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Distinguishing differences between writing samples of unconsolidated concrete, consolidated concrete, unconsolidated formal, and consolidated formal operational students, grades 5-11: The comparative validity of three writing assessments
Abstract
This study compares the validity of three techniques of assessing writing to identify developmental differences between the written texts of students at four distinct levels of cognitive development. Each writing assessment records changes at a different structural level of text: the syntactic independent clause or t-unit (Hunt, 1976), combinations of t-units within the total text (Scinto, 1982; 1984; 1986), and the whole text (Santmire, 1984a; 1985). Students at four grade levels (5, 7, 9, and 11) wrote three essays (self-descriptive, narrative, and expository) and completed Gray's (1967) How Is Your Logic? (HIYL) test. Based on the consistency of their HIYL responses, sixteen subjects were selected (four subjects at each of four cognitive stages). Analysis of their expository texts reveals that average t-unit length increases until consolidated formal operations and then decreases; the same pattern is observed for the average number of dependent clauses per t-unit (Scinto's condensation index). Texts become increasingly integrated across t-units until consolidated formal operations, when single arcs reappear (Scinto's integration index). Scinto's cohesion indices of coherence and compactness, however, do not detect significant developmental differences between any groups. Ratings on Santmire's Writing Scale distinguish unconsolidated or consolidated stage status, but do not distinguish concrete or formal operations. Further analysis demonstrates that the underlying logical structure of each expository text is synchronous with the logic of that writer's HIYL responses. This synchrony supports the Piagetian theoretical concept of the structured whole (structure d'ensemble). Such synchrony in logic across content domains has important implications for scoring and interpreting performance on Piagetian paper and pencil tests. Although the logical analysis consistently detected differences between each of the four groups, and a common logical structure within each group, none of the three writing assessment measures detected changes which parallel cognitive development through all stages. This has important implications for the results reported in previous writing research.
Subject Area
Developmental psychology|Educational evaluation|Language arts
Recommended Citation
Friesen, Patricia A, "Distinguishing differences between writing samples of unconsolidated concrete, consolidated concrete, unconsolidated formal, and consolidated formal operational students, grades 5-11: The comparative validity of three writing assessments" (1990). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9034273.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9034273