Integrating concept-based learning into writing assessment in Chinese as a second language: An exploration of students’ perspective

Concept-based learning has gained currency in recent years in international school contexts. While there is substantial pedagogical research on concept-based learning, there is relatively little work within the context of exploring L2 Chinese students’ conceptual understanding in writing assessments. This study investigated how learners of L2 Chinese demonstrate the three concepts of Audience, Context and Purpose (IBO, 2013b) as applied to L2 writing. Three students in a Hong Kong international school completed an IB Language B (One of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) subjects is Language Acquisition, which consists of Language ab initio and Language B. While Language ab initio is language acquisition course for students with no prior experience of the target language, or for those students with very limited previous experience, Language B is for students with some previous experience of the target language.) writing assessment task. Their thinking and writing processes, including instances where they apply the relevant concepts, were investigated through eliciting think-aloud verbal reports and stimulated recall. The analysis found a general alignment of students’ understanding of the concepts and the definitions in the IB curriculum document, and the students indeed applied the concepts at various stages of their writing processes. However, their conceptual understanding was found to be considerably compromised by their limited lexical repertoire in L2 Chinese. Implications for the IB Language B writing assessment, and suggestions for further research on how to align the assessment of conceptual understanding and language skills, are discussed. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.