Abstract
This project is a case study of writing assessment practices in a particular workplace called "High Hits," a local search engine optimization (SEO) company. The writing tests given to new hires serve a parallel purpose to academic placement exams, in that they are a high-stress, high-risk situation that aims to evaluate writer ability rather than the quality of the completed task (Haswell 242, Elbow 83, Moss 110). However, while academic assessment measures ability with the aim to improve the students' learning, workplace assessment is driven by market forces and is seen in terms of return on investment. This case study used qualitative and quantitative measurements to examine the writing tests of employees; this examination was followed by analyzing a random sampling of subsequent writing tasks of copywriters to determine whether the assessment methods being used by the company to assess the writing tests adequately predicted the writing ability of the copywriters.
Degree
MA
College and Department
Humanities; English
Rights
http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Tanner, Lindsay Elizabeth, "Testing the Test: Expanding the Dialogue on Workplace Writing Assessment" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 6616.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6616
Date Submitted
2017-12-01
Document Type
Thesis
Handle
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd9602
Keywords
writing assessment, writing tests, workplace assessment, grounded theory
Language
english