Qualitative Adjectives in EFL Students’ Reflective Writing Essays

Tanju Deveci,Nader Ayish

doi:10.17323/jle.2020.10979

Tanju Deveci, Nader Ayish

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2020.10979

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Abstract

Qualitative adjectives are often used in expressive writing, including reflective writing. They express and (de)intensify feelings and emotions, thereby expressing stance. This study investigates the adjective profiles of 60 first-year EFL students’ reflective essays and compares male and female university students’ utilization of qualitative adjectives and those used as attitudinal stance markers. Data were collected from a reflective writing task after students participated in a seminar on effective listening. Analyses were conducted considering the General Service List (GSL), the Academic Word List (AWL), and words that do not appear in either of the preceding lists. The results indicated that qualitative adjectives accounted for 6% of the words in these reflective writing essays, and the male students used a greater number of adjectives than the female students. This difference, which was at a statistically significant level, likely stems from male students’ greater use of adjectives from the Academic Word Lists. The results also showed that 47.5% of the adjectives used in these essays were attitudinal. There was no statistically significant difference between the frequencies with which the male and the female students used these attitudinal adjectives. The results are discussed and recommendations are made to increase students’ effective use of adjectives in reflective writing.

Highlights

Adjectives are used to describe the qualities or attributes of nouns
The first research question aimed to describe the adjective profile of the student reflective writing essays and asked whether the female and the male students’ adjective profiles differed from each other
The results showed that qualitative adjectives accounted for only 6% of the students’ reflective writing essays

Summary

Introduction

Adjectives are used to describe the qualities or attributes of nouns. In this way, they point to the distinctions made between nouns. They point to the distinctions made between nouns Such is the place of adjectives in language that a sentence without adjectives provides information, but it does not say much (Murray, 2014). Adjectives are used to express attitude and stance. As such, they are utilized quite frequently in expressive writing, which encourages individuals to use verbal expressions on their thoughts and feelings about lived experiences (Beaumont, 2018). In addition to certain core skills such as description, critical analysis, self-awareness, and evaluation, reflective writing requires clear and concise articulation of thought processes, which necessitates the use of good written English (Handler, Handler, & Gill, 2011)

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