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" Argumentative writing by Arab learners of English as a foreign and second language: "
G. W. Kamel
D. J. Tannacito
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1112753
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| Doc. No
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TLpq303826799
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| Main Entry
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D. J. Tannacito
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G. W. Kamel
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| Title & Author
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Argumentative writing by Arab learners of English as a foreign and second language:\ G. W. KamelD. J. Tannacito
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| College
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Indiana University of Pennsylvania
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| Date
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1989
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| student score
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1989
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| Degree
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Psy.D.
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| Page No
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152
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| Abstract
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This dissertation reports the results of a quasi-experimental study in which 44 EFL/ESL Arab learners performed a three part task: Composing an argumentative essay in Arabic, composing an argumentative essay in English and taking the Michigan Placement Test Form (A). Arabic and English essays were subsequently analyzed by trained native speaker raters, graduate students at the masters and doctoral levels, employing three measures: Hunt's (1965) T-unit analysis; Rafoth's (1984) audience adaptation measure; and Toulmin's (1958) layout of argument analysis. The results indicate that the participants significantly produced more T-units, more audience adaptation units, and more claims, data, and warrants in their native language than in the target language, i.e., English. The results also indicate that the ESL group outperformed the EFL group when composing in the English language. Evidence for transfer at the stylistic, organizational or persuasive levels is not supported. Furthermore, positive and significant correlations exist between the participants' proficiency level in the target language and those learners' performance on the multiple dependent measures of the experiment, i.e., level of syntactic development, audience adaptation, and argument structure. For example, a positive and significant correlation is established between the total scores of the Michigan Placement Test Form (A) and the production of T-units in English: r =.46, and p <.016. Also the ESL participants' grammar scores correlated positively with the production of T-units: r =.54, and p <.004. Another correlation is established between the vocabulary scores of the ESL participants and those learners' production of claims in English: r =.40, and p usd The results of this study suggest that there are positive relationships between specific aspects of the ESL participants' experience (e.g., years of writing in the target language, maximum exposure to the target language, and intensive training in the target language) and those learners' performance in the target language. These results may be interpreted to show that rhetorical ability in second language writing is attributable to a combination of exposure, experience, and linguistic proficiency in the target language rather than to rhetoric transfer.
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Education
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Language arts
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Language, literature and linguistics
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Linguistics
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