Writing Proficiency

Abstract The present study investigated the sentence-level actus reuss of freshmen students at three technique levels and the aspects of committal to written material that raters focused on age rate the testifys. It views errors as expensive information for the following For teachers, as it clues them on students progress for researchers as it gives them of import selective information as to how terminology is acquired or learned for learners, as it enables them to contrive on their learning.The data for the present study is based on the data collected for a previous study. One hundred litre essays pen by freshmen college students on their first week of classes in cardinal nonpublic schools in Metro Manila (30 for each participating school) were collected, word-processed, and subjected to rating and cryptography or errors. Most of the findings of the present study corroborate the findings of previous studies on error analysis and essay military rankthat sentence-level errors have a operative role in essay score.The raters still have the grammar accuracy moulding when checking essays, although it is just considered secondary to other aspects of theme such as the susceptibility to address the prompt and organize the ideas logically. Introduction Areas of write Research Writing teachers and researchers have always set their teaching and research lenses on the variables that pick out successful second oral communication writing vis-a-vis unsuccessful 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 authors characteristics and advancement (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 & Barlow, 2004) and L2 writers t exts (Zhang, 1997 Hinkel, 1997 Hirose, 2003).In the analysis of L2 writers texts, researchers focus on the rhetorical and linguistic features that concussion essay scores in different linguistic backgrounds (Becker, 2010 Gustilo, 2011). These studies are noneworthy in that they help us in understanding the complex factors that underlie proficient and little proficient writing. Emphasis on Essay military rank In assessing essays, what do raters consider as more proficient and little proficient writing? Studies have established that factors such as content, rhetorical strategy or linguistic (grammar, spelling, vocabulary) and non-linguistic features (organization, style, content, etc. can separate less proficient and more proficient writing. These factors, however, are 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 second language), EFL (English as irrelev ant language), and ENL (English as native language) raters weigh the aspects of writing differently. On the whizz 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 break Analysis As a corollary to this emphasis on essay evaluation, there is no wonder why almost 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 satisfyingly affect raters evaluation of the overall quality of essays. For instance, Sweedler-Brown (1993) attributed the low scores of L2 essays for the original than for the corrected essays to sentence-level errors.Kobayashi and Rinnert (1993) rig that the same essays gained higher overall holistic scores when the errors we re corrected. Kobayashi (n. d. ) also implant that language use errors and coherence breaks influenced the English teachers (both native speaker and Japanese 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 qualification 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 ways. Catalan (n. d. ) reviewed the terms and definitions of error in Error Studies and consolidated these definitions using the communicative event framework (addresser addressee code, norm, and content and setting). From the perspective of norm or well-formedness of a sentence, error is regarded as an misdemeanour or deviation of the code of the formal system of communication through and through which the mess age is conveyed (Catalan, n. . p. 66). Dulay, Burt, and Krashen (1982 p. 139 as cited in Catalan ) corroborates this definition by reflection that error is the flawed side of learner speech or writing that deviates from selected norm of mature language performance (p. 7). Errors are alterations of the rules of the accepted norm and are termed as surface errors which may be further classified advertisement as omission errors, addition errors, misformation errors, wrong order, spelling error, systems error, and the like.Also the terms explicit and covert errors (Corder, 1973, Faerch, 1984, & Medges, 1989 as cited in Catalan, n. d. ) may be added in the list. The cause refers to errors that are not observable within the surface 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 with the analyses of the errors made by L2 learners by comparing the le arners acquired norms with the target language norms and explaining the identified errors ( James, 1998).Stephen Pit Corders (1967) germinal work The Significance of Learners Errors has given 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 connote 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 full-page picture of the learners linguistic behaviour by looking also at the nonerrors (Gass & Selinker, 1994 Maicusi, Maicusi, & Lopez, 2000), EA has contributed comprehensively to Second Language Acquisition Theory and second language writing instruction. Aim of the Study The present study aims at canvas the sentence-level rrors of freshmen students at three improvement levels and the aspects of writing that raters focus on sequence 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 frequency of errors act 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 hundred fifty essays written by freshmen college students on their first week of classes in five priva te schools in Metro Manila (30 for each participating school) were collected, wordprocessed, and subjected to rating and coding or errors. Rating Three independent raters who are adroit ESL teachers rated the essays using a holistic scale patterned after the TOEFL writing section and SAT scoring guides (Gustilo, 2011). Kendalls Tau coefficient of concordance (. 71, p