Nominal Modifiers in Argumentative Essays as Discriminators for Writing Course Placement Decisions
1
조회
0
다운로드
0
인용
0
참고문헌
키워드
초록
Grammatical complexity constitutes an indispensable subconstruct of L2 writing ability. Nonetheless, rating scale descriptors for grammatical complexity have heavily relied on degree modifiers or adjectives. Thus, this study attempts to explore the potential for the use of nominal modifiers as discriminators for adjacent levels of L2 writers in the context of an English Placement Test. This study analyzed 374 argumentative essays written by international undergraduates. Seven nominal modifiers in the developmental stages of grammatical complexity were examined and a cumulative ordinal logistic regression model with proportional odds was fitted to explore the relative effects of those grammar features on placement decisions. Four nominal modifiers were found to be positively associated with placement decisions, after adjusting for the effects of other variables. One educational implication is for the use of nominal modifiers to be incorporated into rating scale descriptors as discriminators for L2 writers who are not advanced enough to be exempted from an English Placement Test.
Abstract
Grammatical complexity constitutes an indispensable subconstruct of L2 writing ability. Nonetheless, rating scale descriptors for grammatical complexity have heavily relied on degree modifiers or adjectives. Thus, this study attempts to explore the potential for the use of nominal modifiers as discriminators for adjacent levels of L2 writers in the context of an English Placement Test. This study analyzed 374 argumentative essays written by international undergraduates. Seven nominal modifiers in the developmental stages of grammatical complexity were examined and a cumulative ordinal logistic regression model with proportional odds was fitted to explore the relative effects of those grammar features on placement decisions. Four nominal modifiers were found to be positively associated with placement decisions, after adjusting for the effects of other variables. One educational implication is for the use of nominal modifiers to be incorporated into rating scale descriptors as discriminators for L2 writers who are not advanced enough to be exempted from an English Placement Test.
참고문헌 (37)
- Alderson, J. C., "The development of a suite of computer-based diagnostic tests based on the Common European Framework", Language Testing, 22(3), pp.301~320 (2005)
- Ansarifar, A., "Phrasal complexity in academic writing : A comparison of abstracts written by graduate students and expert writers in applied linguistics", Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 31, pp.58~71 (2018)
- Bachman, L. F., "Statistical analyses for language assessment" (2004), Cambridge University Press
- Biber, D., "Longman student grammar of spoken and written English" (2002), Longman
- Biber, D., "Grammatical complexity in academic English: Linguistic change in writing" (2015), Cambridge University Press
- Biber, D., "Should we use characteristics of conversation to measure grammatical complexity in L2 writing development?", TESOL Quarterly, 45(1), pp.5~35 (2011)
- Biber, D., "Predicting patterns of grammatical complexity across language exam task types and proficiency levels", Applied Linguistics, 37(5), pp.639~668 (2016)
- Brindley, G., "Interfaces between second language acquisition and language testing research", pp.112~140 (1998), Cambridge University Press
- Bulté, B., "Conceptualizing and measuring short-term changes in L2 writing complexity", Journal of Second Language Writing, 26, pp.42~65 (2014)
- Carr, N. T., "Designing and analyzing language tests" (2011), Oxford University Press
- correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences, "Applied multiple regression", pp.2013, Cohen, J.
- Crossley, S. A., "Does writing development equal writing quality? A computational investigation of syntactic complexity in L2 learners", Journal of Second Language Writing, 26, pp.66~79 (2014)
- Eckes, T., "Introduction to many-facet Rasch measurement: Analyzing and evaluating rater-mediated assessments" (2015), Peter Lang
- Fulcher, G., "Does thick description lead to smart tests? A data-based approach to rating scale construction", Language Testing, 13(2), pp.208~238 (1996)
- Grant, L., "Using computer-tagged linguistic features to describe L2 writing differences", Journal of Second Language Writing, 9(2), pp.123~145 (2000)
- Jacobs, H., "Testing ESL composition: A practical approach" (1981), Newbury House
- 김보람, "Resolving Discrepant Ratings in Writing Assessments: The Choice of Resolution Method and Its Application", 영어교육, 66(2), pp.211~231 (2011), 한국영어교육학회[DOI]
- Knoch, U., "Diagnostic assessment of writing : A comparison of two rating scales", Language Testing, 26(2), pp.275~304 (2009)
- Kyle, K., "Measuring syntactic complexity in L2 writing using fine-grained clausal and phrasal Indices", The Modern Language Journal, 102(2), pp.333~349 (2018)
- Lan, G., "Does L2 writing proficiency influence noun phrase complexity? A case analysis of argumentative essays written by Chinese students in a first-year composition course", System, 85, pp.102~116 (2019)
- Larsen-Freeman, D., "An ESL index of development", TESOL Quarterly, 12(4), pp.439~448 (1978)
- Larsen-Freeman, D., "The emergence of complexity, fluency, and accuracy in the oral and written production of five Chinese learners of English", Applied Linguistics, 27(4), pp.590~619 (2006)
- Lu, X., "A corpus-based evaluation of syntactic complexity measures as indices of college-level ESL writers’ language development", TESOL Quarterly, 45(1), pp.36~62 (2011)
- Lumley, T., "Assessment criteria in a large-scale writing test: What do they really mean to the raters?", Language Testing, 19(3), pp.246~276 (2002)
- McNamara, T. F., "Item response theory and the validation of an ESP test for health professionals", Language Testing, 7(1), pp.52~76 (1990)
- Menard, S. W., "Applied logistic regression analysis" (2002), Sage
- Menard, S. W., "Standards for standardized logistic regression coefficients", Social Forces, 89(4), pp.1409~1428 (2011)
- Musgrave, J., "Getting to grips with noun groups", ELT Journal, 68(2), pp.145~154 (2014)
- North, B., "Scaling descriptors for language proficiency scales", Language Testing, 15(2), pp.217~263 (1998)
- Ortega, L., "Syntactic complexity measures and their relationship to L2 proficiency : A research synthesis of college‐level L2 writing", Applied Linguistics, 24(4), pp.492~518 (2003)
- Parkinson, J., "Development of noun phrase complexity in the writing of English for academic purposes students", Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 14, pp.48~59 (2014)
- Staples, S., "Understanding first-year L2 writing : A lexico-grammatical analysis across L1s, genres, and language ratings", Journal of Second Language Writing, 32, pp.17~35 (2016)
- Taguchi, N., "What linguistic features are indicative of writing quality? A case of argumentative essays in a college composition program", TESOL Quarterly, 47(2), pp.420~430 (2013)
- Turner, C. E., "Rating scales derived from student samples : Effects of the scale maker and the student sample on scale content and student scores", TESOL Quarterly, 36(1), pp.49~70 (2002)
- Weigle, S. C., "Linguistic dimensions of impromptu test essays compared with successful student disciplinary writing : Effects of language background, topic, and L2 proficiency", Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 18, pp.25~39 (2015)
- Second language development in writing: Measures of fluency, accuracy, & complexity, "Wolfe-Quintero, K.", Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center, University of Hawaii, ~, pp.Technical Report No. 17 (1998)
- Yang, W., "Different topics, different discourse : Relationships among writing topic, measures of syntactic complexity, and judgments of writing quality", Journal of Second Language Writing, 28, pp.53~67 (2015)