Investigating the effects of reducing linguistic complexity on EAL student comprehension in first-year undergraduate assessments

Academic writing across disciplines is often linguistically complex, characterized by abstract ideas densely packed into nominal groups (Biber & Gray, 2010; Halliday & Martin, 1993; McCabe & Gallagher, 2008), along with infrequent lexis and content requiring specific cultural knowledge....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of English for academic purposes 2020-01, Vol.43, p.100804-11, Article 100804
Main Authors: Riccardi, Daniel, Lightfoot, Jennifer, Lam, Mark, Lyon, Katherine, Roberson, Nathan D., Lolliot, Simon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic writing
Assessment
Collaboration
College students
Complexity
Comprehension
EAP
English as a second language learning
English for academic purposes
First-year
Linguistic complexity
Linguistics
Multiple choice questions
Psychology
Questions
SFL
Sociology
Tests
Undergraduate
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Summary:Academic writing across disciplines is often linguistically complex, characterized by abstract ideas densely packed into nominal groups (Biber & Gray, 2010; Halliday & Martin, 1993; McCabe & Gallagher, 2008), along with infrequent lexis and content requiring specific cultural knowledge. This linguistic complexity presents a significant comprehension challenge, contributing to an increase in the performance gap between English as an additional language (EAL) students and their non-EAL peers (Abedi & Gándara, 2006). This study presents the outcome of a collaborative project between Psychology, Sociology, and EAP instructors teaching within a pathway program at a Canadian university combining first-year university courses with language-linked EAP courses. One key outcome of this collaboration has been greater awareness of the comprehension challenges that assessments pose for students, particularly in the case of multiple choice question (MCQ) exams. To investigate the effects of linguistic complexity, the research team analyzed whether unpacking MCQs by reducing the linguistic complexity in test questions improves comprehension for EAL students. Our findings indicate that EAL students are more likely to score higher on unpacked assessment questions, highlighting the importance of reducing the complexity of language in assessments to provide linguistic space for novice students to demonstrate their knowledge of disciplinary content.
ISSN:1475-1585
1878-1497
DOI:10.1016/j.jeap.2019.100804