Exploring EFL Learners’ Performance Assessment, Writing Performance, and Psychological Responses in Senior High Schools
Authors
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Juni Ahyar
Universitas Malikussaleh
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Iba Harliyana
Universitas Malikussaleh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v6i3.5974Keywords:
English language teaching, Performance assessment, Psychological responses, Psychological issues, Writing performanceAbstract
Classroom assessment in EFL writing instruction often emphasizes final products rather than authentic language performance, limiting students' opportunities to demonstrate their writing competence in meaningful contexts. Performance assessment has been proposed as an alternative approach that engages students in authentic tasks and continuous feedback. This study examined the association between performance assessment and changes in high school students' writing scores and their psychological responses toward its implementation. A one-group pretest-posttest design was employed over three months (April–June 2026) with 28 eleventh-grade students (15 males, 13 females; age range 16–17 years) in an Indonesian senior high school. Data were collected through analytic writing rubrics (assessing organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics) and a Likert-scale questionnaire. Quantitative analysis included paired-samples t-tests and descriptive statistics. The mean writing score increased from 67.00 (SD = 8.12) on the pretest to 78.00 (SD = 7.45) on the posttest (t(27) = 6.84, p < .001, d = 1.41). Post-intervention questionnaire responses indicated that 26 of 28 students (92.85%) reported positive interest and learning awareness, 24 students (85.71%) reported positive self-esteem, and 22 students (78.57%) reported high motivation. These findings provide promising preliminary evidence from one class that performance assessment is associated with positive changes in writing scores and student perceptions. However, due to the absence of a control group and random assignment, causal effectiveness cannot be established. Controlled and longitudinal studies with validated instruments are recommended before broader implementation claims are made.
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