How Students Write: A Linguistic Analysis


Book Description

Broad generalizations about "people today" are a familiar feature of first-year student writing. How Students Write brings a fresh perspective to this perennial observation, using corpus linguistics techniques. This study analyzes sentence-level patterns in student writing to develop an understanding of how students present evidence, draw connections between ideas, relate to their readers, and, ultimately, learn to construct knowledge in their writing. Drawing on both first-year and upper-level student writing, the book examines the discourse of students at different points in their education. It also distinguishes between argumentative and analytic essays to explore the way school genres and assignments shape students' choices. In focusing on sentence-level features such as hedges ("perhaps") and boosters ("definitely"), this study shows how such rhetorical choices work together to open or close opportunities for thoughtful exchanges of ideas. Attention to these features can help instructors foster civil discourse, design effective assignments, and expose and question norms of higher education.




The Language of Schooling


Book Description

This book builds on current sociolinguistic and discourse-analytic studies of language in school, but adds a new dimension--the framework of functional linguistic analysis. It will enable researchers and students of language in education to rec




A Linguistically Inclusive Approach to Grading Writing


Book Description

"A Linguistically Inclusive Approach to Grading Writing: A Practical Guide provides concrete tools for college writing instructors to improve their grading and feedback practices to benefit all student writers. A linguistically inclusive grading approach honors Black linguistic justice, facilitates students' use of feedback, and guides students to make rhetorical linguistic choices. The existing literature addresses inclusive writing assessment from a programmatic and class policy level (e.g., Inoue, 2015; Perryman-Clark, 2012). Meanwhile, this book provides models of actual comments on student writing to help instructors develop the necessary skills to incorporate inclusive assessment and feedback into their everyday practice. The book details how to respond to organization, word choice, grammar, and mechanics rooted in African American English and other language varieties. A linguistically inclusive approach to grading writing will benefit instructors across contexts - including instructors who teach online, teach high-achieving students, or use contract grading. The book's example comments and practices can also be implemented by instructors constrained by mandated grade weighting or rubrics that preclude adopting more extensive changes. A linguistically inclusive grading approach is grounded in theory and research across education, composition, and sociolinguistics"--




Knowing and Writing School History


Book Description

Because school history often relies on reading and writing and has its own discipline-specific challenges, it is important to understand the language demands of this content area, the typical writing requirements, and the language expectations of historical discourse. History uses language is specialized ways, so it can be challenging for students to construct responses to historical events. It is only through a focus on these specialized ways of presenting and constructing historical content that students will see how language is used to construe particular contexts. This book provides the results of a qualitative study that investigated the language resources that 8th and 11th grade students drew on to write an exposition and considered the role of writing in school history. The study combined a functional linguistic analysis of student writing with educational considerations in the underresearched content area of history. Data set consisted of writing done by students who were English language learners and other culturally and linguistically diverse students from two school districts in California. The book is an investigation of expository school history writing and teachers’ expectations for this type of writing. School history writing refers to the kind of historical writing expected of students at the pre-college levels.




Linguistic Justice


Book Description

Bringing together theory, research, and practice to dismantle Anti-Black Linguistic Racism and white linguistic supremacy, this book provides ethnographic snapshots of how Black students navigate and negotiate their linguistic and racial identities across multiple contexts. By highlighting the counterstories of Black students, Baker-Bell demonstrates how traditional approaches to language education do not account for the emotional harm, internalized linguistic racism, or consequences these approaches have on Black students' sense of self and identity. This book presents Anti-Black Linguistic Racism as a framework that explicitly names and richly captures the linguistic violence, persecution, dehumanization, and marginalization Black Language-speakers endure when using their language in schools and in everyday life. To move toward Black linguistic liberation, Baker-Bell introduces a new way forward through Antiracist Black Language Pedagogy, a pedagogical approach that intentionally and unapologetically centers the linguistic, cultural, racial, intellectual, and self-confidence needs of Black students. This volume captures what Antiracist Black Language Pedagogy looks like in classrooms while simultaneously illustrating how theory, research, and practice can operate in tandem in pursuit of linguistic and racial justice. A crucial resource for educators, researchers, professors, and graduate students in language and literacy education, writing studies, sociology of education, sociolinguistics, and critical pedagogy, this book features a range of multimodal examples and practices through instructional maps, charts, artwork, and stories that reflect the urgent need for antiracist language pedagogies in our current social and political climate.




Developing Language and Literacy in English across the Secondary School Curriculum


Book Description

This book draws on original research and a language based pedagogy approach to examine how secondary schools in the UK can devise and implement coherent language and literacy across curriculum policies and strategies, so that grammar and associated metalanguage becomes an integral part of their day to day curriculum practices. The research was undertaken in three 11 to 18 secondary schools in England, where the majority of students are categorised as having English as a second language (EAL), and where a significant minority are also socially disadvantaged in two of the three. The author argues that paying explicit attention to the linguistic structures through which subject knowledge is realised can be of benefit to all pupils in ways that are also socially just and democratic. This book provides an important bridge between academic theory and educational practice that will appeal to applied linguists and sociolinguists, as well as to teachers, teacher trainers and practitioners.




Writing about Quantitative Research in Applied Linguistics


Book Description

With increasing pressure on academics and graduate students to publish in peer reviewed journals, this book offers a much-needed guide to writing about and publishing quantitative research in applied linguistics. With annotated examples and useful resources, this book will be indispensable to graduate students and seasoned researchers alike.




Developing Writers in Higher Education


Book Description

For undergraduates following any course of study, it is essential to develop the ability to write effectively. Yet the processes by which students become more capable and ready to meet the challenges of writing for employers, the wider public, and their own purposes remain largely invisible. Developing Writers in Higher Education shows how learning to write for various purposes in multiple disciplines leads college students to new levels of competence. This volume draws on an in-depth study of the writing and experiences of 169 University of Michigan undergraduates, using statistical analysis of 322 surveys, qualitative analysis of 131 interviews, use of corpus linguistics on 94 electronic portfolios and 2,406 pieces of student writing, and case studies of individual students to trace the multiple paths taken by student writers. Topics include student writers’ interaction with feedback; perceptions of genre; the role of disciplinary writing; generality and certainty in student writing; students’ concepts of voice and style; students’ understanding of multimodal and digital writing; high school’s influence on college writers; and writing development after college. The digital edition offers samples of student writing, electronic portfolios produced by student writers, transcripts of interviews with students, and explanations of some of the analysis conducted by the contributors. This is an important book for researchers and graduate students in multiple fields. Those in writing studies get an overview of other longitudinal studies as well as key questions currently circulating. For linguists, it demonstrates how corpus linguistics can inform writing studies. Scholars in higher education will gain a new perspective on college student development. The book also adds to current understandings of sociocultural theories of literacy and offers prospective teachers insights into how students learn to write. Finally, for high school teachers, this volume will answer questions about college writing.




Discourse and Context in Language Teaching


Book Description

Recommends that language teachers incorporate discourse and pragmatics in their teaching if they wish to implement a communicative approach in their classrooms. The authors show how a discourse perspective can enhance the teaching of traditional areas of linguistic knowledge and language skills.




Feedback in Second Language Writing


Book Description

This collection of scholarly articles by leading researchers offers empirical data and analysis of complex issues related to providing feedback during the writing process.