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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Brigham Young University

Series

2018

L2

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Comparing L1 And L2 Texts And Writers In First-Year Composition, Grant Eckstein, Dana Ferris Jan 2018

Comparing L1 And L2 Texts And Writers In First-Year Composition, Grant Eckstein, Dana Ferris

Faculty Publications

Scholars have at various points discussed the needs of second language (L2) writers enrolled in “mainstream” composition courses where they are mixed with native (L1) English speakers. Other researchers have investigated the experiences of L2 writers in mainstream classes and the perceptions of their instructors about their abilities and needs. Little research, however, has directly compared L1 and L2 students (mostly Generation 1.5) taking composition classes together. For this article, the researchers collected writing samples from 56 L1 and 74 L2 students enrolled in a university (mainstream) first-year composition course. Using a mixed-methods design, they analyzed the texts for language …


Assessment Of L2 Student Writing: Does Teacher Disciplinary Background Matter?, Grant Eckstein, Rachel Casper, Jacob Chan, Logan Kyle Blackwell Jan 2018

Assessment Of L2 Student Writing: Does Teacher Disciplinary Background Matter?, Grant Eckstein, Rachel Casper, Jacob Chan, Logan Kyle Blackwell

Faculty Publications

This preliminary study examines the rating behavior of five composition and five ESL writing teachers while evaluating a text from a university-level non-native (L2) English speaking student. Using an eye tracker, we measured raters’ dwell times and reading behaviors across four areas of interest—rhetoric, organization, vocabulary, and grammar. Results indicate that raters with differing disciplinary backgrounds read the text differently. L2 writing teachers tended to spend more time on and re-read the rhetorical, lexical, and grammatical features of the text while skipping over more of the grammar errors, while composition teachers read the text more deliberately. The findings suggest L2 …