Back to filtered results
2013journal article
The Relationship Between Vocabulary and Writing Quality in Three Genres
Olinghouse, N. G., & Wilson, J. (2013). The relationship between vocabulary and writing quality in three genres. Reading and Writing, 26(1), 45-65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-012-9392-5
This study examined how vocabulary relates to writing quality across narrative, persuasive, and informative writing in fifth grade. Students wrote three compositions on a shared topic, and the authors analyzed several vocabulary measures alongside holistic writing quality.
Key takeaways
- Vocabulary use differed by genre.
- Different vocabulary constructs predicted writing quality in different genres.
- Content words were especially important for informative writing, while vocabulary diversity mattered more for story writing.
Why it matters
The article shows that the vocabulary–writing quality relationship is genre-specific and that multiple vocabulary constructs contribute differently to quality across writing tasks.
Coauthors
Natalie G. Olinghouse, Joshua Wilson
Topic tags
vocabularywriting qualitygenrewriting assessmentelementary writing
External links