Writing Proficiency

Abstract The present field of view investigated the sentence-level breaks of freshmen students at threesome progression levels and the aspects of create verbally that raters stressed on dapple place the essays. It views delusions as valuable information for the avocation For teachers, as it clues them on students progress for look forers as it gives them valuable data as to how address is acquired or learned for scholars, as it enables them to consult on their cultivation.The data for the present charter is based on the data salt away for a previous training. One vitamin C fifty essays written by freshmen college students on their first week of classes in quintuplet private schools in Metro capital of the Philippines (30 for each participating school) were collect, word- regaleed, and subjected to paygrade and steganography or errors. Most of the findings of the present deal corroborate the findings of previous studies on error analysis and essay evaluation that sentence-level errors bear a significant role in essay tally.The raters still demand the grammar truth model when checking essays, although it is just considered arcminuteary to other aspects of makeup such(prenominal) as the qualification to address the prompt and organize the ideas logically. launch atomic number 18as of Writing Research Writing teachers and researchers have always set their teaching and research lenses on the variables that describe successful s language piece vis-a-vis unprofitable writing.Because of this preoccupation, a plethora of research has been undertaken as regards the role of L1 in L2 Writing (Cumming, 1990 Krapels, 1991), L2 writers characteristics and improvement (Hirose & Sasaki, 1994 Victori, 1999 Deane et al, 2008), L2 writing process/strategies (Arndt, 1987 Becker, 2003), L2 writing feedback/evaluation (Ferris, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003 Goldstein, 2001, 2005) L2 writing instruction (Zhang & Zhou, 2002 Liu, 2003 Chen, 2005 Coombe & Bar downhearted, 2004) and L2 writers texts (Zhang, 1997 Hinkel, 1997 Hirose, 2003).In the analysis of L2 writers texts, researchers focus on the rhetorical and linguistic features that impact essay pull ahead in different linguistic backcloths (Becker, 2010 Gustilo, 2011). These studies be significant in that they help us in understanding the complex factors that be unspoilt and slight proficient writing. strain on Essay Evaluation In assessing essays, what do raters consider as to a greater extent proficient and less proficient writing? Studies have established that factors such as meat, rhetorical strategy or linguistic (grammar, spelling, vocabulary) and non-linguistic features (organization, style, content, etc. can separate less proficient and much proficient writing. These factors, however, ar weighed differently by raters depending on their background and experience (Kobayashi, n. d. Weltig, n. d. , Cumming et al. , 2002). According to Weltig, ESL (English as seco nd language), EFL (English as foreign language), and ENL (English as native language) raters weigh the aspects of writing differently. On the one hand, the ENL raters put more thrust on the non-language aspects (grammar and mechanics) and consider language-related issues as secondary in judging essays.On the other, ESL and EFL raters focus more on language erro erroneousness summary As a corollary to this wildness on essay evaluation, there is no wonder why al or so inextricable in the analysis of L2 texts is the focus on errors that learners make in relation to their writing performance (Sarfraz, 2011 Sattayatham & Honsa, 2007 Kitao & Kitao, 2000). Previous studies have indicated that errors do significantly affect raters evaluation of the boilersuit quality of essays. For instance, Sweedler-Brown (1993) attributed the low lashings of L2 essays for the master than for the corrected essays to sentence-level errors.Kobayashi and Rinnert (1993) found that the very(prenominal) ess ays gained higher(prenominal)(prenominal) overall holistic scores when the errors were corrected. Kobayashi (n. d. ) to a fault found that language use errors and coherence breaks influenced the English teachers (both native speaker and Nipponese teachers) judgment in terms of content and clarity but not the Japanese university students judgments. The error-free essays were praised as very good, but the error-laden essays were penalized with low scores. Terms and Definitions of Errors Making errors is one of the most unavoidable things in the orld. In language acquisition, learning, and teaching, error has been referred to and has been defined in many another(prenominal) ways. Catalan (n. d. ) reviewed the terms and definitions of error in Error Studies and consolidated these definitions using the communicatory event frame make for (addresser addressee code, average, and message and setting). From the stance of norm or well-formedness of a sentence, error is regarded as an infrin gement or passing of the code of the formal system of chat through which the message is conveyed (Catalan, n. . p. 66). Dulay, Burt, and Krashen (1982 p. 139 as cited in Catalan ) corroborates this definition by express that error is the flawed side of learner speech or writing that deviates from selected norm of mature language performance (p. 7). Errors argon alterations of the rules of the accepted norm and ar termed as appear errors which may be set ahead classified as omission errors, plus errors, misformation errors, wrong order, spelling error, systems error, and the like.Also the terms naked and covert errors (Corder, 1973, Faerch, 1984, & Medges, 1989 as cited in Catalan, n. d. ) may be added in the list. The former refers to errors that argon not observable within the summon but implied in the message, and the latter refers to those that are clearly identifiable in the surface (Catalan n. d. , p. 8). Benefits of Error Analysis Error Analysis (EA) is concerned wit h the analyses of the errors made by L2 learners by comparing the learners acquired norms with the target language norms and explaining the identify errors ( James, 1998).Stephen Pit Corders (1967) seminal work The Significance of Learners Errors has assumption EA a significant turn in that it views errors as valuable information for three beneficiaries for teachers, it clues them on the progress of the students for researchers, it provides evidence as to how language is acquired or learned for learners themselves, it gives them resources in order to learn (Corder, 1967 as cited in Maicusi, Maicusi, & Lopez, 2000, p. 170).With this approach errors are regarded as resources for learning and teaching rather than as flaws which express failure in the acquisition process and ,therefore, needs to be eradicated. Despite the criticisms against EA such as complete reliance on errors per se and not seeing the unanimous picture of the learners linguistic behaviour by looking also at the no nerrors (Gass & Selinker, 1994 Maicusi, Maicusi, & Lopez, 2000), EA has contributed comprehensively to Second Language Acquisition surmisal and second language writing instruction. reckon of the Study The present study aims at investigating the sentence-level rrors of freshmen students at three proficiency levels and the aspects of writing that raters focus on while rating the essays. Specifically, the present study aims at providing answers to the following research questions 1. Do writers with higher levels of writing proficiency commit the same errors that low proficiency writers do? 2. Are there significant differences in the absolute frequency of errors committed by low, mid, and high proficient writers? 3. Which of these errors significantly decrease essay scores? 4. What aspects of writing that affect essay scores did the raters focus on while rating the essays?Method The Essays The data for the present study is based on the data collected for a previous study. One snow f ifty essays written by freshmen college students on their first week of classes in fivesome private schools in Metro manilla (30 for each participating school) were collected, wordprocessed, and subjected to rating and secret writing or errors. Rating Three autarkic raters who are trained ESL teachers rated the essays using a holistic scale patterned subsequently the TOEFL writing section and SAT leveling guides (Gustilo, 2011). Kendalls Tau coefficient of concordance (. 71, p