Effects of n-grams on the rated L2 writing quality of expository essays: A conceptual replication and extension

System ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 102437
Author(s):  
Xiaopeng Zhang ◽  
Wenwen Li
Keyword(s):  
L2 Writing ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Expository Essays

L1 versus L2 writing processes: What insight can we obtain from a keystroke logging program?

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110412
Author(s):  
Mohammed Ali Mohsen
Keyword(s):  
Mother Tongue ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Writing Processes ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Written Form

Writing in a language different from one’s mother tongue is a daunting task. The same challenge may apply to languages that have diglossic features whose spoken form differs from the written form. This article investigates Arab students’ writing behaviors (fluency, pauses, and revision) in response to an argumentative composition in their L1 (first language: Arabic) and L2 (second language: English), given that understanding their complexities in writing processes would help instructors to rectify language writing-related problems. Guided by Kellogg’s model, this article attempts to investigate the cognitive processes underlying these writing behaviors as aided by a keystroke logging program (Inputlog 7.0). It also examined if writing behaviors would be correlated to the writing quality of their produced final texts. Data were collected from log files of the Inputlog generated upon the students’ writing processes, screened video recordings, and a stimulated recall interview. Results indicated that compared with L2 writing in character production, L1 writing processes were highly significant, less significant in pauses over word boundaries, and highly significant in time on the task factor. Concerning revision behavior, no significant differences were found in time spent on deletion and insertion, whereas a significant difference was found in R-burst for L2 writing. As regards quality of text, many pauses and minimal production of words tend to be negative indicators for writing quality output. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research are highlighted.

Students’ Understanding of Generic Structure of the Text and the Quality of Writing: A Correlational Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Atikah Wati
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Senior High School ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Statistical Calculation ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Generic Structure ◽  
Writing Test ◽  
Correlational Research

Indriyani et al, (2013) stated that many students had dificulty in understanding the generic structure of analytical exposition text. Therefore, the present study tried to investigate the correlation between students understanding in writing generic structure of analytical exposition and the quality of students’ writing in second grade of senior hight school. Grounded in explanatory correlational research design by Creswell (2011), this study conducted over two weeks in one of senior high school in Indramayu. Close-ended questionnaire and writing test were instruments to collect the data and it was analyzed  by using SPSS 22. The statistical calculation from students understanding in writing generic stucture of the text and writing test indicated that the value of tcount was 3.23 and the value of ttable was 0.361. It can be concluded that the hypothesis was accepted because tcount 3.23 > ttable 0.361. The finding reveal that there was middle correlation or middle prediction in students understanding of generic structure of analytical exposition and students writing quality with the score 0,52.

Productive Vocabulary Knowledge of ESL Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulmalik Usman ◽  
Dahiru Musa Abdullahi
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Lexical Frequency ◽  
Frequency Profile ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
The Relationship

The paper seeks to investigate the level of productive knowledge of ESL learners, the writing quality and the relationship between the vocabulary knowledge and the writing quality. 150 final year students of English language in a university in Nigeria were randomly selected as respondents. The respondents were asked to write an essay of 300 words within one hour. The essays were typed into Vocab Profiler of Cobb (2002) and analyzed the Lexical Frequency Profile of the respondents. The essays were also assessed by independent examiners using a standard rubric. The findings reveal that the level of productive vocabulary knowledge of the respondents is limited. The writing quality of the majority of the respondent is fair and there is a significant correlation between vocabulary and the witting quality of the subjects. The researchers posit that productive vocabulary is the predictor of writing quality and recommend various techniques through which teaching and learning of vocabulary can be improved.

Beyond Differences: Assessing Effects of Shared Linguistic Features on L2 Writing Quality of Two Genres

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaopeng Zhang ◽  
Xiaofei Lu ◽  
Wenwen Li
Keyword(s):  
Latent Variables ◽  
Moving Average ◽  
College Level ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Efl Writing ◽  
Test Corpus ◽  
Argumentative Essays ◽  
Complex Nominals

Abstract This study explored the relationship between linguistic features and the rated quality of letters of application (LAs) and argumentative essays (AEs) composed in English by Chinese college-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. A corpus of 260 LAs and 260 AEs were analyzed via a confirmatory factor analysis. Latent variables were EFL writing quality, captured by writing scores, and lexical sophistication, syntactic complexity, and cohesion, each captured by different linguistic features in the two genres of writing. Results indicated that lexical decision times, moving average type-token ratio with a 50-word window, and complex nominals per clause explained 55.5 per cent of the variance in the holistic scores of both genres of writing. This pattern of predictivity was further validated with a test corpus of 110 LAs and 110 AEs, revealing that, albeit differing in genre, higher-rated LAs and AEs were likely to contain more sophisticated words and complex nominals and exhibit a higher type-token ratio with a 50-word window. These findings help enrich our understanding of the shared features of different genres of EFL writing and have potentially useful implications for EFL writing pedagogy and assessment.

Technology-mediated writing: It’s not how much, but the thought that counts

2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302199638
Author(s):  
Kelley Regan ◽  
Anya S Evmenova ◽  
Melissa D Hughes ◽  
Maria P Rybicki-Newman ◽  
Boris Gafurov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Student Writing ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Struggling Writers ◽  
Group Design ◽  
Present Group

Struggling writers including students with disabilities (SWD) need instructional strategies to support their ability to write independently. Integrating technology-mediated instruction to support student writing can mitigate students' challenges throughout the writing process and personalize instruction. In the present group design study, teachers taught 11 to 12 year olds in sixth grade with varying abilities to use a technology-based graphic organizer (TBGO) when digitally planning and composing a persuasive paragraph. Results indicated that the writing quality of the paragraph and use of transition words by typical and struggling writers was significantly better when the TBGO was used as compared to students who wrote without the TBGO. Additionally, when the TBGO was removed, students in the treatment group maintained gains. Student participants and teachers in this study identified features that were especially supportive to students’ writing behaviors. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

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