Syntactic Complexity in Narration and Argument at Three Grade Levels
Keywords:
Syntactic complexity, Narrative writing, Syntactic developmentAbstract
The purposes of the study were to determine (1) the effect of mode of discourse, i.e., narration and argument, on the syntactic complexity of compositions written by sixth-, tenth-, and twelfth-graders; and (2) whether there were significant differences between Grades 6 and 10, and between Grades 10 and 12 in the syntactic complexity of compositions written in each mode. Subjects were 240 students randomly selected from four elementary schools and two high schools in Brandon, Manitoba. At each grade level, T-unit length in argument was significantly greater than in narration. At each grade level, the difference between argument and narration was greater than the difference between Grades 6 and 12 in either mode of discourse. In argument, there were significant increases in T-unit length between Grades 6 and 10 and between Grades 10 and 12; in narration there was a significant increase between Grades 6 and 10 but not between Grades 10 and 12. Implications for research into syntactic development are discussed.
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