ERIC Number: EJ849517
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-May
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0742-7778
EISSN: N/A
Computing Accurate Grammatical Feedback in a Virtual Writing Conference for German-Speaking Elementary-School Children: An Approach Based on Natural Language Generation
Harbusch, Karin; Itsova, Gergana; Koch, Ulrich; Kuhner, Christine
CALICO Journal, v26 n3 p626-643 May 2009
We built a natural language processing (NLP) system implementing a "virtual writing conference" for elementary-school children, with German as the target language. Currently, state-of-the-art computer support for writing tasks is restricted to multiple-choice questions or quizzes because automatic parsing of the often ambiguous and fragmentary texts produced by students presents insurmountable problems. Here, we follow a different course by deploying natural language generation technology to evaluate and improve the grammatical quality of learner output. Based on an abstract representation of the story under construction, all paraphrases of simple and combined clauses are generated fully and automatically. From this source, the system produces exercises enabling the learners to improve their sentences. We describe how a pedagogical agent supports the writing process of elementary-school children by providing appropriate feedback. (Contains 3 figures, 1 table and 11 notes.)
Descriptors: Feedback (Response), Sentences, Grammar, Writing Processes, Second Language Learning, German, Natural Language Processing, Computer Software, Computer Assisted Instruction, Elementary School Students, Second Language Instruction, Writing Evaluation, Writing (Composition), Computer Simulation, Teaching Methods
Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium. 214 Centennial Hall, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666. Tel: 512-245-1417; Fax: 512-245-9089; e-mail: info@calico.org: Web site: http://calico.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A