The relationship between students' knowledge of basic grammar and punctuation principles and the ability to apply those principles when editing and writing business documents

Concern about students' ability to write effectively has led to the question of emphasizing punctuation and grammar principles in business communication courses. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between knowledge of grammar and punctuation principles and the ability to apply those principles when editing and writing business documents.;This study was conducted in eight business communication courses in four postsecondary institutions in Utah. A survey instrument was constructed using principles documented by research and was distributed to a panel of experts for their input. Based on their responses, three tests were then constructed: an objective test to assess students' ability to identify correct usage of basic grammar and punctuation principles, an editing test containing errors for students to correct, and a writing test consisting of a memorandum report. When the tests were administered, demographic data were also collected.;Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to measure the relationships among the test sections and among the continuous demographic data and the tests. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to measure differences between noncontinuous demographic data and the tests.;Statistically significant relationships were found among all sections of the tests; however, the magnitude of most relationships was considered moderate. Some significant relationships also existed between students' ages and grade point averages and the editing and writing tests; however, the magnitude of the relationships was considered low.;The findings from this study indicated that a relationship did exist between students' knowledge of basic grammar and punctuation principles and their ability to apply those principles. Students had an inadequate ability to apply those principles when editing and writing business documents.