A Latent Profile Analysis of University Students' Academic Writing Performance

• In Event: Statistical Methods and Quantitative Analysis in Higher Education Assessment

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between English as a second language students’ English proficiency and their academic writing performance at university through latent profile analysis. Results show that students can be grouped into four classes according to their academic writing performance. High school-leaving English exam results can generally predict students’ class membership in grammar, argumentation and, to some extent, structure, but not citation. An important implication is that students with high English proficiency do not necessarily do well in all aspects of academic writing. This study can inform university senior management of how to set policies about who need an academic writing course and provide appropriate training in various aspects of academic writing for students with diverse English proficiency.

Authors

• Kevin W. H. Yung, The Education University of Hong Kong

• Yuyang Cai, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics

• Natalie Fong, The University of Hong Kong