Cross-Sectional Comparisons of Elementary Students' Oral and Written Explanations About Academic and Nonacademic Tasks

• In Event: 68.062 - Poster Session 15
  In Poster Session: 68.062-5 - Applied Research in School: Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Current state standards and assessments emphasize written production, yet students communicate primarily through oral language. This study examines differences between oral and written explanations produced by students, and whether these differences are moderated by task (academic vs. non-academic), grade level, or EL status. The 332 oral and written explanations collected from 83 3rd and 5th grade students were coded at the word, sentence, and discourse levels. Cross-sectional analyses indicated that students had greater control of Sentence Sophistication and Coherence/Cohesion in their oral explanations than in their written explanations. There was a significant interaction between task and modality for Vocabulary, suggesting that there is less of an effect of modality for academic explanations than for non-academic explanations. Practical implications are discussed.

Authors

• Anne Blackstock-Bernstein, University of California - Los Angeles

• Amy Woodbridge, University of California - Los Angeles

• Despina Pitsoulakis Goral, University of California - Los Angeles

• Alison L. Bailey, University of California - Los Angeles