Consider the 12th -grade writing sample provided below. What attributes of the writing mark it as coming from an adolescent and not from a younger child? What type of writing does it represent?

Question

Athletes have been using enhancing substances for hundreds of years to improve their performance. Currently athletes still use substances to give them an edge over their competitors. With modern advances, there are many more products on the market. High school athletes have started taking advantage of such products. The hypothesis is that performance enhancing substances for student athletes are prevalent in high school. The rationale is that many students see professional athletes boosting their performance by taking such substances and the students assume that they would also improve. A survey will be administered to a sample population of students at a mid-west suburban high school. The survey will deal with sports, drugs, and performance enhancers.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER: Student response will vary, but hopefully will include some of the following: Children are typically not able to write in this specialized, academic style for a scientific audience until adolescence. Other attributes that indicate this writing is from an adolescent and not from a younger child include: use of advanced, abstract, and domain-specific vocabulary; organization of the writing; length of the sentences; and use of adverb connectors (e.g., currently).