Thesis (M.A.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Arts - Department of English

The current study explored how Egyptian EFL teachers use assessment conversations in the classroom when teaching academic writing. Also, it sought to investigate the students` perceptions towards the utilization of assessment conversations when learning academic writing. The study adopted a qualitative design with convenient sampling of 3 teachers work in a private university and their 3 classes for the first phase of the study and 6 students, two from each class were selected randomly for the semi-structured interviews to collect the students` perceptions in the second phase. Three tools were employed to collect data, classroom observations, audiorecordings and students interviews. The study adopted a qualitative design applying the 4-move ESRU model adopted from (Ruiz-Primo, 2007) to analyze the assessment conversations. Regarding student perceptions, the data were analyzed qualitatively using thematic line-by-line analysis. The results indicated that EFL Egyptian teachers utilized assessment conversations when teaching academic writing. Also, it was revealed that assessment conversations can be complete cycles (ESRU (E)\ ESRU or incomplete cycles ESR\ ES. Every certain cycle can be used for a certain purpose (See Section 4.4.1)

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