The article by Bailey and Withers (2018) examined, through screen capture, the processes employed by students to paraphrase short text. The authors’ found that some students made use of available word processing software with varying levels of success. Few students used external sites and the sample participants did not demonstrate the use of tools such as Google Translate and paraphrasing assistants, despite this practice being commonly observed in classrooms. The most commonly used word processing tools were the synonym finder and interaction with spellcheck to ‘approve’ changes that the software had suggested. Students in the study demonstrated varying levels of skill in utilising writing software and some demonstrated that they were able to create good work without the use of such tools. The authors’ noted that students were not making “full or efficient use of the software tools available to them, and would benefit from instruction in these” (p.185).
Discussion centred around a number of themes. These included:
- ESL students face serious language barriers that encourage the use of software however this use often creates what the article refers to as ‘word salad’. This may represent an overreliance on making word changes to create the appearance of success in paraphrasing as opposed to understanding the intent of the text and subsequently writing an effective summary. The benefit of using unhelpful techniques, (such as online paraphrasing tools and ‘word spinners’) is that the presentation of any assignment could be better than the alternative of producing nothing at all. Perhaps the true problem is a language problem rather than a paraphrasing issue or an academic integrity problem and if we could seek to manage the language difficulty then the other issues would reduce.
- Final checking of written work was not commonly observed in the study. The requirement to foster this as a crucial step in the editing process was discussed. Staff have also noted that students do not appear to be utilizing proofreading services as much online and promotion of these was discussed.
- Workshops and materials that support students to develop judicious use of writing software (e.g. Google Translate, Grammarly, Wikipedia etc) could be of benefit. As could workshops focusing on student motivation in order to increase passion and interest in their studies (thus creating increased motivation to understand content and improve how they express their ideas).
- Reading techniques such as skim reading and reading for comprehension could enhance ESL students’ ability to develop content understanding and enhance confidence.
Possible action items:
- Promotion of Study Support proofreading services to current student cohort
- Development of workshops and materials that focus on meaningful use of online tools such as Google Translate, Grammarly and Wikipedia
- Development of workshops and materials that focus on the development of successful reading strategies such as skim reading and reading for comprehension
- Investigate methods of working with previous students/successful students to provide encouragement to current students to motivate and inspire them to develop greater understanding of, and passion for, their studies
Article: Bailey, C., & Withers, J. (2018). What can screen capture reveal about students’ use of software tools when undertaking a paraphrasing task?. Journal of Academic Writing, 8(2), 176-190. https://doi.org/10.18522/joaw.456
Recording: Access here