English Composition Research Articles

‘Righting’ the wrong: Text revision in ESL students’ composing processes in senior high schools in Greater Accra, Ghana

Revision is a fundamental strategy in second language learners’ text composition primarily because it guarantees congruence between these learners’ translated texts and their writing intentions as they effortfully compose in a nonnative language. As such, as part of a larger study, the current research explores the revision behaviours of learners in English composition in senior high schools in Greater Accra, Ghana. Twenty-four students were purposively sampled to write a timed argumentative essay under think-aloud conditions. The data were analysed using Conijn et al.'s (2021) tagset of revision as an analytical framework. The findings show unique and general characteristics of the trigger, spatial location, sequence, orientation, evaluation, action and linguistic domains of the students’ revision behaviours. Also, the findings reveal significant weaknesses in the revision behaviours of the participants and offer insights into aspects of their overall composing competence. From the findings, English language teachers in Ghana are encouraged to adopt revision-strategy instruction and also develop the cognitive and metacognitive skills of their students.

Data Mining Technology Helps Digital Teaching and Learning of English Majors in Colleges and Universities

Abstract The use of information technology in the teaching of English majors in colleges and universities enriches the teaching means, especially the data mining technology that optimizes the digital teaching method. In this paper, starting from English writing, based on the functional requirements of writing training, we constructed a writing training process and utilized the NMF method to mine and decompose the English news text topics. In conjunction with the writing training, the data mining technology centered on the Rete algorithm was used to carry out automatic diagnosis of English composition on the basis of natural language processing. On the basis of mining and analyzing the English news text, the effect of English writing scoring was compared, and its enhancement effect on English composition was verified through controlled tests. The average writing score of the experimental group was 19.62, of which the full score was 25. The mean writing score of the control group is 16.38, which is 3.24 points lower than that of the experimental group. Significance Sig.=0.0004<0.05, P=0.025<0.05, there is a significant difference in the English proficiency of the two groups of students. Data mining technology enhances the language proficiency of students in English writing.

The Role of English Language and Literature in the Cultivation of Students’ Language Proficiency in the Context of Deep Learning

Abstract In this paper, the PSO-LSTM algorithm is used to construct a model for evaluating students’ language proficiency, and the improvement of the acceleration factor and inertia weights is used to adjust the influence of the individual optimal position and the global optimal position in the speed update. For model performance judgment after optimization of LSTM hyperparameters, the PSO fitness function is replaced by MAPE and MSE functions. Finally, the student’s English composition texts were used as experimental parameters and input into the language proficiency evaluation model to verify the model performance and analyze the influence of English language literature on language proficiency. The results show that English language literature is effective in predicting 18.55% of the variance in English proficiency level for self-efficacy, 8.17% of the variance in English proficiency level for language attitude, and 0.47% of the variance in English proficiency level for learning anxiety, which indicates that English language literature has a significant effect on students’ English proficiency. This paper investigates the role mechanism of the English language and literature in the cultivation of student’s English proficiency, which provides a theoretical reference for the reform of English teaching in colleges and universities.

A Study of the Effectiveness of Corpus-Assisted Collocation Teaching on Improving College Students’ English Writing Ability Based on Random Matrix Theory

Abstract This paper presents a semantic analysis of corpus-assisted collocation teaching based on the random matrix theory, taking into account the characteristics of the computer corpus. The construction of a word-document matrix is based on the potential semantic analysis of the corpus and the intrinsic relationships between words and documents. The aggregation and combination relations of collocation, i.e., the lexicon of word meanings, are used to calculate affirmative sentence similarity, incorporating dependent syntactic and semantic analysis. The error analysis method was applied to the teaching of collocations to analyze the common types of errors and the variability of writing errors in English writing and to discuss the correlation between the performance of English composition and the number of collocations used. The correlation coefficient between composition scores and the number of collocations in compositions was 0.924, and the composition scores of college students had a positive linear relationship with the number of collocations.

