A pilot study to evaluate the writing skills of French immersion students at the grade nine level in Newfoundland and Labrador

Corbett, Paula (1991) A pilot study to evaluate the writing skills of French immersion students at the grade nine level in Newfoundland and Labrador. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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    Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission.
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Abstract

The writer has evaluated the level of student writing in French immersion at the grade nine level in Newfoundland and Labrador. -- Three research questions provided the basis for the study. They were as follows: -- 1. How proficient are students when using the written skill? -- 2. Do discrepancies exist between different geographical areas, ie., rural, urban and francophone? -- 3. Are there differences between the performance of females and males? -- The data consisted of a delimited pilot population of 64 student writing samples where the students were asked to write a letter to their principal suggesting one way in which the school could be improved. The 64 profiles were then assessed in six different writing categories and a mark rendered for the writing level attained in each category. -- Statistical analyses were conducted on the data and the results were discussed. -- It was found that students performed best in the categories of effectiveness (getting the message across) and vocabulary use. Grammar and spelling/accent/punctuation/capitalization were the categories in which the students performed only moderately well and sociolinguistic performance and organization of information least well. -- Regional differences in performance did exist. Urban students tended to perform better than either the rural or francophone regions and females outperformed males; males only approached the female rating in the category of sociolinguistic performance, although males actually outperformed females in the urban area in the categories of grammar and organization of information. -- The thesis concludes with a series of recommendations for French immersion education and further research.

Item Type: Thesis (Masters)
URI: http://research.library.mun.ca/id/eprint/4980
Item ID: 4980
Additional Information: Bibliography: leaves 85-91.
Department(s): Education, Faculty of
Date: 1991
Date Type: Submission
Geographic Location: Canada--Newfoundland and Labrador
Library of Congress Subject Heading: French language--Study and teaching (Secondary)--Newfoundland and Labrador

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