Sixth-grade syntactic complexity of narrative writing is predicted by fourth-grade oral grammar, inhibition, and planning in addition to initial syntactic complexity¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2017 · checked against its sources 2026-10-17 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In the final path model, sixth-grade syntactic complexity was predicted by fourth-grade syntactic stability (β = .24), inhibition (β = .19), planning (β = .18), and oral grammar (β = .24), all significant. → Drijbooms 2017

Evidence¶

Drijbooms 2017¶

Drijbooms, E., Groen, M. A., & Verhoeven, L. (2017). How executive functions predict development in syntactic complexity of narrative writing in the upper elementary grades. Reading and Writing, 30, 209–231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-016-9670-8

q3 · i? · associational · r2

A second path model on the longitudinal sample tested component-skill predictors of growth in syntactic complexity; the final model had strong fit (χ²(4) = .98, p = .91, RMSEA = .00). Inhibition and oral grammar also contributed indirectly via fourth-grade syntactic complexity (β = .21 and β = .43).

"The path model showed that syntactic complexity in sixth grade was, in addition to the stability effect of syntactic complexity in fourth grade ( b = .24), predicted by inhibition ( b = .19), planning ( b = .18), and oral grammar ( b = .24)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Communication Skills — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Oral Language — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Syntax — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Writing Skills — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Each narrative writing measure is longitudinally stable within itself across the upper elementary grades, with no significant cross-lagged relationships across measures — reports the opposite
• Transcription skills are not longitudinally predictive of syntactic complexity in the upper elementary grades, consistent with their declining influence as handwriting and spelling automatize — related
• Planning shows no contribution to any level of narrative composition in fourth graders — related
• Executive functions do not directly predict syntactic complexity or story content once transcription and language skills are controlled — reports the opposite
• Syntactic complexity of narrative writing increases significantly between fourth and sixth grade, while text length and story content do not — related
• In a cross-sectional path model of fourth graders, handwriting fluency statistically mediated the relation between inhibition/updating and all narrative outcomes (text length, syntactic complexity, story content) — related
• Inhibition and updating directly predict narrative text length in fourth graders over and above transcription and language skills — related