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ERIC Number: EJ1330861
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Apr
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0922-4777
EISSN: N/A
Understanding Middle Graders' Language Borrowing: How Lexical and Demographic Characteristics Predict Similarity
Dobbs, Christina L.; Caselli, Naomi K.; Hartzell, Ethan; Flanagan, Coral; Yan, Yan
Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, v35 n4 p971-994 Apr 2022
Language borrowing from sources is a phenomenon used by developing writers as they are learning academic language, though there is much to be learned about how younger students borrow from sources. This study explores student writing, from a sample of 166 diverse middle graders, across topics to determine patterns in borrowing from instructional source texts. Computational techniques were used to identify borrowing, defined as similarity in pairs of sentences from student texts and instructional texts. Qualitative analyses of the sentence pairs that included borrowing showed that position statements, borrowed in part or whole, represent the majority of borrowing. Students also made superficial edits to sentences from instructional text by substituting or deleting words, but rarely adding words. Quantitative analyses of the sentence pairs revealed that more difficult words (longer, less frequent) were more likely to be borrowed. We found no differences in amounts of borrowing among students with varying English fluency levels (as measured by grade, standardized English test scores, and English language designation). Lastly, we examined whether borrowing was related to writing quality and found no effect. Using a unique combination of methodological approaches, we provide information about patterns of borrowing and point toward considerations of how students integrate instructional text into writing.
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A090555