Abstract Register refers to functional variation in language use across contexts. Developing a repertoire of lexical and grammatical choices for instantiating academic registers is key to literacy success in school. This study examined register choices adolescent learners made in factual writing, a key genre of schooling that is also highly valued in the workplace and society. A total of 93 seventh- and ninth-grade students from an American public school were asked to write about crocodilians based on a “wordless” picture book. Their writing was coded for presence of a range of academic and everyday register features, as well as content quality. Statistical and qualitative analyses revealed that (a) the students juxtaposed features of academic and everyday registers in ways that prevented them from presenting knowledge precisely, densely, authoritatively, and logically; (b) academic register use and content quality were significantly impacted by social class but not grade level or gender; and (c) register choices and content quality were positively correlated, with academic register associated with more scientific content. These findings suggest that adolescents need considerable support to develop linguistic tools and awareness that enable them to cope with the literacy demands of academic learning in secondary schooling.

中文翻译：

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语言和意义建构：在七、九年级学生的事实写作中注册选择

摘要语域是指跨上下文语言使用的功能变化。为实例化学术注册开发一套词汇和语法选择是学校读写成功的关键。这项研究调查了青少年学习者在事实写作中所做的注册选择，这是一种在工作场所和社会中也受到高度重视的关键教育类型。共有 93 名来自美国公立学校的七年级和九年级学生被要求根据一本“无字”图画书写关于鳄鱼的文章。他们的写作被编码为存在一系列学术和日常注册特征，以及内容质量。统计和定性分析表明 (a) 学生将学术和日常记录的特征并置在一起，使他们无法准确、密集地呈现知识，具有权威性和逻辑性；(b) 学籍使用和内容质量受社会阶层的显着影响，但不受年级或性别的影响；(c) 注册选择和内容质量呈正相关，学术注册与更多科学内容相关。这些研究结果表明，青少年需要大量支持来开发语言工具和意识，使他们能够应对中学学术学习的识字需求。