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2009 CALL Conference Can Paraphrasing be Taught? Determining and Analyzing Paraphrasing Strategies of English L1 and English L2 Learners at a Community College in Ontario. Lara McInnis, Humber College and OISE/UT, Toronto, ON May 28, 2009. Quick Survey. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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2009 CALL Conference
Can Paraphrasing be Taught?
Determining and Analyzing Paraphrasing Strategies of English L1
and English L2 Learners at a Community College in Ontario
Lara McInnis,Humber College and OISE/UT, Toronto,
ONMay 28, 2009
Quick Survey1. Have you ever been taught summarizing or
paraphrasing techniques?2. a) Have you ever taught summarizing or
paraphrasing techniques? b) If yes, were you generally pleased with the
learning outcomes? Do you feel that your students successfully learned these skills? How did you assess learning outcomes (e.g., quiz, essay)?
3. What language skills and features do writing students need to have acquired before they can paraphrase successfully?
4. At what point in an English student’s academic career should he/she first learn how to paraphrase?
I. Rationale & Background My experience teaching paraphrasing
skills Definitions and brief review of
literature
II. My Research Research question Design: Purpose Participants,
Materials, Methods Data Collection, Analysis and
Preliminary Findings Limitations
III. Discussion Implications Idea sharing
I. Rationale Why can’t my students follow the step-by-step instructions to paraphrasing?
My experiences teaching in EAP, ESL and COMM led me to question my own success as an instructor of paraphrasing.
It is necessary for college students to understand, appreciate, and value someone’s intellectual property
Research methods and idea synthesis are inevitable realities within mainstream course assignments
Understanding and using quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing skills are essential skills for students to develop and use in an authentic academic setting (Barks & Watts, 2001; Campbell, 1987).
What we know:
Institutional Approaches “Triadic model” of quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing
Examples:
OWL at Purdue George Brown College University of Toronto
(Keck, 2006)
What do educators and researchers know about paraphrasing?A strategy to avoid
plagiarism
Shows proof of understanding
Writing students often confuse paraphrasing with patch writing
(Barks & Watts, 2001)
How demanding is paraphrasing?High lexical proficiency
Advanced reading comprehension
Syntactical sophistication
Factors influencing how students paraphrase (or don’t paraphrase): Cognitive factors
Linguistic factors
Cultural factors (Pennycook, 1996)
Students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards plagiarism as an unethical practice
Pragmatic factors
Rebuttals to “Western” Concepts of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a concept interpreted uniquely among a variety of cultural groups and their respective academic settings. (Pennycook, 1996)
“Educators in post-secondary education
have an “oversimplified view of plagiarism” (Currie, 1998, p. 1), refusing to acknowledge its complexities, and treating it as a simple act of cheating rather than part of an essential process of language learning.
Definitions
Discourse Synthesis:
writing from sources – a hybrid task of reading and writing requiring students to “select, organize, and connect content from source texts”
(Segev-Miller, 2004, p. 6)
Paraphrasing:
a restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form
(Mirriam-Webster online dictionary)
Research on paraphrasing 1) Campbell (1987)
summary task for L1 and L2
seven paraphrase types native English speakers provided less directly copied material than non-native English speakers
low inter-rater reliability (.75)
Research on paraphrasing2) Shi (2004): summary task
L1 Paraphrases L2 (Chinese adult students’ )
Paraphrases borrowed 1/4 of original material from source
rarely extracted strings of words from original text
borrowed 2/3 of original material from source
sometimes mixed own words in with completely copied text (patch writing)
Research on paraphrasing3) Keck (2006)
looked for “attempted paraphrases” in a summary task
“Taxonomy of Paraphrase Types”
unique links and general links Percentage of unique links determines type of paraphrase
Inter-rater reliability of 95% Findings: L2 writers used significantly more Near Copies than L1 writers
II. Research QuestionWhat paraphrasing strategies do
English L1 andEnglish L2 speakers use in a
paraphrasing task?
a. What is the quality of L1 and L2 participants’ paraphrases ?
b. What is the appropriateness of L1 and L2 participants’ paraphrases?
c. Are there significant differences in the quality and appropriateness of L1 and L2 participants’ paraphrases?
II. Design: Purpose of Study to analyze paraphrasing strategies used
by L1 and L2 community college students using think aloud protocols (also known as concurrent verbal reports) and stimulated recall protocols
similarities and differences are being determined through an analysis of participants’ questionnaires, written work , and verbal data
Participants
Five L1 community college students who have completed/exempted from essay writing skills course.
Five L2 community college students who have completed ESL essay writing skills course.
Primary Sources of Data Questionnaire Audio-recordings of participants’
verbalized thoughts and of interviews
Computer screen recording of changes made during the typing process
Final written product of four paraphrases for each participant
Materials Computer with Microsoft Word Screen Recording computer
software Instruction sheet with four
statements to be paraphrased by participants
Digital voice recorders Photocopied article: “College or
University?” by Kimberly Noble, MacLean’s magazine (2006).
