Relationship between second language writing ability and linguistic traits: Focusing on the type and validity of indices

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00781
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02100:Foreign language education-related
• Research Institution: Nagoya University (2023); Gifu City Women's College (2019-2022)
• Principal Investigator: Kojima Masumi 名古屋大学, 言語教育センター, 准教授 (40600549)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 金田 拓 帝京科学大学, 教育人間科学部, 講師 (10759905)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ライティング力 / メタ分析 / コンポーネント・スキルズ / 流暢性 / 複雑性 / 正確性 / 結束性 / ライティング評価

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The present study synthesized 103 studies and examined the correlation between second/foreign language (L2) writing performance and its textual features. Results indicated that fluency had the strongest correlation among objective measures, and content had the strongest among subjective measures. Participants' age, learning context, L1-L2 distance, scoring method, and measurement features were significant moderators for specific components.
Additionally, this study synthesized another set of 103 studies and conducted a meta-analysis on the correlational relationships between L2 writing performance and its component skills. Results showed that L2 reading and speaking proficiency had strong average correlations with L2 writing performance, followed by L2 linguistic knowledge (grammar, vocabulary, transcription, decoding). L2 proficiency, age, and certain measurement characteristics were significant moderators for specific components.

Free Research Field

外国語教育

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

自分の考えを外国語で表現できる実践的コミュニケーション能力の一環として、外国語学習者のライティングを指導・評価することは、今後ますます重要になると考えられる。ライティング評価に影響を与える言語特性やコンポーネント・スキルズが分かれば、教員がライティング指導や評価を行う際にどこを重視すればよいのかが分かり、有益である。本研究成果は、より良いライティング指導や評価に役立つと考えられる。また、本研究はこれまでにない包括的なL2ライティング力に関するメタ分析であり、複数の言語習得モデルや仮説を検証しているため、学術的な意義も大きい。