What linguistic features distinguish and predict L2 writing quality? A study of examination scripts written by adolescent Chinese learners of English in Hong Kong

Lee, Cynthia; Ge, Haoyan; Chung, Edsoulla

doi:10.1016/j.system.2021.102461

Cited by 29 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…With regard to the developmental trend of lexical sophistication, there was a positive growth in the low-frequency word ratio in the samples, with a percentage of 21.11% for grade 7, 22.27% for grade 8, and 27.95% for grade 9 (see Table 1 ). The gradual increase in lexical sophistication mirrors previous results ( Laufer and Nation, 1995 ; Fairclough and Belpoliti, 2016 ; González, 2017 ; Lee et al, 2021 ; Schnur, 2021 ), although previous studies mainly investigated intermediate and advanced learners.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

“…With the more advanced words, the information in L2 writing was felt to be more precise and unambiguous, and the English compositions tended toward formal style and the written register over time. This result aligns with the findings from previous studies that lexical sophistication develops with incremental language experience (Bulté and Housen, 2014;Zheng, 2016;Tracy-Ventura, 2017;Lee et al, 2021;Schnur, 2021).…”

Section: Lexical Sophisticationsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…This result is congruent with that of Hsieh (2016), who investigated lexical use in L2 Chinese writing by primary school students. It also coincides with findings from previous studies that used participants at higher proficiency levels (Bao, 2008;Wan, 2010;Wang and Zhou, 2012;Lee et al, 2021;Schnur, 2021). All of the studies showed a significant increase in lexical variation across grade levels.…”

Section: Lexical Variationsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…From the analysis in previous section, we can see that the lexical sophistication of Chinese beginner learners increases gradually across grade levels, although generally at a low level. However, the lexical sophistication of Chinese beginners shows unique developmental features compared with previous studies (see Bao, 2008;Laufer and Nation, 1995;Wan, 2010;Zhu and Wang, 2013;González, 2017;Lee et al, 2021;Schnur, 2021); that is, Chinese beginners make progress every year. The upper grades (grades 8-9) develop quickly, and the lower grades (grades 7-8) develop slowly.…”

Section: Lexical Sophisticationmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Research in the first category tries to identify the relationship between lexical richness measures and L2 writing quality. These studies involve a series of correlation and regression analyses and yield mixed results regarding different measures (e.g., Engber, 1995 ; Qin and Wen, 2007 ; Wang and Zhou, 2012 ; Zhu, 2013 ; Lee et al, 2021 ; Schnur, 2021 ). The studies in the second category explore the level of L2 learners’ lexical richness compared with that of native English speakers (e.g., Fairclough and Belpoliti, 2016 ; Eckstein and Ferris, 2018 ; Deng, 2020 ; Lei and Yang, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developmental Features of Lexical Richness in English Writings by Chinese Beginner Learners

Hui-ping

Chen

2021

Front. Psychol.

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This paper reports a cross-sectional study that investigates the developmental features in second language writings by Chinese beginner learners of English by using four lexical richness measures—lexical sophistication, lexical variation, lexical density, and lexical errors—from the perspective of the language exposure hypothesis. Specifically, the study compares English compositions written by Chinese students of grade 7, grade 8, and grade 9 in terms of lexical sophistication, lexical variation, lexical density, and lexical errors. The English compositions were sampled from the Writing Corpus of Chinese Beginner Learners of English, and the sample size of the three grades remained almost the same. The analysis revealed that lexical richness in the writing samples of beginner learners is comparatively low, with beginner learners transferring lexical features of the oral register to their second language writings; furthermore, all four measures yielded significant, albeit non-linear and unevenly paced, developments across grade levels. Based on the findings, several suggestions for vocabulary teaching are provided.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Lexical Sophisticationsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Lexical Variationsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Lexical Sophisticationmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developmental Features of Lexical Richness in English Writings by Chinese Beginner Learners

Hui-ping

Chen

2021

Front. Psychol.

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Assessing the quality of reference books on the English writing examination in Hong Kong: How can an evaluation checklist help?

Wang

2023

TESOL Journal

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Despite research studies on TESOL materials and textbooks addressing a wide range of pedagogical issues as well as evaluation strategies, reference books for examination preparation have received little attention from TESOL researchers. This study reports an attempt to develop a checklist for evaluating the reference books for the examination for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE, the college entrance requirement for secondary school students in Hong Kong), with a particular focus on books for the English writing examination. The researchers acquired a total of 39 reference books on DSE English writing and examined them against the reports and documents of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority as well as the Education Bureau. After identifying the most concerning issues in the reference books, the researchers developed a checklist for evaluating future reference books using the framework suggested by McGrath (2002), taking into account the Education Bureau's guidelines for local school textbook evaluation. The authors conclude by briefly discussing implications and how their findings could be shared with HKDSE candidates through engaging the Hong Kong government.

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A corpus‐based analysis of Hong Kong EFL learners' use of existential constructions

Cheng

2023

TESOL Journal

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In ESL/EFL contexts, learners' errors are often an area of interest among teachers as identifying recurring and grave errors may inform teachers about the difficulties faced by the learners (Xie, 2019), hence offering insights on teaching activities and materials. In Hong Kong, previous studies have investigated various language structures produced by the learners, including articles (e.g., Chan, 2019), connectives (e.g., Cheng & Tsang, 2022), relative clauses (e.g., Gisborne, 2000). To better understand the language use by EFL learners, the present study focused particularly on the existential construction in English, which seems to be a less explored structure. This brief reports on the use of existential structures in EFL secondary school learners' writing to identify the challenges faced by the learners when acquiring this construction.1. There are many customers in the shop. 2. There is a bird singing outside the window.

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What linguistic features distinguish and predict L2 writing quality? A study of examination scripts written by adolescent Chinese learners of English in Hong Kong

Cited by 29 publications

References 54 publications

Developmental Features of Lexical Richness in English Writings by Chinese Beginner Learners

Developmental Features of Lexical Richness in English Writings by Chinese Beginner Learners

Assessing the quality of reference books on the English writing examination in Hong Kong: How can an evaluation checklist help?

A corpus‐based analysis of Hong Kong EFL learners' use of existential constructions

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