The article “College or University?” by Kimberly Noble
MacLean’s magazine, Nov. 13, 2006
1913 words
Flesch-Kincaid scale of readability = 48 = Grade 12 level(fairly difficult)
(Bauman, 2007)
Excerpts for paraphrasingCriteria:1. At least five content words are high
frequency words (Bauman, 2007)
2. At least five words are found in Academic Word List sublists (Coxhead, 2007)
3. Clear main idea4. Authentic appropriateness for
paraphrasing
Procedure with Participant1. Introduction to task (10 minutes)2. Discuss and practice verbal reports (10
minutes)3. Participant reads article and makes notes
(15 minutes)4. Participant reads instruction sheet with
four sentences to be paraphrased (5 minutes)
5. Participant describes thoughts (into microphone) while completing task (30 minutes)
6. Break (10 minutes)7. Post-task interview with stimulated recall
(15 min)8. Questionnaire
Instructions for participants
1. Considering the context of the article, please paraphrase each sentence below.
2. Pretend you are writing a research essay on why students are choosing Canada’s colleges over universities. Your audience is your writing instructor. (dictionary + spell check are ok)
3. While you type your paraphrases, please describe clearly into the microphone all the thoughts that are going on in your mind.
4. You may use any language(s) to describe your thoughts.
Sample ExcerptOriginal Passage: Canada’s college sector is no longer
what you, your parents and even some of your guidance counsellors think it is. Once purely vocational institutions, colleges have undergone a dramatic evolution in the past decade, and are poised for further – some even say transformational– change.
(44 words, Difficult Readability, 13 on Flesch-Kincaid scale)
Content Words yellow & underlined
Original Passage: Canada’s college sector is (no)
longer what you, your parents and even some of your guidance counsellors think it is. Once purely vocational institutions, colleges have undergone a dramatic evolution in the past decade, and are poised for further – some even say transformational– change. (44 words)
General Service List (Baumann, 1995) Words in red
Original Passage: Canada’s college sector is no
longer what you, your parents and even some of your guidance counsellors think it is. Once purely vocational institutions, colleges have undergone a dramatic evolution in the past decade, and are poised for further – some even say transformational– change. (29 words, 64% of total word count)
Academic Word List (Coxhead, 2000)Original Passage:
Canada’s college sector is no longer what you, your parents and even some of your guidance counsellors think it is. Once purely vocational institutions,
colleges have undergone a
dramatic evolution in the past
decade, and are poised for further – some even say transformational– change.
(7 AWL words, 16% of total word count)
Sample Paraphrase: Elizabeth (L1 speaker)
Original:Canada’s college sector is no longer what you, your parents and even some of your guidance counsellors think it is. Once purely vocational institutions, colleges have undergone a dramatic evolution in the past decade, and are poised for further – some even say transformational– change.
Elizabeth:Many people have the notion that Canadian colleges are purely vocational, but recently, they have been changing and will continue to do so for years to come.
Excerpt of Think Aloud Protocol
What strategies does Elizabeth use to paraphrase? Do you feel Elizabeth plagiarized?
Sample Paraphrase: Elizabeth (L1 speaker)
Original:Canada’s college sector is no longer what you, your parents and even some of your guidance counsellors think it is. Once purely vocational institutions, colleges have undergone a dramatic evolution in the past decade, and are poised for further – some even say transformational– change.
Elizabeth:Many people have the notion that Canadian colleges are purely vocational, but recently, they have been changing and will continue to do so for years to come.
Excerpt of Think Aloud Protocol
What strategies does Elizabeth use to paraphrase? Do you feel Elizabeth plagiarized?
Sample Paraphrase: Namie(L2 speaker)Original:
Canada’s college sector is no longer what you, your parents and even some of your guidance counsellors think it is. Once purely vocational institutions, colleges have undergone a dramatic evolution in the past decade, and are poised for further – some even say transformational– change.
Namie:Canada’s college sector is not the same as it used to be. Once purely vocational institutions, colleges have experienced lots of changes in the last ten years.
Excerpt of Think Aloud Protocol
What strategies does Namie use to paraphrase?
Do you feel Namie plagiarized?
Data Analysis: Participant ProfileTo measure paraphrasing strategies: CVP will be transcribed (recruit
translators if necessary) List of strategies used (1 Unit of Analysis
= one strategy mentioned in the CVP or the stimulated recall)
To measure attempted paraphrases: Based on Keck’s (2006) Taxonomy of
Paraphrase Types with some modifications
I will label each attempted paraphrase as one of the following types:
Keck’s Taxonomy of Paraphrase TypesType of Attempted
Paraphrase% Unique Links*
Exact Copy 100%
Near Copy 50%
Minimal Revision 20-49%
Moderate Revision 1-19%
Substantial Revision 0%
Unique links are “individual lexical words (i.e., nouns, verbs, adjectives or adverbs), or exactly copied strings of words used in the paraphrase that also occurred in the original excerpt. Non-lexical words were also counted if they were copied in the string of content words matched those words in the original text.