A Systematic Review of Interventions Improving University Students’ EFL Writing Competence

Writing competence in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is a critical skill for university students, as it affects their academic and career success. However, many EFL university students are not capable of writing English compositions and face considerable challenges in developing their writing skills. To address these challenges, various interventions have been proposed, yet few studies have integrated them in recent years. This study employed PRISMA guidelines to analyze forty-two empirical studies on interventions improving university students’ EFL writing competence based on peer-reviewed journals published between 2012 and 2022. The review identified the types of interventions, evaluated their effectiveness in improving students' writing competence, and provided recommendations for teachers and future researchers. Findings showed that teaching instruction, feedback, cooperative learning and modern technology were applied into teaching activities, which improved university students’ EFL writing competence to various degrees. Teachers are required to select suitable interventions or combine different interventions to help university students to effectively solve problems in English writing. Furthermore, the findings will make a contribution to understanding recent interventions in EFL writing instruction in university settings, providing a reference for educators to develop evidence-based practices to enhance university students’ EFL writing competence.

Writing on steroids? Accuracy of automatic corrective feedback in L2 competence development

The article examines the use of written corrective feedback by online grammar checkers as a tool for L2 competence development. While feedback on students’ writing is considered an instrumental part in their learning process, providing comprehensive feedback may not always be possible. Grammar checkers can therefore become an interesting tool to scaffold the students’ learning process as they promote self-directed learning. For the purposes of this study, a set of authentic EFL compositions in English (n=91; C1 CEFR) was subjected to a popular Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) system, Grammarly, in order to analyse the feedback provided, namely the types and frequency of errors and the level of accuracy in error detection. The findings determine that, while grammar checkers may be useful as a complementary tool, they are developed with native speakers in mind, so the feedback does not always meet the EFL learners’ needs.

A systemic transformation of an arts and sciences curriculum to nurture inclusive excellence of all students through course-based research experiences

IntroductionWe describe herein a large-scale, multidisciplinary course-based undergraduate research experience program (CRE) developed at Lawrence Technological University (LTU). In our program, all students enrolled in CRE classes participate in authentic research experiences within the framework of the curriculum, eliminating self-selection processes and other barriers to traditional extracurricular research experiences.MethodsSince 2014, we have designed and implemented more than 40 CRE courses in our College of Arts and Sciences involving more than 30 instructors from computer science, mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, English composition, literature, philosophy, media communication, nursing, and psychology.ResultsAssessment survey data indicates that students who participate in CRE courses have an enhanced attitude towards research and discovery, as well as increased self-efficacy. This intervention is particularly relevant for non-traditional students, such as students who commute and/or have significant work or childcare commitments, who often experience limited access to research activities.DiscussionHerein we highlight the importance of a systemic institutional change that has made this intervention sustainable and likely to outlast the external funding phase. Systemic change can emerge from a combination of conditions, including: (1) developing a critical mass of CRE courses by providing instructors with both incentives and training; (2) developing general principles on which instructors can base their CRE activities; (3) securing and maintaining institutional support to promote policy changes towards a more inclusive institution; and (4) diversifying the range of the intervention, both in terms of initiatives and disciplines involved.

Exploring Innovative Strategies for Teaching English to College Students Based on Data Mining Theory

Abstract This paper suggests a J2EE framework-based online intelligent diagnostic assessment scheme. The system has the capabilities of teaching, diagnosis, testing, and feedback as auxiliary teaching software through the automated alteration of subjective and objective questions and the individualized design of diagnostic results. Combined with the characteristics of English composition, the research focuses on the use of the shortest editing distance, cosine vector space, regular matching and other techniques to automate the composition correction and diagnosis, which not only realizes the final scoring of subjective questions but also the diagnostic report can provide students with personalized comments, precisely give the strengths and weaknesses in terms of knowledge points, as well as the analysis chart of knowledge points, scores and ability values of previous exams. In this paper, when evaluating the system with teacher ratings, the overall mistake rate for class essays was 9.0% when the similarity criterion S=0.2 was employed. For individuals and classes passing the test, the error was within 10%, and the score difference was within 2 points. Finally, the common errors of students in English writing were detected, with grammar errors accounting for 58.2%, vocabulary errors for 26.7%, and essay errors for 15.1%. Therefore, this system can make a good contribution to the teaching reform of English and achieve a real reduction of the burden for teachers and students.

