Depending upon their L1* language, ELL student writing can evidence a variety of problems, including article use errors (“a” vs. ‘the”), verb tense and word choice errors, and of course, problems with idiomatic language. But there are other issues which are not always discussed by Compositionists when it comes to learning English as a second (or third or fourth) language. Dr. Show Mei Lin from Tennessee State University provides insight into the complex landscape that ELL students encounter in the college Composition classroom. A former ELL student herself, Dr. Lin administered an in-depth questionnarie to 20 students enrolled in an ELL section of Composition. She observes:
ELL students have learning needs that are ELL student-specific. The writing difficulties expressed by participants in this study show that ELL students have to overcome some difficulties in order to write effectively. These are cognitive/linguistic difficulties, sociocultural differences, and psychological/emotional concerns. To meet ELL students’ writing needs, instruction strategies in ELL composition classes would need to differ from those in mainstream English composition classes. ELL composition teaching activities should include not only linguistic/cognitive aspects of writing but also psychological/emotional and sociocultural aspects of writing.
While instructors and tutors might readily understand the psychological/emotional dimension of studying a second language, they are less likely to appreciate the cognitive differences between American English and other languages. Lin writes:
Adjusting to American thought patterns (M=4.96; SD=1.08) was the second greatest writing difficulty. Many participants indicated that they had problems adjusting their ways of writing in their first language to American thought patterns. Students still thought in their first language and used the rhetorical patterns of their first language to write English essays. Many students expressed that they had difficulty switching from their first language rhetorical patterns to English linear rhetorical patterns. Because writing patterns or styles are not only cognitively but also culturally embedded, many ELL writers in this study found it takes a significant amount of time to adapt to different thinking patterns when communicating through written English.
Dr. Lin’s findings serve as a reminder that ELL students are often not familiar with standard rhetorical strategies (such as opening an essay in an indirect way or constructing an “classical” argument) taught to American high school students. Tutors should keep in mind that many ELL students are not only learning how to write standard American sentences but also grappling with more global issues, some of them quite nuanced. Therefore, before working on sentence-level errors, a tutor or instructor may want to consider how those errors are connected to the essay’s organization and focus.
Writing Concerns: Ranked by ELL students
In her study, Dr. Lin asked ELL students to identify problems in their own writing. While some of these results are consistent with the types of errors SWW ESL/ELL faculty find in student writing, they also include other aspects of writing, which instructors and tutors may not always consider. Note that the following items appear in order of importance as identified by the ELL students—not their instructors:
- Word choice/vocabulary errors
- Adjusting to American thought patterns
- Writing fluency
- Anxiety
- Idioms
- Low-self confidence
- Thesis statements and spelling
The mix of linguistic concerns and psychological ones is interesting and suggests that ELL instruction would do well to incorporate opportunities for students to discuss their feelings about writing. Dr Lin writes:
Teachers need to understand the affective needs of ELL writers. ELL students need their teachers not only to accept their emotional concerns, but also to provide them with an encouraging and supporting writing environment.
In keeping with Dr. Lin’s recommendation—and the experiences of SWW faculty—tutors in the ELL classroom should be sensitive to the fact their tutees may be adjusting not only to a new language, but to customs and practices they find confusing. Being explicit about these differences and encouraging students to discuss them, can be an important first step not only in terms of addressing textual concerns but also in building rapport with students.
To hear ELL students speak about their writing experiences, explore “We Speak no Americano” (Unit 3: Diversity)
*L1 refers to the first language a student learned to speak and write. In the United States, L1 learners are those who grew up speaking, reading, and writing English.
LISTEN to the following podcast from David Alfieri, an adjunct professor in SUNY New Paltz’s Composition Program. Alfieri offers tips for tutors interacting with ELL students
Work Cited
