Analysis of the Article About The Students Writing Abilities - Research Paper Example

Quantitative Article Review Quantitative analysis includes designs, techniques and measures that offer discrete numerical or quantifiable data. This research design uses probability sampling to ensure representativeness of the sample. Some of the research designs which may be categorized as quantitative research are experimental designs, casual comparative research and correlation research among others. If a research study, yields quantifiable data then is a quantitative study (Best and Khan p. 78). Heather (p.289) conducted a study, on the Technical Adequacy of Curriculum-Based Measurement Passage Copying With Secondary School English Language Learners.

From the literature review, it reveals that passage copying measures can be used to test the student writing abilities. The main purpose of this study was, to investigate the validity and reliability of a passage copying measures that could be used to assess writing proficiency among secondary school English language learners. The target population was midwestern urban high school that has an enrollment of 1,276 students in Grades 9 through 12. The whole population were from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds.

The study participants were 57 students in 3 high school English as a second language classes taught by the same teacher (Heather p.209). The study participants copied four passages in total, two constructed, and two curriculum based. This design adapted from a larger study constructed to examine the validity and reliability of writing measures for English-fluent students. The constructed passages consisted of basic instructions. Passages constructed at a 4.3 grade level. On the other hand, curriculum based passages consisted of complex sentences with Flesch-Kincaid readability levels ranging from a 5.8 to 6.0 grade level.

The curriculum based passages picked from a third-grade text used in the district (Heather p.293). The copying task was completed after two days. The researcher compared the work to the original passage for; words written, words spelled correctly, and correct minus incorrect words. The criterion variables in the study were the teachers’ ratings, the Test of Emerging Academic English and the Minnesota Basic Skills Test. The study used criterion –related validity to assess the subjects behaviour in copying comprehensions (Heather p.294). Heather (p.297) Conducted descriptive analysis for each scoring procedure.

The researcher examined the Scoring procedures to determine which had sufficient alternate-form reliability. After which the researcher calculated the Pearson’s r or Spearman’s rho coefficients using the criterion measures (teacher ratings, MBST, TEAE, and TOWL–3) for sufficiently reliable procedures so as to determine their criterion validity. Maturation is one of the internal validity that might affect the results of the findings. The students may become intellectually enlightened or motivated within a short time and influence the research findings.

In other circumstances, they may get irritated or discouraged, and this will affect the study findings (Best and Khan p. 54). The findings of the study may not be reliable, because the study maily used Somali participants yet bilingual students are heterogeneous. These somali students used in the study did not have background knowledge in English; therefore could have copied the passage differently compared to those that have background knowledge in English. Lastly Type II error could occur because of the restricted range of scores in the analysis leading to the rejection of some scoring procedures used by the researcher (Heather p.298). The implications of the findings are; it will be easy for teachers to use passage copying task to test the students comprehension ability this is because it is not time consuming.

Teachers can also apply the technique because the task of passage copying can be applied to all levels of ELL. Lastly when critically observed some of the scoring procedures for the passages CWS and CW, CWS, CIWS seem to be adequate enough for comprehension testing (Heather p.211). Heather (p.299) noted that the use of measures over time to monitor writing development among the bilingual students is questionable. Frequent monitoring, may help teachers modify their instructional methods, and this in turn, will help students develop writing skills.

However, passage copying does not provide evidence of the students writing abilities, and it is mainly useful as a, grouping, screening or progress monitoring tool. Therefore, more research still needs to be conducted in order to determine that these results are valid for testing students writing abilities. Works cited Best, John and Khan, Vincent. Research Methods Qualitative and Quantitative. New York:Approaches African Century foR Techonology Studies. 2008. Heather, Campbell. The Technical Adequacy of Curriculum-Based Measurement Passagem Copying With Secondary School English Language Learners. LLC, St. Olaf Avenue, Northfield: Taylor & Francis Group.2010