Text Factors
Text purpose. According to Kinneavy (1997), the purpose or aim of a text depends on the role of the writer, reader, the signal or the linguistic product, and the reality. When the main emphasis is on the writer, the aim becomes expressive, intending to convey emotion, individuality, and aspirations. When the focus is on the reader, the aim becomes persuasive, seeking to elicit a particular stance or reaction from him or her. The emphasis on the signal results in a literary purpose, aiming for an appreciation of the language of the text. When reality is dominant, a referential aim evolves in which the author writes exploratory, informative, and scientific texts.
Audience appropriateness. Anderson and Armbruster (1984) describe an audience-appropriate text as considerate of an audience’s prior knowledge, with sufficient relevant information, few and well-defined technical terms, and referents for any figurative language. Further, writers must consider whether the single or plural audience has particular interests or expectations, certain positions on the topic, or will view them as credible sources (Rafoth, 1988).
Unity of focus. Unity refers to the writer’s ability to convey and maintain the purpose or aim throughout the text.
Organizational structure. In order to organize a text, a writer must include both a macrostructure (i.e., a network of main ideas) and a microstructure (i.e., supporting details) that provide the foundation for the main ideas (Kintsch, 1980; Meyer & Rice, 1991). The ideas cast in the form of words, sentences, and paragraphs should be cohesive or well linked (Beck & McKeown, 1989).
Development and validity of ideas. Writers achieve development by providing sufficient explanation, depth, and proof, often in the form of primary or secondary sources that include anecdotes, quotations, dialogue, observations, and philosophical principles. Validity refers to the truth or accuracy of the writer’s ideas. This factor is critical when students are learning information from text or undergoing conceptual change.
Stylistic expression. Stylistic expression is often evident in the clarity, variation, and uniqueness of words, phrases, and clauses (Bazerman, 1995), used in a fashion appropriate for the desired aim or purpose of the text. That is, texts that are more referential in aim may include less emotionally charged words. Also, stylistic considerations include decisions about whether a word is commonly known, how concrete or abstract the language should be, and the use of a variety of sentence types and patterns.
Correct mechanics. This concerns the surface features of the text, including standard conventions of language usage such as grammatical correctness and proper punctuation.
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted July 2001