The Demographic Factors Affecting the Writing Skills of Slovenian Year 6 EFL Students

Gabrijela Petra Nagode; Karmen Pižorn; Žan Korošec

doi:10.4312/elope.20.1.187-201

Authors

Gabrijela Petra Nagode University of Ljubljana
Karmen Pižorn University of Ljubljana
Žan Korošec University of Ljubljana

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4312/elope.20.1.187-201

Keywords:

EFL writing, young learners, prediction, demographic factors, quantitative research

Abstract

EFL writing is a complex and difficult productive skill for young learners. National assessment of EFL at the end of Year 6 in Slovenia shows that additional research into the various variables affecting EFL writing is needed. The aim of this study is to predict the relationship between gender, place of living, home possessions, years of schooling and parents’ education, and EFL
writing performance for Year 6 students. A representative sample of 790 pupils completed a demographic e-questionnaire and two writing e-tasks. According to ANOVA , statistically significant factors are home possessions, number of Slovenian and English books, years of learning English and mother’s education. Statistically insignificant factors are gender, place of living and father’s education. Demographic factors predict EFL writing performance by 9.9%.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abu-Bader, Soleman H. 2021. Using Statistical Methods in Social Science Research: With a Complete SPSS Guide, 3rd Ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

Bradley, Robert H., and Robert H. Corwyn. 2001. “Socio-Economic Status and Child Development.” Annual Reviews Psychology 2002 (53): 371–99. https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/2193406/mod_resource/content/1/SOCIOECONOMIC%20STATUS%20AND%20CHILD%20DEVELOPMENT.pdf.

Duarte, Paolo O., Mario B. Raposo, and Helena B. Alves. 2012. “Using a Satisfaction Index to Compare Students’ Satisfaction During and After Higher Education Service Consumption.” Tertiary Education and Management 18: 17–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/13583883.2011.609564.

European Commission, and ESLC. 2012. SurveyLang [Technical Report]. https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/languages/policy/strategic-framework/documents/language-survey-technical-report_en.pdf.

Graham, Keith M., Haemin Kim, Yunkyeong Choi, and Zohren R. Eslami. 2021. “CLIL as a Balance for Female-Male Differences?: The Effect of CLIL on Student Writing Outcomes.” Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education 9 (2): 310–35. https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.20007.gra.

Harding, Jessica F., Pamela A. Morris, and Diane Hughes. 2015. “The Relationship between Maternal Education and Children’s Academic Outcomes: A Theoretical Framework.” Journal of Marriage and Family 77 (1): 60–76. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12156.

Heppt, Birgit, Melanie Olczyk, and Anna Volodina. 2022. “Number of Books at Home as an Indicator of Socioeconomic Status: Examining Its Extensions and Their Incremental Validity for Academic Achievement.” Social Psychology of Education 25 (3): 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-022-09704-8.

Idris, Muhammad, Sajjad Hussain, and Nasir Ahmad. 2020. “Relationship between Parents’ Education and Their Children’s Academic Achievement.” Journal of Arts and Social Sciences 7 (2): 82–92. https://doi.org/10.46662/jass-vol7-iss2-2020(82-92).

Jashari, Lisjeta Thaqi, and Mateja Dagarin Fojkar. 2019. “Teachers’ Perceptions of Developing Writing Skills in the EFL Classroom.” ELOPE 16 (2): 77–90. https://doi.org/10.4312/elope.16.2.77-90.

Keller, Stefan D., Johanna Fleckenstein, Maleika Krüger, Olaf Köller, and André A. Rupp. 2020. “English Writing Skills of Students in Upper Secondary Education: Results from an Empirical Study in Switzerland and Germany.” Journal of Second Language Writing 48 (June 2020): 100700. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2019.100700.

Kormos, J., and James Wilby. 2019. “Task Motivation.” In The Palgrave Handbook of Motivation for Language Learning, edited by Martin Lamb, Kata Csizér, Alastair Henry, and Stephen Ryan, 267–86. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

Krashen, Stephen D. 1982. Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon Press.