Data Analysis, cont: Paraphrasing strategies and
paraphrase types will be compared across:
- L1 and L2- areas of study
For example: shared strategies within L1 (or L2)
I will match strategies used by each participant with the participant’s typed paraphrases
FindingsMake some general observations
about: participant strategies for
paraphrasing similarities/difference between
L1 and L2 groups link participants’ experience in
explicit paraphrasing instruction with strategies used
Limitations Inter-rater reliability Defining paraphrase types: Links?
Continuum? Verbal report difficulties for L2
students Fuzzy recall of past instruction:
explicit or implicit? The influence of participants’
vocabulary levels Can discovering strategies (or
differences in language groups) transfer into effective teaching practice?
III. Discussion: Implications Addresses (but does not answer) the
question, “Can paraphrasing be taught?”
Could argue that paraphrasing is undervalued as a skill to avoid plagiarism
Enlightens researchers and instructors to the needs of students (L1 and L2) in discourse synthesis and how those needs might differ among students of different language groups
Recommendations for teaching paraphrasing Focus on strategies rather than analyzing
what constitutes plagiarism (Keck, 2006) Emphasise “rhetorical planning” Emphasise the oral nature of
paraphrasing Read, read, read Practice, practice, practice Don’t jump to accuse. View textual
appropriation as essential to building academic literacy skills.
Final Thoughts Are writing students who “commit”
plagiarism being deliberate or careless?
Concept of “voice” in writing (Socio-cultural)
“If I steal someone else’s sentences, I get in trouble. If I steal someone else’s idea, that’s fine, right?”
Bruce Headlam, New York Times (May 26, 2009)
ReferencesBarks, D., & Watts, P. (2001). Textual borrowing strategies for graduate-level
ESL writers. In D. Belcher, & A. Hirvela (Eds.), Linking literacies: Perspectives on L2 reading-writing connections (pp. 246-267). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Barry, E. (2006). Can paraphrasing help students define plagiarism? College Student Journal, 40(2), 377.
Bauman, J. (2007). Vocabulary resources. John Bauman.com. Retrieved on November 3, 2007 from http://jbauman.com/gsl.html
Britton, J., Burgess, T., Martin, N., McLeod, A., & Rosen, H. (1978). The development of writing abilities No. 11-18. Urbana, Il: National Council of Teachers of English.
Campbell, C. (1987). Writing with others' words: Native and non-native university students' use of information from a background reading text in academic compositions No. CLEAR-TR4.
Connor, U., & McCagg, P. (1983). Cross-cultural differences and perceived quality in written paraphrases of English expository prose. Applied Linguistics, 1983, 4, 3, autumn, 4(3), 259-268.
Coxhead, A. (2007) Academic Word List. Massey University School of Language
Studies. Retrived November 3, 2007 from http://language.massey.ac.nz/staff/awl/sublists.shtmlCumming, A. (1990). Metalinguistic and ideational thinking in second
language composing. Written Communication, 7(4), 482-511.
Currie, P. (1998). Staying out of trouble: Apparent plagiarism and academic survival. Journal of Second Language Writing, 7, 1-18.
Kaplan, R. B. (1966). Cultural thought patterns in intercultural education. Language Learning, 16, 1-20.
Keck, C. (2006). The use of paraphrase in summary writing: A comparison of L1 and L2 writers. Journal of Second Language Writing, 15, 261-278.
Meyrowitz, J. (1982, August 30). Where have the children gone? Newsweek , 94 (13).
Pennycook, A. (1996). Borrowing others' words: Text, ownership, memory, and plagiarism. TESOL Quarterly, 30(2), 201-230.
Plotnick, J. (2007). Paraphrase and summary. Retrieved Oct. 27, 2007, from http://www.utoronto.ca/ucwriting/paraphrase.html.
Purdue University Online Writing Lab. (2007). Quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing. Retrieved October 27, 2007, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/01/.
Risemberg, R. (1993). Self-regulated strategies of organizing and information-seeking when writing expository text from sources. Unpublished Dissertation, University of New York.
Segev-Miller, R. (2004). Writing from sources: The effect of explicit instruction on college students' processes and products. L1-Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 4(1), 5-33.
Shi, L. (2006). Cultural backgrounds and textual appropriation. Language Awareness, 15(4), 264-282.
Shi, L. (2004). Textual borrowing in second-language writing. Written Communication, 21(2), 171-200.
Sample Paraphrase: Namie(L2 speaker)Original:
Canada’s college sector is no longer what you, your parents and even some of your guidance counsellors think it is. Once purely vocational institutions, colleges have undergone a dramatic evolution in the past decade, and are poised for further – some even say transformational– change.
Namie:Canada’s college sector is not the same as it used to be. Once purely vocational institutions, colleges have experienced lots of changes in the last ten years.
Excerpt of Think Aloud Protocol