AN INSTRUMENT FOR ASSESSING WRITING-INTENSIVE PHYSICS LABORATORY REPORTS Andy Buffler, Saalih Allie and Loveness Kaunda Department of Physics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700 Tel: (021) 650 3339 Fax: (021) 650 3342 abuffler@physci.uct.ac.za Margaret Inglis Department of Second Language Studies, University of Natal - Pietermaritzburg Abstract This paper reports the development of an instrument for assessing writing-intensive laboratory reports in undergraduate physics. Writing-intensive reports combine the aspects of laboratory experimentation and written communication and involve a number of distinct facets which have to be taken into account during assessment. At one level, there are features that pertain to the technicalities and conventions of the science involved as well as the technical features of language use, while at another level, there are features that pertain to the report as an exercise in meaningful communication. In an attempt to take cognisance of all these aspects, the coherence of the report was used as an important concept in developing the instrument. The instrument was also designed so that it could be used by physics tutors, both staff and post-graduate students, who are generally more familiar with assessing reports on the basis of the technical aspects of scientific procedure only, but might judge the communicative aspects of the report by assessing only surface-level language errors. Introduction Writing-intensive laboratory reports were first introduced into the first year physics curriculum at the University of Cape Town as a form of providing language intervention for ESL students who came from disadvantaged educational backgrounds. Makina-Kaunda and Allie (1994) identified the laboratory practical as an appropriate context, not only for introducing the students to the procedures of practical science, but also for developing communication skills by writing about the laboratory activity. Recently, the physics department, acknowledging communication as being an integral part of investigative and scientific activities (Allen and Widdowson 1978, Shih 1986, Baird 1988, Vermillion 1991), included writing-intensive reports as a component of the laboratory curriculum for all first year physics students. In general, it is widespread practice that learning objectives in academic settings are measured primarily via the written word. This has been illustrated in a number of studies such as the Keller- Cohen and Wolfe (1987) study done at the University of Michigan, and cited in Hamp-Lyons (1990), where it is reported that “written work forms part of the course expectations in over 70% of courses within the undergraduate curriculum while 97% of faculty surveyed agreed that skill in writing is important or very important for college study” (Hamp-Lyons 1990 p. 71). At the same time writing tasks are seen as being important in promoting the development and understanding of scientific concepts and process skills. The importance of task-based activities in practical science in in Proceedings of the 5 th Annual Meeting of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics and Science Education, Ed: M. Sanders, Johannesburg (1997) 85-91