Positioning and Information (PI): the form and substance of analytical texts in secondary and higher education

The project has a twofold purpose. On the one hand, we aim to describe the main problems, in terms of content and form, in the analytical texts of secondary and higher education students; on the other hand, we want to make it easier for teachers at these educational levels to evaluate, in all their dimensions, the texts produced by their students. The aims of the project can be summed up in two general objectives and the corresponding specific objectives: 

1. To identify, describe and typify the most recurrent difficulties observed in analytical texts, both in their formal characteristics and in the quantity and quality of their content, produced by secondary and higher education pupils before and after the application of a pedagogical treatment on analytical/argumentative texts. 1st Analyse the analytical texts produced by the participants in order to identify, describe and typify the most problematic formal aspects 1b. To analyse how the logical-semantic relations between the different parts of the argumentation are managed in the texts. 1c. Produce a descriptive report of the results and conclusions of the analysis of the difficulties in the use of linguistic forms and content management.
2. To design, apply and test, on the basis of the results obtained in the fulfilment of objective 1, a Guide for the evaluation of analytical texts which can be adapted to the specific needs of teachers at different levels of training and in subjects in different fields of knowledge. 2a. To draw up a list of criteria for the evaluation of analytical texts agreed by language experts and practising teachers (secondary and university) based on the results of the descriptive report (see Objective 1c). 2b. To test the validity of these criteria by applying them to the corpus texts. 2c. To draw up a guide for the evaluation of analytical texts by secondary school and university teachers, based on agreed criteria and the results of their application.

By means of a detailed analysis of the texts, we will carefully identify and illustrate which difficulties persist at the change of training cycle and specific pedagogical treatment. We therefore want to bring together the aspects that linguists and psycholinguists as well as practising secondary school and university teachers take into consideration when evaluating a text (see Tolchinsky & Castillo, 2016). From the validation of the common criteria applied and/or prioritised by teachers and experts, we will arrive at a consensual proposal that facilitates and optimises the evaluation of the quality of analytical texts at different educational levels and in different areas of knowledge as well as, in terms of formative assessment, the return to the student of the contribution it makes. The ultimate purpose of the project is to disseminate the guide in relevant educational contexts, higher education and secondary education.