Curriculum development for translingual orientation: Teaching poetry writing in first-year Composition Courses


 This study offers insights on developing poetry writing assignment in first-year composition courses for translingual orientation. Through a close examination of semi-structured interviews and students’ poems, the study aims to evaluatethe effectiveness of the teaching of poetry writing as translingual pedagogy in college English composition courses for both monolingual and multilingual students. Five monolingual and five multilingual students in this project experienced a three-week curriculum design to compose their poetry project in two different sections. The interview data shows that both monolingual and multilingual students acknowledge positive traits about the translingual pedagogy through a poetry writing assignment toward the end of the semester. The data also demonstrates that five monolingual students in this study value this poetry writing assignment with its invitation for being free and self-expressive, while the five multilingual students stress the practical outcomes, such as a personal breakthrough, poetry book as a concrete record of their life, or negotiation experiences. Furthermore, the study provides implications for developing curriculum design to enact translingual pedagogy based on students’ perceived difficulties and struggles. 

The effect of collaborative prewriting on L2 collaborative writing production and individual L2 writing development

Abstract This study investigates the effect of collaborative prewriting on L2 collaborative writing production and individual L2 writing development. The participants were 51 university EFL students from two English composition classes. One class (n = 26) was the collaborative prewriting (CP) group, and the other was the non-collaborative prewriting (NCP) group (n = 25). Both groups participated in individual pre- and post-test writing and two collaborative expository essay writing tasks via Google Docs. The CP group engaged in collaborative prewriting before the collaborative writing tasks, whereas the NCP group did not. Learners’ pre- and post-test writing was evaluated for content quality, organization, linguistic complexity, and accuracy. Learner collaboration was analyzed for reflective versus non-reflective content-, organization-, and language-related episodes (CREs, OREs, LREs). LREs were further analyzed for resolution. The results showed that the learners who were engaged in collaborative prewriting produced collaborative expository essays with better content quality and organization, and made greater improvement in the content quality and organization of individual L2 writing. The findings were discussed in relation to the CREs, OREs, and LREs produced during collaborative prewriting and writing processes.

Features of Cameroon Francophone English in the Production of Bilingual Students

This paper examines the written production of bilingual Francophone students of tertiary level in Cameroon. The influence of French and local languages is observed in the free compositions in English, the second official language (SOL) of young Francophone Cameroonians. For this study, 47 informants were randomly selected and asked to write a 200-word essay in English. Selinker’s theory of Interlanguage was used as a framework for identifying, describing, and explaining the data. The findings reveal 167 instances of Interlanguage features, out of which 62 (37.1%) were from stabilisation, 57 (34.1%) from interference, 46 (27.5%) from overuse, and 2 (1.1%) from avoidance.

Semantic Coherence Analysis of English Texts Based on Sentence Semantic Graphs

With the reform of China's education industry, more and more universities are using computers to conduct examinations. For the automatic correction of essays as subjective questions, existing automatic English text scoring systems suffer from insufficient extraction of coherence information and low accuracy when analysing text coherence. Therefore, this paper proposes an unsupervised semantic coherence analysis model for English texts based on sentence semantic graphs, taking Chinese students' English compositions as the research context. Guided by the semantic coherence theory, the English text is represented as a sentence semantic graph, and an improved VF2 subgraph matching algorithm is used to mine the frequently occurring subgraph patterns in the sentence semantic graph. After that, the set of frequent subgraphs is generated by filtering the subgraph patterns according to their frequencies, and the subgraph frequency of each frequent subgraph is calculated separately. Finally, the distribution characteristics of frequent subgraphs and the semantic values of subgraphs in the sentence semantic graphs are extracted to quantify the overall coherence quality of English texts. The experimental results show that the model proposed in this paper has higher accuracy and practical value compared with the current methods of coherence analysis.

Performance analysis of a novel hybrid deep learning approach in classification of quality-related English text

Text classification technique is advancing rapidly alongside AI technology, showing signs of maturity. Moreover, there are always many unrestricted constraints that text classification must deal with in practical settings. English text is indeed a significant component of textual data and a significant source of data for persons seeking data from other countries. This study enhances the text classification method currently in use using text classification depending upon English quality. By using an illustration of English quality-related text classification systems, the concept as well as execution of text classification systems is demonstrated, concluding the study on text classification algorithms. The main task of this article is to categorize, and analyze huge volumes of information in English text using technique of integrating qualitative. Therefore, the fundamental components of superior English compositions are attained using Lion Optimization Algorithm (LOA). Convolutional Neural Network-Long Short Term Memory (CNN-LSTM) is utilized to classify the obtained texts. If there is a lot of training input, the typical English text classification method can easily display flaws like ambiguous characteristic elements. In light of such issues, the research suggests a quality-related English text classification approach based on convolutional neural network in order to enhance the precision and adaptability of English text classification.

