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The purpose of this study is to explore the reliability of a potentially more practical approach to direct writing assessment in the context of ESL writing. Traditional rubric rating (RR) is a common yet resource-intensive evaluation practice when performed reliably. This study compared the traditional rubric model of ESL writing assessment and many-facet Rasch modeling (MFRM) to comparative judgment (CJ), the new approach, which shows promising results in terms of reliability. We employed two groups of raters--novice and experienced--and used essays that had been previously double-rated, analyzed with MFRM, and selected with fit statistics. We compared the results of the novice and experienced groups against the initial ratings using raw scores, MFRM, and a modern form of CJ--randomly distributed comparative judgment (RDCJ). Results showed that the CJ approach, though not appropriate for all contexts, can be as reliable as RR while showing promise as a more practical approach. Additionally, CJ is easily transferable to novel assessment tasks while still providing context-specific scores. Results from this study will not only inform future studies but can help guide ESL programs in selecting a rating model best suited to their specific needs.

This study explored the impact of expatriate English teachers on the morale of Malaysian English teachers and attempted to identify the perceptions of Malaysian English teachers, expatriate native English-speaking teachers (NESTs), and expatriate nonnative English-speaking teachers (nonNESTs) regarding the practices that are prevalent in Malaysia in areas such as hiring, remuneration, and benefits. An initial questionnaire was completed by 10 teachers in Malaysia followed by two semi-structured interviews. Results showed a large discrepancy in wages between NESTs and nonNESTs, which contributes to the low morale of Malaysian English teachers. In addition, the presence of expatriate NESTs causes Malaysian nonNESTs to have low self-esteem as they compare themselves to their native counterparts. This study also revealed that participants felt that an emphasis on expatriate NESTs had no significant impact on improving the language proficiency of students. Participants agreed that hiring qualified English teachers (not on the basis of race or first language) is paramount in improving the language proficiency of Malaysian students. Recommendations are given for a more in-depth study of the impact of expatriate NESTs/nonNESTs on the morale of Malaysian nonNESTs and the improvement of the language proficiency of Malaysian students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]