—. 1993. The Power of Reading. Westport: Libraries Unlimited.

Kubota, Ryuko. 2003. “New Approaches to Gender, Class, and Race, in Second Language Writing.” Journal of Second Language Writing 12 (1): 31–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(02)00125-X.

Lightbown, Patsy, and Nina Spada. 2013. How Languages Are Learnt? Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Magnuson, Katherine. 2007. “Maternal Education and Children’s Academic Achievement During Middle Childhood.” Developmental Psychology 43 (6): 1497–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.43.6.1497.

McKay, Penny. 2011. Assessing Young Language Learners. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Morgan, Paul L., George Farkas, Marianne M. Hillemeier, and Steven Maczuga. 2009. “Risk Factors for Learning-Related Behaviour Problems at 24 Months of Age: Population-Based Estimates.” Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 37 (3): 401–13. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10802-008-9279-8.

Nagode, Gabrijela Petra, and Karmen Pižorn. 2016. “Myths about Second Language Learning.” Journal for Foreign Languages 8 (1): 203–15. https://doi.org/10.4312/vestnik.8.203-215.

Pretorius, Etheresia, and H. Naudé. 2002. “A Culture in Transition: Poor Reading and Writing Ability Among Children in South African Township.” Early Child Development and Care 172 (5): 439–49. http://doi.org/10.1080/03004430214552.

RIC. 2018. Letno poročilo o izvedbi NPZ v šolskem letu 2017/18 [annual report]. https://www.ric.si/nacionalno-preverjanje-znanja/porocila--analize--raziskave/.

—. 2019. Letno poročilo o izvedbi NPZ v šolskem letu 2018/19 [annual report]. https://www.ric.si/nacionalno-preverjanje-znanja/porocila--analize--raziskave/.

—. 2021. Letno poročilo o izvedbi NPZ v šolskem letu 2020/21 [annual report]. https://www.ric.si/nacionalno-preverjanje-znanja/porocila--analize--raziskave/.

—. 2022. Opisi dosežkov TJA za 6. razred 2022 [annual report]. https://www.ric.si/nacionalno-preverjanje-znanja/porocila--analize--raziskave/.

Rutar Leban, Tina, ed. 2013. Tuji jeziki v slovenskih osnovnih šolah: rezultati Evropske raziskave o jezikovnih kompetencah ESLC 2011 / Foreign Languages in Slovenian Primary Schools: Results of European Research on Language Competences ESLC 2011. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.

Serquina, Evelyn A., and Boyet L. Batang. 2018. “Demographic, Psychological Factors and English Proficiency of ESL Students.” TESOL International Journal 13 (4): 182–91. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1244107.pdf.

Slaughter, Steven Darryll 2007. Demographic Profiles Associated with Academic Performance for Third Grade Students in North Forest and Aldine Independent School Districts in Texas. College Station: Texas A&M University. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/4277509.pdf.

Steinlen, Anja K. 2018. “The Development of German and English Writing Skills in a Bilingual Primary School in Germany.” Journal of Second Language Writing 39 (March): 42–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2017.12.001.

Šterman Ivančič, Klaudija, Simona Štigl, and Mojca Čuček. 2019. PISA 2018. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. https://www.pei.si/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/PISA2018_ppt.pdf.

Tam, Vicky C. 2009. “A Comparison of Fathers’ and Mothers’ Contributions in the Prediction of Academic Performance of School-Age Children in Hong Kong.” International Journal of Psychology 44 (2): 147–56. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207590801910242.

Tinto, Vincent. 1975. “Dropout from Higher Education: A Theoretical Synthesis of Recent Research.” Review of Educational Research 45 (1): 89–125. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1170024.

Weigle, Sara Cushing. 2011. Assessing Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Yeung, W. Jean, Miriam R. Linver, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn. 2002. “How Money Matters for Young Children’s Development: Parental Investment and Family Processes.” Child Development 73 (6): 1861–79. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12487499/.