Written Communication as an Object of Comparative Research

Abstract

In this paper, we will give a brief account of an ongoing international study of written composition, the IEA Written Composition Study. Fourteen systems of education (Chile, England, Federal Republic of Germany [Hamburg], Finland, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sweden, Thailand, the United States, Wales) are collaborating on the project. A large set of writing tasks has been presented in some countries to one population of students, in some to two, and in some to all three populations, representing the end of primary education (population A), the end of compulsory education (population B), and the preuniversity year (population C). The recommended minimum sample sizes were 50 classes for populations A and C and 100 for population B. The purpose of this article is to explore how this study was able to examine written composition comparatively. We will first place the study within its larger context. Such an analysis of the context was used to outline three alternative approaches that the study might have taken. After that, we shall describe the aims of the project, its design, and its scope. We will give particular emphasis to the tasks and to the scoring procedures. We will also present some results obtained during the early stages of the project. It must be emphasized that this article is not the official or complete presentation of the IEA Written Composition Study. We have chosen to highlight some aspects of the study and have added some personal reflections and interpretations.