ERIC Number: EJ834854
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-May
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0922-4777
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Relationship between Measures of Vocabulary and Narrative Writing Quality in Second- and Fourth-Grade Students
Olinghouse, Natalie G.; Leaird, Jacqueline T.
Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, v22 n5 p545-565 May 2009
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between measures of written vocabulary and writing quality. Participants included 92 second-grade students and 101 fourth-grade students. Students completed two writing samples: one an experimenter-developed writing task and the other, a standardized assessment of writing quality. Research questions examined whether four vocabulary measures (vocabulary diversity, less frequent vocabulary, mean syllable length, number of polysyllabic words) demonstrated developmental differences, whether the vocabulary measures remained stable across two different writing prompts, and whether the vocabulary measures explained unique and shared variance beyond that explained by compositional length and compositional spelling. The results indicated that vocabulary diversity and less frequent vocabulary showed developmental differences across the two writing tasks. Vocabulary diversity was the only variable to remain stable across the two writing tasks. Commonality analysis revealed that vocabulary measures explained unique and shared variance in writing quality in all four models (2 grades and 2 writing prompts). Generally, vocabulary diversity was the most stable and consistent of the four vocabulary variables.
Descriptors: Evaluation Methods, Writing Processes, Educational Assessment, Measures (Individuals), Writing Tests, Vocabulary, Writing Instruction, Correlation, Grade 2, Grade 4
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Grade 2; Grade 4
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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