Combined cognitive-code and content-based teaching dimensions and the written accuracy and fluency of ESL students

Irene Frances Badaracco, Fordham University

Abstract

This study was conducted at the Intensive English Program at Fordham University, The Institute of American Language and Culture. Students were divided into two groups: intermediate and high-intermediate. Treatment included a combined cognitive-code and content-based curriculum. To measure accuracy, findings of an ANOVA show a significant main effect of time. There was also a significant main effect for Level with the high-intermediate group showing higher scores overall than the intermediate group. A paired-sample t test measuring accuracy was performed showing that accuracy scores increased significantly from pretest to posttest. Both groups had pretest similarities regarding errors, with the most errors in the category of error in punctuation, error in preposition use, inappropriate word, usage of an article, deletion/omission, and ineffective word choice. Intermediate students showed an increase in errors from the pretest to the posttest in the category of error in pronoun antecedent, misuse of adverb and inappropriate word, comma splice and spelling, but decreases in all other categories. High-intermediate students showed decreases from the pretest to the posttest in all error types. To measure fluency, findings of an ANOVA indicate that there was a significant main effect of Time, indicating that the entire sample, regardless of level, showed an increase in fluency over time. There was also a significant main effect for group. A paired-sample t test measuring fluency was performed. Fluency scores increased significantly from pretest to posttest.

Subject Area

Language arts|Linguistics|Rhetoric|Curriculum development

Recommended Citation

Badaracco, Irene Frances, "Combined cognitive-code and content-based teaching dimensions and the written accuracy and fluency of ESL students" (2009). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3370367.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3370367

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