A corpus-based comparison of syntactic complexity in NNS and NS university students’ writing

2013 ◽  
pp. 249-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyang Ai ◽  
Xiaofei Lu
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Syntactic Complexity

scholarly journals La valutazione della complessità sintattica nella classe di lingua

EL LE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ineke Vedder
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
University Students ◽  
Panel Discussion ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Argumentative Texts

This paper aims to investigate how language teachers perceive syntactic complexity in L2 writing and to what extent teachers’ judgments are related to current theoretical views in the research literature on Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Sixteen L2 teachers were asked to evaluate the syntactic complexity of a sample of argumentative texts written by L2 university students of Italian. In the panel discussion that followed, teachers discussed the motivations behind their assigned scores and the feedback they had proposed. The results revealed that teachers tended to focus primarily on accuracy and comprehensibility, and much less on syntactic complexity. Teachers’ reflections appeared to be only partly aligned with existing theoretical views on syntactic complexity in the SLA literature.

scholarly journals Investigating teachers’ perceptions of syntactic complexity in L2 academic writing

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Folkert Kuiken ◽  
Ineke Vedder
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Panel Discussion ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Teachers Perspectives ◽  
Argumentative Texts

This paper aims to investigate how L2 teachers perceive syntactic complexity in L2 writing, and to what extent teachers’ judgements are related to current theoretical views. The main reason for conducting the study is that the majority of studies that have investigated the development of syntactic complexity in L2 have been grounded in hypothesis-testing research; few studies, however, have explored whether teachers’ perspectives on syntactic complexity reflect the development of syntactic complexity as hypothesised in the SLA literature. Two groups of language teachers (eleven of L2-Dutch and sixteen of L2-Italian) were asked to evaluate individually the syntactic complexity of a sample of argumentative texts written by L2 university students of, respectively, Dutch and Italian. In the panel discussion that followed, teachers discussed their motivation behind their assigned scores and the feedback they had proposed. The results revealed that teachers tended to focus primarily on accuracy and comprehensibility. When their comments were concerned with syntactic complexity, both similarities and differences (related to target language and writing context) emerged between Dutch and Italian. Teachers’ reflections appeared to be only partly aligned with existing theoretical views on syntactic complexity.

Eliciting Verbs From Children With Specific Language Impairment

1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 17-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Frome Loeb ◽  
Clifton Pye ◽  
Sean Redmond ◽  
Lori Zobel Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
Lexical Skills

The focus of assessment and intervention is often aimed at increasing the lexical skills of young children with language impairment. Frequently, the use of nouns is the center of the lexical assessment. As a result, the production of verbs is not fully evaluated or integrated into treatment in a way that accounts for their semantic and syntactic complexity. This paper presents a probe for eliciting verbs from children, describes its effectiveness, and discusses the utility of and problems associated with developing such a probe.

Viewing music videos: Emotion and viewer interpretation

2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan M. Preston ◽  
Michael Eden
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Emotional Content ◽  
Music Videos ◽  
Music Video ◽  
Mediating Factors ◽  
Comparative Media

Abstract. Music video (MV) content is frequently measured using researcher descriptions. This study examines subjective or viewers’ notions of sex and violence. 168 university students watched 9 mainstream MVs. Incidence counts of sex and violence involve more mediating factors than ratings. High incidents are associated with older viewers, higher scores for Expressivity, lower scores for Instrumentality, and with video orders beginning with high sex and violence. Ratings of sex and violence are associated with older viewers and lower scores for Instrumentality. For sex MVs, inexperienced viewers reported higher incidents and ratings. Because MVs tend to be sexier but less violent than TV and film, viewers may also use comparative media standards to evaluate emotional content MVs.

Emotion Appraisals Predict Neuroticism and Extraversion

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Andrew Comensoli ◽  
Carolyn MacCann
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
The State ◽  
The Relationship

The current study proposes and refines the Appraisals in Personality (AIP) model in a multilevel investigation of whether appraisal dimensions of emotion predict differences in state neuroticism and extraversion. University students (N = 151) completed a five-factor measure of trait personality, and retrospectively reported seven situations from the previous week, giving state personality and appraisal ratings for each situation. Results indicated that: (a) trait neuroticism and extraversion predicted average levels of state neuroticism and extraversion respectively, and (b) five of the examined appraisal dimensions predicted one, or both of the state neuroticism and extraversion personality domains. However, trait personality did not moderate the relationship between appraisals and state personality. It is concluded that appraisal dimensions of emotion may provide a useful taxonomy for quantifying and comparing situations, and predicting state personality.

