ESP WRITING CORRECTION: WHEN RATER MATTERS

For nearly four decades, English as a foreign language and English as a second language scholars have been trying to find which type of feedback- direct vs. indirect, explicit vs. implicit, peer vs. teacher, etc. leads to improving accuracy and retention. Also, focus on the type and nature of writing tasks of university and English for Specific Purposes learners has increased as if many surveys have been conducted to figure out the factors affecting the performances of ESP writers. In an attempt to shed a new light on issues about English language teachers, this study tried to examine possible differences between language teachers graduated from English language major [henceforth EFL teachers] and those graduated from fields other than language major [henceforth Content teachers] regarding their main concerns while rating writing tasks of ESP learners. To fulfill these aims, five English learners, having the same level of language proficiency, and ten teachers, five in each population, were selected. The teachers rated the tasks written by the learners on the topic given to them. The findings, analyzed using chi-square test, revealed that the rating of teachers from different educational backgrounds differed. The results propose this implication that through awareness-raising of teachers of both groups, learners’ writing skill can improve in varied aspects.