Preliminary findings and research perspectives on the German modal sollen in L2 written assessments

Wulff, Nadja; McGury, Sandra

doi:10.21256/zhaw-31121

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-31121

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Preliminary findings and research perspectives on the German modal sollen in L2 written assessments
Authors:	Wulff, Nadja McGury, Sandra
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.21256/zhaw-31121
Published in:	Glottodidactica
Volume(Issue):	51
Issue:	1
Page(s):	89
Pages to:	102
Issue Date:	Jul-2024
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza
ISSN:	0072-4769 2956-3658
Language:	English
Subjects:	L2 writing; L2 testing; L2 written assessment; Modalverb; German as foreign language; Fremdsprachenerwerb; Modal verbs; sollen
Subject (DDC):	415: Grammar
Abstract:	Modal verbs represent a special verb category and constitute an essential component of L2 German semantics. While Abrams and Rott (2017) suggest that German learner texts depict a 90% accuracy in the correct use of modal verbs in integrative writing tasks, the correct semantic use of the modal sollen (‘supposed to’; ‘should’) seems to pose a particular challenge (Jentges 2016), especially in an assessment context. In this corpus analysis, 1,032 L2 German assessment texts across all CEFR levels were analyzed with respect to the L2 semantic use of sollen against the backdrop of the assessment prompts. 68% of instances of all uses of sollen in A1 texts and 53% of all uses of sollen in A2 texts showed an inappropriate semantic use of sollen. The discrepancy between these results and Abrams and Rott (2017) can be attributed to the prompts used in the assessments analyzed in this paper: They do not take into consideration the semantic mismatch between the use of the modal in the prompt and its inappropriate use in the texts produced.
URI:	https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/gl/article/view/39654/36259 https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/31121
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	CC BY-ND 4.0: Attribution - NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Departement:	Applied Linguistics
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Language Competence (ILC)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Angewandte Linguistik

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Wulff, N., & McGury, S. (2024). Preliminary findings and research perspectives on the German modal sollen in L2 written assessments. Glottodidactica, 51(1), 89–102. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-31121

Wulff, N. and McGury, S. (2024) ‘Preliminary findings and research perspectives on the German modal sollen in L2 written assessments’, Glottodidactica, 51(1), pp. 89–102. Available at: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-31121.

N. Wulff and S. McGury, “Preliminary findings and research perspectives on the German modal sollen in L2 written assessments,” Glottodidactica, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 89–102, Jul. 2024, doi: 10.21256/zhaw-31121.

WULFF, Nadja und Sandra MCGURY, 2024. Preliminary findings and research perspectives on the German modal sollen in L2 written assessments. Glottodidactica [online]. Juli 2024. Bd. 51, Nr. 1, S. 89–102. DOI 10.21256/zhaw-31121. Verfügbar unter: https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/gl/article/view/39654/36259

Wulff, Nadja, and Sandra McGury. 2024. “Preliminary Findings and Research Perspectives on the German Modal Sollen in L2 Written Assessments.” Glottodidactica 51 (1): 89–102. https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-31121.

Wulff, Nadja, and Sandra McGury. “Preliminary Findings and Research Perspectives on the German Modal Sollen in L2 Written Assessments.” Glottodidactica, vol. 51, no. 1, July 2024, pp. 89–102, https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-31121.