An Investigation of Productive Vocabulary in Upper Elementary: Corpus-Based Lexical Analysis of Grade 4 Learners' Expository Writing

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atmire.migration.oldid4306
dc.contributor.advisorRoessingh, Hetty
dc.contributor.authorWojtalewicz, Brock James
dc.contributor.committeememberRicento, Thomas
dc.contributor.committeememberHorst, Marlise
dc.date.accessioned2016-05-10T16:06:16Z
dc.date.available2016-05-10T16:06:16Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.date.submitted2016en
dc.description.abstractThis study investigated the lexical resources that a sample of Grade 4 learners (n = 259) used to fulfill an expository writing task. Compositions were evaluated by two raters using an assessment rubric, given holistic ratings, and assigned to groups representing four standards of writing proficiency (limited, adequate, proficient, and excellent). Next, vocabulary profiles were generated for the compositions with online software. Indices of lexical diversity and sophistication were gleaned, including the number of tokens, types, word families, and advanced types used in each composition. ANOVA revealed substantial differences in these indices among the four groups. All lexical indices examined were found to be strong predictors of writing proficiency. Lastly, medium-sized correlations were found between holistic ratings of compositions and learners’ English Language Arts scores on the Grade 3 Provincial Achievement Test written one year earlier. Implications for language pedagogy and policy are discussed within the context of elementary education.en_US
dc.identifier.citationWojtalewicz, B. J. (2016). An Investigation of Productive Vocabulary in Upper Elementary: Corpus-Based Lexical Analysis of Grade 4 Learners' Expository Writing (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/24914en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/24914
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11023/2995
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.facultyGraduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subjectEducation--Elementary
dc.subjectEducation--Tests and Measurements
dc.subject.classificationupper-elementaryen_US
dc.subject.classificationVocabularyen_US
dc.subject.classificationexpository writingen_US
dc.subject.classificationAssessmenten_US
dc.subject.classificationlexical proficiencyen_US
dc.titleAn Investigation of Productive Vocabulary in Upper Elementary: Corpus-Based Lexical Analysis of Grade 4 Learners' Expository Writing
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineEducational Research
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (MA)
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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