Profiling L2 writing development: The case of CFL learners in intermediate classes

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Yang ◽  
Zenan Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Writing Development ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Writing Competence ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Observation Period

AbstractThis exploratory study examined the writings of a small group of learners enrolled in intermediate CFL classes at two U.S. universities and attempted to profile these learners’ writing development over five months. It collected data through both in-class timed essays and out-of-class writing assignments and analyzed them in terms of overall rating and a variety of writing measures (i.e., fluency, accuracy, complexity, content, and organization). The results showed negligible improvement in these learners’ overall writing proficiency at the end of the observation period and revealed a non-linear trend of development of their writing competence over time. In addition, the analysis of the learners’ writing profile as well as the errors committed in their writings provided new insights into the promotion of L2 writing skills in CFL classrooms.

An Exploratory Study of Using Personal Blogs for L2 Writing in Fully Online Language Courses

2020 ◽  
pp. 145-163
Author(s):  
Lina Lee
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Task Design ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Design Selection ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Beginning Students ◽  
Selection Of

The chapter reports the results of an exploratory study examining the use of personal blogs for the development of L2 writing skills in fully online language courses. The chapter outlines the methodology of the blog project including pedagogical objectives, task design, selection of digital tools, and implementation. The study involved 48 beginning students who used blogs for their writing assignments over the course of two consecutive summers. Both quantitative and qualitative data collected from post surveys, blog entries, and comments, and final interviews were analyzed. The results indicated that students perceived blogging as an effective tool for building their writing skills. Moreover, the chapter revealed that feedback scaffolding affected students' efforts to make improvement on both content and form. The study concludes that while writing performance can be assessed by the implementation of a well-designed blog project, sufficient time for feedback interaction and strategies for effective use of feedback are vital to foster reflective thinking and collaborative learning.

scholarly journals Tests of Writing Competence at Ontario Universities

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 47-58
Author(s):  
David Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Language Skills ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Test Procedures ◽  
Academic Difficulties ◽  
Admission Standards ◽  
Writing Tests ◽  
Writing Competence

Over the last ten years some Ontario universities have introduced post-admission or "exit" writing proficiency requirements which their students must eventually satisfy. These requirements reflect a concern about admission standards and tests which goes back more than twenty years and which has focussed primarily on language skills. The writing tests are intended to identify students likely to encounter academic difficulties because of poor writing skills, but the usual rationale for the tests rests upon dubious assumptions, and the nature of some of the test procedures makes it difficult to know whether the objectives of the tests are being met.

scholarly journals Direct and Indirect Feedback in the L2 English Development of Writing Skills

2020 ◽  
pp. 163-173
Author(s):  
Silvia Sánchez Calderón
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
The Other ◽  
Indirect Feedback ◽  
Writing Accuracy ◽  
Over Time

The present study examines the role that feedback plays on the development of second language (L2) English learners’ writing accuracy over time. Earlier formal accounts and empirical works have focused on the relevance of corrective feedback (CF) in L2 writing learning (Ellis et al., 2008; Sheen, 2007), and what kind of CF (i.e. direct or indirect) has proved to be the most effective one, especially at low L2 levels (García Mayo and Labandibar, 2017; Ismail et al., 2008). We have analyzed 3 pieces of writing produced by 8 L2 English participants (aged 11 to 12). The participants were randomly divided into two groups, one of them received direct CF on their written tasks and the other group was exposed to indirect CF. Results revealed that both groups seemed to improve their mean scores from the pre-task to the post-task, regardless of the type of CF implemented. However, the direct CF group has proven to benefit more from teacher’s written CF, when compared to the indirect CF group. This is especially the case in the development of grammar accuracy.

scholarly journals L2 WRITING DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF TWO HIGH-ACHIEVING AND TWO STRUGGLING COLLEGE-LEVEL STUDENTS

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-36
Author(s):  
HICHAM ZYAD
Keyword(s):  
Time Frame ◽  
Writing Development ◽  
Research Area ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
College Level ◽  
Thick Description ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Learning And Collaboration ◽  
Written Assignments

