Scholarly Article Analysis

The scholarly article I chose was “Dialects and Influences on the Academic Experiences of College Students”. Basically this study was conducted to see if dialect is a hindrance on the learning of students who do not speak the same dialect. This research is important because it could give teachers more insight on how to help students understand material better. The study brings to question why, in such a diverse country, is there only one form of proper English. Students cannot help where and how they were raised. If they were only exposed to one kind of dialect growing up, going to college can be a huge culture shock. That, along with how material is conveyed in the classroom, puts them at a disadvantage. How you perceive information is everything, …show more content…
It’s meant to inform and it does just that. It’s not meant to be entertaining to read, it just states the facts as they were presented. On the other hand, the popular article is meant to inform and entertain. At a glance, probably the biggest discrepancy between the two articles is their length. The scholarly article is a lengthy 23 pages loaded with paragraphs, upon paragraphs of technical information. The popular article is a much more modest length that simply outlines the main ideas of its scholarly adversary. Another thing that is noticeable right away is how the articles are broken up. The scholarly article is primarily in paragraph form using single spaced lines. This method is common in scholarly work because it allows you to fit more information in a smaller area. The popular article is not written in conventional paragraph form, it uses groups of sentences no longer than two or three lines with a considerable gap in between each. This method of writing is effective because it creates a feeling of openness that will help the reader comprehend the information more …show more content…
Both articles have quotes about students’ personal experiences with the effect dialect has on learning. The anecdotal style quotations are used effectively in both articles. The popular source quotes two students and a teacher in their article to get an inside look on each’s unique perspective on the topic. This gives the reader the ability to see things from both ends of the education spectrum. By giving readers different perspectives it allows them to better understand what exactly the study is about and its application in the real world. Also, another reason quotes are effective is that they give the readers a break from reading plain fact. In doing so, the reader is much more likely to stay engaged with what is being said. The scholarly article has a similar approach to its quotations. They interviewed various college students with predetermined questions in order to collect more data for their research. Unlike the quotes in the popular article, these quotes were incorporated after information was presented. By putting the quotes after information they pertain to they solidify what they have said through personal testimony whereas, the popular article uses the quotes to present the information. This method gives the reader a look into how the research is being