LINGUISTIC DIFFERENCES IN TEXTS PRODUCED UNDER EXAMINATION AND NON-EXAMINATION CONDITIONS

Abstract

This is the report of a study into the linguistic features of texts produced under examination and non-examination conditions. The objectives of the study are firstly, to identify the differences in the linguistic features of the texts produced under the two different conditions, and secondly, to see if there are differences in the quality of these texts and if there are, to identify the linguistic correlates of quality. This study also brings into focus the definition of quality. The reason for choosing the examination situation is that any examination condition is a performance detractor, and thus the texts produced will show a clear difference in quality when compared to texts written under non-examination conditions. The data comprised 30 sets of a total of 60 texts written by 30 undergraduate students of the National University of Singapore. 30 essays were written under examination conditions and 30 under non-examination conditions. Each set was written by the same student. The examination in question was the end of course examination which students took after a semester of study. The course of study was essentially an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. The 60 texts were scored by 10 raters, all of whom were very experienced language teachers, especially in the area of English for Academic Purposes. Each text was marked by 2 raters. The model used to analyse the texts was Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG). The texts were analysed for the following features: thematic distribution, thematic progression, Vl method of development, thematic layering, lexical density, grammatical metaphor, and clause structure. The findings confirm that there are differences in the quality and linguistic features of texts produced under the two conditions. There are also marked differences in the linguistic features of good and poor quality texts. The findings also confirm that there are differences in linguistic features due to variation in genre. The thesis further suggests that the differences are the result of the degree of "spokenness" or "writtenness" of the texts, based on the hypothesis that writers in an examination situation have less time for editing and therefore their texts have features closer to that of spoken language. The thesis also suggests that quality is a function of the correct operationalisation of the register variables of field, tenor and mode. Based on the findings, the thesis makes recommendations for teaching strategies in the writing classroom. These include equipping students with the knowledge and metalanguage to describe all discourse so that they are more aware of the writing process. In this way, not only will they have better control over their own writing, they will value it more.