Researchers and language practitioners have long been interested in the quest for theory-based, research-supported constructs that can adequately characterize L2 writing proficiency and development. The ongoing scholarly inquiry in this research area has led to the mounting recognition that complexity, accuracy and fluency (henceforth, CAF) constitute a conceptual framework capable of charting L2 writing proficiency and benchmarking development. Against this background, the present study aims to investigate four college-level semester-one students’ L2 writing development over a time frame of twelve weeks. Couched within the constructivist paradigm, which advocates learner independence, meaningful learning and collaboration, the study examines the extent and nature of the progress that two highachieving L2 students made as compared with two struggling peers with regard to their written productions. On the basis of case study methodology, a thick description is provided for each student on account of his measurable progress as assessed by theoretically motivated indices of complexity and accuracy. The paper also explores the time spent on online Moodle activities by the four participants to ascertain whether or not a relationship existed with the progress made. Complexity was measured by mean length of t-unit, mean length of clause and number of clauses per t-unit; accuracy was measured by mean number of error-free t-units and the ratio of error-free t-units to total number of t-units. The writing program in which the participants were engaged was based on the use of Moodle as a platform where students have access to myriad supplementary materials including website links, videos, PowerPoint slides, book chapters and exercises handouts. They were also required to post their written assignments in the Moodle-hosted blog and to participate in forums designed for the exchange of feedback. The implications of the results for L2 writing instruction are discussed.

scholarly journals An Exploratory Study of COVID-19 Information on Twitter in the Greater Region

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Ninghan Chen ◽  
Zhiqiang Zhong ◽  
Jun Pang
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Representation Learning ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Learning Methods ◽  
Twitter Users ◽  
Over Time

The outbreak of the COVID-19 led to a burst of information in major online social networks (OSNs). Facing this constantly changing situation, OSNs have become an essential platform for people expressing opinions and seeking up-to-the-minute information. Thus, discussions on OSNs may become a reflection of reality. This paper aims to figure out how Twitter users in the Greater Region (GR) and related countries react differently over time through conducting a data-driven exploratory study of COVID-19 information using machine learning and representation learning methods. We find that tweet volume and COVID-19 cases in GR and related countries are correlated, but this correlation only exists in a particular period of the pandemic. Moreover, we plot the changing of topics in each country and region from 22 January 2020 to 5 June 2020, figuring out the main differences between GR and related countries.

scholarly journals State Boards of Education: Lesser Known Policy Actors

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 205-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle D. Young ◽  
Bryan A. VanGronigen ◽  
Amy Luelle Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Boards Of Education ◽  
Policy Actors ◽  
Policy Work ◽  
Over Time

Few scholars have engaged in close examinations of state boards of education (SBOEs), their make-up, or the broader implications of their influence over time. SBOE membership, authority, and impact differ significantly across the 50 states. This article reports findings from an exploratory study of three SBOEs and their role as policy actors. Thinking about SBOEs as policy actors focuses attention not only on the power, authority, and policy-making functions of SBOEs, but also on the individuals who serve on SBOEs, their actions, and the discourses constructed through the performance of their policy work.

scholarly journals The dyad is not enough

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Torbjörn Bildtgård ◽  
Marianne Winqvist ◽  
Peter Öberg
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
Biological Children ◽  
Over Time

The increasing prevalence of ageing stepfamilies and the potential of stepchildren to act as a source of support for older parents have increased the interest in long-term intergenerational step relationships. Applying a life-course perspective combined with Simmel’s theorizing on social dynamics, this exploratory study aims to investigate the preconditions for cohesion in long-term intergenerational step relationships. The study is based on interviews with 13 older parents, aged 66–79, who have raised both biological children and stepchildren. Retrospective life-course interviews were used to capture the development of step relationships over time. Interviews were analysed following the principles of analytical induction. The results reveal four central third-party relationships that are important for cohesion in intergenerational step relationships over time, involving: (1) the intimate partner; (2) the non-residential parent; (3) the bridge child; and (4) the stepchild-in-law. The findings have led to the conclusion that if we are to understand the unique conditions for cohesion in long-term intergenerational step relationships, we cannot simply compare biological parent–child dyads with step dyads, because the step relationship is essentially a mediated relationship.

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