Exploring multilingual writers in secondary education: insights from a trilingual corpus

Roberto Arias-Hermoso; Ainara Imaz Agirre

doi:10.1515/eujal-2023-0022

Article

Exploring multilingual writers in secondary education: insights from a trilingual corpus

Roberto Arias-Hermoso and Ainara Imaz Agirre

Published/Copyright: December 16, 2023

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From the journal European Journal of Applied Linguistics Volume 12 Issue 2

Abstract

This study aims at contributing to the field of multilingual writing and providing evidence for Cummins’ Common Underlying Proficiency Hypothesis (CUP) through analysing trilingual writing among secondary education students enrolled in a Basque immersion program. The main objective of the present study is to explore the relationships between participants’ compositions in their three languages of schooling (Basque, Spanish and English). A trilingual corpus of argumentative scientific writing essays was collected from a sample of 113 secondary education students. The texts were analysed with MultiAzterTest to retrieve complexity, accuracy and fluency measures. Correlational analyses were performed to explore correlations of each measure across languages, and low-moderate correlations were found between most measures and their counterparts. Specifically, accuracy and fluency measures showed stronger between-language relationships, which were especially salient between Basque and Spanish. Findings suggest that multilingual learners exhibit similar across-language patterns in the writing process, thus supporting Cummins’ CUP. The emerging similarities have important implications for bi/multilingual education programs, as they might inform curriculum design and instruction to foster crosslinguistic transfer and metalinguistic multilingual awareness.

Resumen

Este estudio pretende contribuir al campo de la escritura multilingüe y apoyar empíricamente la Hipótesis de la Competencia Subyacente Común (CUP) de Cummins mediante el análisis de redacciones en las tres lenguas de estudiantes del modelo de inmersión en Euskera. El objetivo principal de la investigación es explorar las relaciones entre las redacciones en las tres lenguas de escolarización: Euskara, Español e Inglés. El corpus analizado es un corpus trilingüe formado por las redacciones argumentativas sobre la disciplina de ciencias de 113 estudiantes de educación secundaria. Los textos se analizaron con MultiAzterTest para evaluar las dimensiones de complejidad, precisión y fluidez en cada lengua. Se realizaron análisis correlacionales para explorar las relaciones de cada medida entre los tres idiomas, y, principalmente, se encontraron correlaciones bajas y moderadas entre las medidas y sus contrapartes. En particular, las medidas de precisión y fluidez mostraron correlaciones más fuertes que las de complejidad, especialmente entre Euskera y Español. Los resultados sugieren la existencia de patrones similares entre las lenguas de los y las aprendices multilingües, lo que concuerda con la hipótesis de Cummins. Estas similitudes tienen implicaciones importantes para programas educativos bilingües y multilingües, en tanto que pueden orientar tanto el diseño como los modelos de instrucción para fomentar la transferencia entre lenguas y la conciencia metalingüística.

Zusammenfassung

Diese Studie zielt darauf ab, einen Beitrag zum Bereich des mehrsprachigen Schreibens zu leisten und Belege für Cummins’ Hypothese der gemeinsamen Sprachkompetenz (CUP) zu liefern. Zu diesem Zweck wurden dreisprachige Texte von Sekundarschülern untersucht, die an einem baskischen Immersionsprogramm teilnehmen. Das Hauptziel dieser Studie besteht darin, die Zusammenhänge zwischen den Kompositionen der Teilnehmer (n=113) in ihren drei Sprachen (Baskisch, Spanisch und Englisch) zu untersuchen. Ein dreisprachiger Korpus von argumentativen wissenschaftlichen Aufsätzen wurde gesammelt. Die Texte wurden mit MultiAzterTest analysiert, um Komplexität, Korrektheit und Flüssigkeit zu messen. Korrelationsanalysen wurden durchgeführt, um die Korrelationen zwischen den einzelnen Messwerten zwischen den Sprachen zu untersuchen. Korrelationen zwischen Sprachen wurden festgestellt, inbesondere die Messungen zur Korrektheit und Flüssigkeit zeigten stärkere Korrelationen zwischen den Sprachen, vor allem zwischen Baskisch und Spanisch. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass mehrsprachige Lernende ähnliche sprachübergreifende Muster im Schreibprozess aufweisen, was Cummins’ CUP unterstützt. Diese Ergebnisse haben wichtige Implikationen für zwei/mehrsprachige Bildungsprogramme, um den sprachübergreifenden Transfer und das metalinguistische mehrsprachige Bewusstsein zu fördern.

Laburpena

Ikerketa lan honekin idazketa eleanitzaren arloari ekarpena egin nahi zaio eta Cummins-en Azpiko Gaitasun Komunaren Hipotesia (CUP) enpirikoki frogatu. Horretarako, murgiltze-ereduko bigarren hezkuntzako ikasleen idazlanak aztertu dira. Lan honen helburu nagusia da ikasleen hiru eskolatze-hizkuntzen (euskara, gaztelera eta ingelesa) arteko eragina eta harremanak aztertzea. Lagina bigarren hezkuntzako 113 ikaslek osatzen dute, eta corpusa haiek euskaraz, gaztelaniez eta ingelesez ekoitzitako arloko argudio-testuekin sortu da. Corpusa MultiAzterTest tresnarekin aztertu da konplexutasuna, zuzentasuna eta jariotasuna neurtzeko. Neurri guztiekin korrelazio-analisiak egin dira hizkuntzen arteko harremanak aztertzeko, eta korrelazio baxu-ertainak aurkitu dira neurri gehienen artean. Zuzentasun eta jariotasun dimentsioek erakutsi dituzte korrelazio indartsuagoak batez ere, bereziki euskara eta gazteleraren artean. Emaitzek erakusten dute ikasle eleanitzen idazketa patroiak antzekoak direla hiru hizkuntzetan, beraz, Cummins-en CUP hipotesia baieztatzen da. Aurkitutako antzekotasunek hezkuntza-programa elebidun eta eleanitzetarako ondorio esanguratsuak izan ditzakete, hizkuntzen arteko transferentziak eta kontzientzia metalinguistikoa garatzen duten kurrikulum eta esku-hartzeak diseinatze aldera.

Keywords: Multilingualism; writing; CAF; common underlying proficiency; secondary education

Palabras clave: multilingüismo; escritura; CAF; competencia subyacente común; educación secundaria

Schlagwörter: Mehrsprachigkeit; Schreiben; CAF; gemeinsame Sprachkompetenz; Sekundarstufe

Gako-hitzak: eleaniztasuna; idazketa; CAF; azpiko gaitasun komuna; bigarren hezkuntza

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the students, teachers and schools participating in this project. This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities [grant number PID2019-111655RA-I00] and the Basque Government [IKERHEZI-IT1664-22]. The first author also acknowledges the predoctoral grant awarded by the Basque Government [PRE-E_2021_1_0001].

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Published Online: 2023-12-16

Published in Print: 2024-10-28

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/eujal-2023-0022

Keywords for this article

Multilingualism; writing; CAF; common underlying proficiency; secondary education