Examining the relations of micro- and macro-language skills to persuasive writing using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis with application of generative AI-derived feedback

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Abstract

This study aims to explore the multifaceted development of writing skills among secondary school students, with emphasis on cultivating argumentative capacity and reasoning skills. Prior research has explored factors influencing the quantity and quality of persuasive writing – such as linguistic/rhetorical measures (Jo, 2022), argumentative structure and substance (Stapleton & Wu, 2015), and cohesion and coherence (Andreev & Uccelli, 2024); yet, there remains a significant gap in understanding the internal structural relationships among these factors and how these relationships differ across diverse student populations. This study aims to address the gaps by providing a proof of concept for assessing persuasive writing through product-oriented measures by focusing on microstructural and macrostructural levels of performance.

Author

• Heqiao Wang, Old Dominion University