EFL adolescent learners’ perceptions of digital multimodal composing tasks and task outcomes: A longitudinal study

AbstractAlthough the value of digital multimodal composing (DMC) in language learning is being increasingly recognized, longitudinal studies focusing on second language (L2) students’ DMC practices are scarce. To fill the gap, this multi‐case study aimed to explore English as a foreign language adolescent learners’ evolving perceptions of the role of DMC tasks in English learning and the relationship between the quality of DMC task outcomes and learners’ perceptions over 7 months. Eight DMC tasks were implemented in an English composition class, and perceptions and task outcomes of three focal participants were tracked over time. Data were collected from multiple sources, such as a learner background questionnaire, a digital literacy questionnaire, semi‐structured interviews, reflection surveys, and the scores of students’ DMC tasks. Findings indicate that although all three participants acknowledged a beneficial role of DMC practices, each participant's perception exhibited different patterns over time: two kept the similar perceptions (negative and positive for each) and one showed a change in her perceptions (negative to positive). Results suggest that this difference could be attributed to various factors, including perceived level of digital literacy, the ongoing learning experience with DMC tasks, and understanding of multimodality. Regarding the relationship between the quality of DMC outcomes and students’ perceptions, although all three learners tended to perform better on their tasks over time, participants’ attitudes seemed to mediate the quality of DMC products. Pedagogical implications of the study are discussed in light of important considerations when implementing DMC tasks in L2 classrooms.

Crosslinguistic influence on spelling in written compositions: Evidence from English-Spanish dual language learners in primary grades

We investigated spelling errors in English and Spanish essays by Spanish-English dual language learners in Grades 1, 2, and 3 (N = 278; 51% female) enrolled in either English immersion or English-Spanish dual immersion programs. We examined what types of spelling errors students made, whether they made spelling errors that could be due to crosslinguistic influence, and whether errors were associated with instructional program, English learner status, and grade level. Compositions were transcribed and coded using the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) software. Spelling errors were suggestive of crosslinguistic influence that was mostly unidirectional from one language to the other rather than bidirectional. Spelling errors were related to instructional program such that students in Spanish-English dual immersion made more English spelling errors in English compositions due to Spanish influence, and students in English immersion made more spelling errors in Spanish compositions due to English influence. Students in higher grades also made less English spelling errors in English compositions due to Spanish influence than students in lower grades. These findings suggest that dual language learners acquire spelling patterns in one language influenced by instruction and home language, which transfers to spelling in the other language.

STUDENTS’ COMPETENCE IN COMPOSITION WRITING: BASIS FOR A PROPOSED INTERVENTION STRATEGY PLAN

This study aimed to determine the students competence in writing English compositions in terms of their content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics components; their strengths and weaknesses in writing; intervention strategy plan that could be proposed; and the implications of the findings to the teaching of English writing. To find out their writing competence along with the five components, the students were asked to write descriptive essays that were rated independently by three English teachers using the ESL Composition Profile designed by Jacobs et. al. (1981). The descriptive quantitative-qualitative research design was used to obtain pertinent data. A case study was conducted to get the desired qualitative data that supplemented and strengthened the statistical data gathered. The results of the study revealed that majority of the students were described as 'good to average' in terms of their descriptive essay content; 'excellent to 'very good' in organization; 'good to average' in vocabulary; 'excellent to very good' in language use; and ‘good to average’ in mechanics.

Validating an Automated System of Evaluation for English Drafting Skill: A Case of Large-scale, High-stakes Selection of Entry-level Managerial Positions

The effectiveness of using a constructed response measure for assessing drafting ability is proven and has been used extensively in managerial selection in state-owned organizations. With the advent of online recruitment trends and technology-enhanced assessments, automated scoring has been conceived as a replacement for human scoring with the purpose of emulating the human scoring system. In the context of large-scale writing assessments, automated scoring could provide superior results to human scoring in terms of validity and reliability. In the present study, an attempt has been made to validate an automated essay scoring (AES) algorithm. The study was conducted on a sample of 11,497 randomly selected from a population of 54,392 shortlisted candidates for a national-level examination for the selection of entry-level executives in managerial positions in state-owned banks and a state-owned insurance company. The evaluation of the descriptive (constructed response) component of the examination (English composition) was carried out parallelly by four expert human raters and the AES algorithm. The parameters for evaluation were devised and made available to raters and the algorithm. Data were analysed using mean SD and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results show that the mean scores of human expert raters ( M = 14.648) and automated algorithm method ( M = 15.804) were similar. Further analysis was also undertaken to check the convergent validity of the features used in the algorithm by examining the relation of algorithm scores with sub scores from the objective test of the same construct. Results indicate a significant correlation. It can thus be said that the algorithm scoring method developed can be considered a replacement in that it can complement human expert raters in the evaluation of descriptive papers with consistent scoring and fairness, without inherent biases of inter-rater and intra-rater variation, in addition to practical benefits of speed and cost.

Paragraph Organization Errors in the Writing of Pakistani College-Going Students: An Error Analysis Study

Writing something worthy of reading in a foreign language is a challenging task. Students learning English as a foreign or a second language suffer most in writing especially in paragraph writing. Although studies have been conducted to explore language errors in English composition of Pakistani students, paragraph organization errors have received little attention. Therefore, this study investigated errors in the unity, development, and coherence in the paragraphs written by Pakistani college students. Besides, the study also explored the factors that cause errors in the paragraphs. In this regard, writing samples of purposively selected 20 college participants were analyzed using error analysis classification by Liu and Wang (2011). Thereafter, five participants were interviewed individually through semi-structured interviews to explore factors that cause errors in the paragraphs of college students. The findings revealed that the students made most errors in paragraph unity, followed by paragraph development, and then paragraph coherence. Besides, the thematic analysis of the interviews revealed that cramming culture, excessive attention given to grammar and lack of quality feedback were the key factors that had affected the paragraph organization skills of these students. The study discusses implications for students and teachers.

Writing English Composition and Roundtable Teaching Technique

Roundtable is a technique that consists of two-step cooperative learning structures. In step one, the teacher asks a question with many possible answers, and in step two the students respond in turn to make a list of possible answers for the questions. Writing composition is an advanced process that allows writers to explore thoughts and ideas and make them visible and concrete. It is a form of thinking . Although, the brains process ideas in different ways: mathematically, musically and visually; the use of language is the basis of all thinking (Nazario et al ,2010:5) . This research sheds light on the importance of using roundtable technique in teaching writing composition for EFL students. It consists of three sections: section one is related to writing composition, section two deals with the skill of English composition, and section three is related to Roundtable technique. Finally, the researcher ends up with some conclusions

Analysis of Errors in English Argumentative Essays Written by Chinese University German Majors

Although many people choose to learn a third language as globalization advances, English still plays an important role in the world. However, the intervention of a third language makes the sources of errors in English composition more complex and diverse. Therefore, in order to summarize the main types and causes of errors in English writing among Chinese German college students, the author conducted an empirical study. The participants were 30 sophomores majoring in German from Northeastern University in China, with Chinese as their first language, English as a second language and German as a third language. They were asked to write an argumentative essay of about 200 words in English in 30 minutes. After collecting all the essays, the author interviewed 8 participants. According to the research of predecessors and the characteristics of student errors, the author divides errors into four levels: substance errors, lexical errors, grammatical errors, and discourse errors. Each of these error types contains subcategories. According to statistics, there were a total of 260 errors in the sample, of which grammatical errors accounted for the highest proportion, accounting for 39.7%, followed by substance errors, accounting for 27.1%, and errors of misspelling occurred the most. Combined with interviews, it is found that the main causes of errors include L1 Chinese transfer, L3 German transfer, L2 English intralingual transfer, students' fear of English writing, and negative attitude towards teacher’s feedback. Finally, according to the research results, this paper summarizes some implications of English teaching for Chinese German college students.