Anja Riemenschneider, Zarah Weiß, Pauline Schröter, Walt Detmar Meurers
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The Interplay of Task Characteristics, Linguistic Complexity, and Language Proficiency in High‐Stakes English as a Foreign Language Writing
The linguistic characteristics of text productions depend on various factors, including individual language proficiency as well as the tasks used to elicit the production. To date, little attention has been paid to whether some writing tasks are more suitable than others to represent and differentiate students' proficiency levels. This issue is especially relevant in the context of high‐stakes language examinations. In this study, we investigated task effects in English as a foreign language (EFL) Abitur examinations, the high‐stakes test qualifying for higher education admission in Germany. Based on texts produced by 362 students, we examined (a) if and how student writings differ in their linguistic complexity and (b) if the EFL Abitur tasks are equally suited to differentiate the students' proficiency levels. We used a broad operationalization of linguistic complexity, including measures from various linguistic domains in the computational analysis of the texts. The results of our mixed‐effects models show that student texts differ in their linguistic complexity primarily by the functional needs of the task types employed (summary, analysis, and argumentation). Furthermore, writing tasks that demand high independence in language performance are best suited to differentiate between proficiency levels, which becomes especially evident in vocabulary choice and usage.
期刊介绍:
TESOL Quarterly, a professional, refereed journal, was first published in 1967. The Quarterly encourages submission of previously unpublished articles on topics of significance to individuals concerned with English language teaching and learning and standard English as a second dialect. As a publication that represents a variety of cross-disciplinary interests, both theoretical and practical, the Quarterly invites manuscripts on a wide range of topics, especially in the following areas: -psychology and sociology of language learning and teaching -issues in research and research methodology -testing and evaluation -professional preparation -curriculum design and development -instructional methods, materials, and techniques -language planning -professional standards Because the Quarterly is committed to publishing manuscripts that contribute to bridging theory and practice in our profession, it particularly welcomes submissions that address the implications and applications of research in, for example, -anthropology -applied and theoretical linguistics -communication education -English education, including reading and writing theory -psycholinguistics -psychology -first and second language acquisition -sociolinguistics The Quarterly prefers that all submissions be written in a style that is accessible to a broad readership, including those individuals who may not be familiar with the subject matter. TESOL Quarterly is an international journal. It welcomes submissions from English language contexts around the world.