Assessing Personality With Multi-Descriptor Items

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-125
Author(s):  
Johannes Schult ◽  
Rebecca Schneider ◽  
Jörn R. Sparfeldt
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Construct Validity ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Personality Inventory ◽  
The Other ◽  
Short Version ◽  
Big Five Inventory ◽  
Personality Inventories

Abstract. The need for efficient personality inventories has led to the wide use of short instruments. The corresponding items often contain multiple, potentially conflicting descriptors within one item. In Study 1 ( N = 198 university students), the reliability and validity of the TIPI (Ten-Item Personality Inventory) was compared with the reliability and validity of a modified TIPI based on items that rephrased each two-descriptor item into two single-descriptor items. In Study 2 ( N = 268 university students), we administered the BFI-10 (Big Five Inventory short version) and a similarly modified version of the BFI-10 without two-descriptor items. In both studies, reliability and construct validity values occasionally improved for separated multi-descriptor items. The inventories with multi-descriptor items showed shortcomings in some factors of the TIPI and the BFI-10. However, the other scales worked comparably well in the original and modified inventories. The limitations of short personality inventories with multi-descriptor items are discussed.

Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Among British Female University Students

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viren Swami ◽  
Angela Nogueira Campana ◽  
Rebecca Coles
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Ethnic Differences ◽  
Cosmetic Surgery ◽  
South Asians ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Lower Body ◽  
Body Appreciation ◽  
African Caribbean

Although patients of cosmetic surgery are increasingly ethnically diverse, previous studies have not examined ethnic differences in attitudinal dispositions toward cosmetic surgery. In the present study, 751 British female university students from three ethnic groups (Caucasians, South Asians, and African Caribbeans) completed measures of acceptance of cosmetic surgery, body appreciation, self-esteem, and demographic variables. Initial between-group analyses showed that Caucasians had lower body appreciation and self-esteem than Asian and African Caribbean participants. Importantly, Caucasians had higher acceptance of cosmetic surgery than their ethnic minority counterparts, even after controlling for body appreciation, self-esteem, age, and body mass index. Further analyses showed that ethnicity accounted for a small proportion of the variance in acceptance of cosmetic surgery, with body appreciation and self-esteem emerging as stronger predictors. Possible reasons for ethnic differences in acceptance of cosmetic surgery are discussed in Conclusion.

Challenging the Multidimensional Conception of Perceived Person-Environment Fit

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Julian M. Etzel ◽  
Gabriel Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Substantial Proportion ◽  
Unique Variance ◽  
First Order ◽  
Person Environment Fit ◽  
Order Factor

Abstract. In the current study, we examined the viability of a multidimensional conception of perceived person-environment (P-E) fit in higher education. We introduce an optimized 12-item measure that distinguishes between four content dimensions of perceived P-E fit: interest-contents (I-C) fit, needs-supplies (N-S) fit, demands-abilities (D-A) fit, and values-culture (V-C) fit. The central aim of our study was to examine whether the relationships between different P-E fit dimensions and educational outcomes can be accounted for by a higher-order factor that captures the shared features of the four fit dimensions. Relying on a large sample of university students in Germany, we found that students distinguish between the proposed fit dimensions. The respective first-order factors shared a substantial proportion of variance and conformed to a higher-order factor model. Using a newly developed factor extension procedure, we found that the relationships between the first-order factors and most outcomes were not fully accounted for by the higher-order factor. Rather, with the exception of V-C fit, all specific P-E fit factors that represent the first-order factors’ unique variance showed reliable and theoretically plausible relationships with different outcomes. These findings support the viability of a multidimensional conceptualization of P-E fit and the validity of our adapted instrument.

Authoritative Maternal Parenting Associates With the Explicit Need for Autonomy

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-116
Author(s):  
Jonathan E. Ramsay
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Parenting Style ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Perceived Parenting ◽  
Maternal Parenting ◽  
Retrospective Design ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Paternal Parenting ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Previous research suggests that parenting style influences the development of the needs for achievement, power, and affiliation. The present study investigated the relationship between parenting style and another important motive disposition – the need for autonomy – in a sample of Singapore university students ( N = 97, 69% female), using a cross-sectional and retrospective design. It was predicted that an authoritative perceived parenting style would relate positively to the implicit need for autonomy ( nAut), the explicit need for autonomy ( sanAut), and the congruence between these two motive dispositions. Authoritative maternal parenting was found to positively associate with sanAut, while maternal parenting was not found to associate with nAut, or with nAut/ sanAut congruence. Paternal parenting was not associated with any of the dependent variables.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document