English writing self-efficacy and achievement
Testing teacher judgments comprehensively
Differentiation of Illusory and True Halo in Writing Scores
The truth and bias model of judgment
A look into the practices and challenges of assessing young EFL learners’ writing in Croatia
Focus on learner writing at the beginning and intermediate stages
Judgment accuracy of German student texts
Interactional effects of instructional quality and teacher judgement accuracy on achievement
Writing in L1 and L2
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |