Analysis of changes in L2 writing over the time of a short-term academic English programme

Ana Cristina Lahuerta

doi:10.30827/portalin.vi39.22842

Autores/as

Ana Cristina Lahuerta Universidad de Oviedo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6210-1769

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.vi39.22842

Palabras clave:

Escritura en L2, escritura académica, complejidad sintáctica, frases nominales, curso de IFA

Resumen

Este estudio investiga los aspectos de la escritura académica que mejoran al final de un semestre de un curso de Inglés para Fines Académicos titulado Inglés Académico Avanzado, diseñado para estudiantes universitarios de un Grado en Estudios Ingleses en una universidad española. El estudio intenta determinar la naturaleza y medida del desarrollo de la competencia escrita en L2 de un grupo de 59 estudiantes universitarios con un nivel avanzado de conocimiento de la lengua inglesa durante el corto período del programa lingüístico por medio de medidas cuantitativas de distintos componentes de la complejidad de la escritura (global, clausal y frasal). Los resultados indican un aumento en la coordinación y la elaboración clausal y frasal, aunque no en la subordinación. Los resultados sugieren además un tendencia hacia un mayor uso de construcciones frasales complejas por parte de escritores más competentes. Estos resultados subrayan la importancia de la complejidad sintáctica, especialmente la complejidad nominal en una buena escritura académica así como la atención pedagógica que debe darse a la producción y al significado de estas estructuras en los cursos de Inglés para Fines Académicos así como en la enseñanza de la escritura en inglés como lengua extranjera en general.

Descargas

Los datos de descargas todavía no están disponibles.

Biografía del autor/a

Ana Cristina Lahuerta, Universidad de Oviedo

Professor at the Department of English Philology

Citas

Ahmadi, A., & Meihami, H. (2017). The development of complexity, accuracy, and fluency in ESP learners’ writing: A dynamic systems theory. X Linguae Journal, 10(3), 57-74.

Ansarifara, A., Shahriarib, H., & Pishghadam, R. (2018). 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, 58-71.

Biber, D., & Gray, B. (2010). Challenging stereotypes about academic writing: Complexity, elaboration, explicitness. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 9(1), 2–20.

Biber, D., & Gray, B. (2011). Grammatical change in the noun phrase: The influence of written language use. English Language and Linguistics, 15(02), 223-250.

Biber, D., & Gray, B. (2016). Grammatical complexity in academic English. Cambridge University Press.

Biber, D., Gray, B., & Poonpon, K. (2011). Should we use characteristics of conversation to measure grammatical complexity in L2 writing development? Tesol Quarterly, 45(1), 5-35.

Biber, D., Gray, B., & Staples, S. (2014). Predicting patterns of grammatical complexity across language exam task types and proficiency levels. Applied Linguistics, 37(5), 639-668.

Biber, D., Gray, B., & Staples, S. (2016). Predicting patterns of grammatical complexity across language exam task types and proficiency levels. Applied Linguistics, 37(5), 639–668.

Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finegan, E. (1999). The Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Longman.

Bulté, B., & Housen, A. (2012). Defining and operationalising L2 complexity. In Housen, A., F. Kuiken, & I. Vedder (Eds.), Dimensions of L2 performance and proficiency – Investigating complexity, accuracy and fluency in SLA (pp. 21–46). John Benjamins.

Bulté, B., & Housen, A. (2014). Conceptualizing and measuring short-term changes in L2 writing complexity. Journal of Second Language Writing, 26, 42–65.

Bulté, B., & Housen, A. (2018). Syntactic complexity in L2 writing: Individual pathways and emerging group trends. International Journal of Applied Linguist, 1–18.

Casal, J.E. & Lee, J.J. (2019). Syntactic complexity and writing quality in assessed first-year L2 writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 44, 51–62.

Casanave, C. P. (1994). Language development in students’ journals. Journal of Second Language Writing, 3, 179–201.

Connor-Linton, J., & Polio, C. (2014). Comparing perspectives on L2 writing: Multiple analyses of a common corpus. Journal of Second Language Writing, 26, 1–9.

Crossley, S. A., & McNamara, D.S. (2014). Does writing development equal writing quality? A computational investigation of syntactic complexity in L2 learners. Journal of Second Language Writing, 26, 66–79.

Crossley, S.A., Roscoe, R. & McNamara, D. S. (2014). What is Successful Writing? An Investigation into the Multiple Ways Writers Can Write Successful Essays. Written Communication, 31(2), 184–215.

Ellis, R. (2009). Corrective Feedback and Teacher Development. L2 Journal, 1–18.

Haswell, R.H. (2000). Documenting Improvement in College Writing: A Longitudinal Approach. Written Communication, 17(3), 307-52.

Housen, A, De Clercq, B., Kuiken, F. & Vedder, L. (2019). Multiple approaches to complexity in second language research. Second Language Research, 35(1), 3-21.

Hyland, K. (2013). English for Academic Purposes and Discourse Analysis. Routledge.

Jarvis, S. (2013). Capturing the diversity in lexical diversity. Language Learning, 63(Suppl. 1), 87–106.

Jones, D. (2002). Keeping Track: Assessment in Writing. In M. Williams (Ed.), Unlocking Writing: A Guide for Teachers (pp. 92–105). David Fulton Publishers Ltd.

Lu, X. (2011). A corpus–based evaluation of syntactic complexity measures as indices of college-level ESL writers' language development. TESOL Quarterly, 445(1), 36–62.

Lu, X. (2017). Automated measurement of syntactic complexity in corpus-based L2 writing research and implications for writing assessment. Language Testing, 34(4), 493–511.

MacArthur, C.A., Jennings, A., & Philippakos, Z.A. (2019) Which linguistic features predict quality of argumentative writing for college basic writers, and how do those features change with instruction? Reading and Writing, 32 (6), 1553-1574

Norris, J. M., & Ortega, L. (2009). Measurement for understanding: An organic approach to investigating complexity, accuracy, and fluency in SLA. Applied Linguistics, 30, 555–578.

Ortega, L. (2012). Interlanguage complexity: A construct in search of theoretical renewal. In B. Kortmann & B. Szmrecsanyi (Eds.), Linguistic complexity: Second language acquisition, indigenization, and contact (pp. 127–155). De Gruyter.

Ortega, L. (2015). Syntactic complexity in L2 writing: Progress and expansion. Journal of Second language Writing, 29, 82-94.

Pallotti, G. (2009). CAF: Defining, refining and differentiating constructs. Applied Linguistics, 30(4), 590–601.

Pallotti, G. (2015). A simple view of linguistic complexity. Second Language Research, 31(1), 117–134.

Parkinson, J., & Musgrave, J. (2014). Development of noun phrase complexity in the writing of English for Academic Purposes students. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 14, 48-59.

Rosmawati, R. (2014). Dynamic development of complexity and accuracy: a case study in second language academic writing. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 37(2), 75-100.

Rosmawati, R. (2020). Profiling the dynamic changes of syntactic complexity in L2 academic writing: A multilevel synchrony method. In G.G. Fogal & M.H. Verspoor (Eds.), Complex Dynamic Systems Theory and L2 Writing Development (pp. 109-133). John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Shaw, P., & Liu, E. (1998). What develops in the development of second language writing? Applied Linguistics, 19. 225-254.

Staples, S., & Reppen, R. (2016). Understanding first-year L2 writing: A lexico-grammatical analysis across L1s, genres, and language ratings. Journal of Second Language Writing, 32. 17-35

Storch, N. (2009). The impact of studying in a second language (L2) medium university on the development of L2 writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 18. 103–118.

Taguchi, N., Crawford, B., & Wetzel, D.Z. (2013). What linguistic features are indicative of writing quality? A case of argumentative essays in a college composition program. TESOL Quarterly, 47, 420–430.

Wolfe-Quintero, K., Inagaki, S., & Kim, H.-Y. (1998). Second Language Development in Writing: Measures of Fluency, Accuracy, and Complexity. University of Hawaii.