6. Attractor States in the Development of Linguistic Complexity in Second Language Writing and the Role of Self-Regulation: A Longitudinal Case Study

2020 ◽  
pp. 130-154
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Linguistic Complexity ◽  
Language Writing

The effect of topic familiarity on the complexity, accuracy, and fluency of second language writing

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiwei Yang ◽  
YouJin Kim
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Topic Familiarity ◽  
Data Analyses ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Lexical Complexity ◽  
Efl College Students

AbstractThe purpose of the current study is to examine the role of topic familiarity in the complexity, accuracy, and fluency of second language (L2) writing. Topic familiarity was operationalized as whether writers are writing about a common, everyday subject matter in relation to themselves (+ familiar) or to a group they are not familiar with (–familiar), and a learner survey was used to test the validity of the construct. A total of 123 Chinese EFL college students participated in the study, with 61 writing on a familiar topic and 62 writing on a less familiar topic. Their writing performance was analyzed for lexical complexity, syntactic complexity, accuracy, and fluency. Data analyses revealed that the students produced essays with significantly lower lexical complexity for the less familiar topic than for the familiar topic, while the performance areas of accuracy, fluency, and syntactic complexity were not affected by the degree of familiarity. The study findings are discussed in terms of their implications for task selection and sequencing for L2 teaching and assessment purposes.

Source articles as scaffolds in reading to write

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Writing Instruction ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Task Representation ◽  
Library Research ◽  
Course Syllabi ◽  
Language Writing

This article discusses a case study examining a Chinese graduate student’s experience with reading-to-write tasks in business, particularly the student’s use of source articles in performing the tasks. Data on six library research papers were collected from several sources in three semesters, including (1) course syllabi, (2) the source articles and the student’s reading notes, (3) the student’s outlines, drafts, and final versions of the six papers, and (4) interviews with the student. Analysis of the data indicated that the source articles scaffolded the student’s representations of the tasks and that the student’s task representation was influenced by several factors such as the student’s goals, the perceived purpose of the assignments, and the student’s beliefs and experience. Implications of the study for second language writing instruction and research are discussed.

scholarly journals The Writer, the Text and the Reader: An Exploration of  Identity in Second Language Academic Writing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kirsten Reid
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Student Writers ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
The Relationship

<p>Students studying in university contexts often find learning to write English for academic purposes especially challenging. Some of the challenges reside in acquiring the necessary skills and strategies to be successful academic writers. A less tangible consideration which has received recent attention from first and second language writing researchers is the relationship between writing and identity. How do student writers become part of a situated community in which some discourses may be privileged over others? While all writing can be a potential site of struggle, this may have particular significance for second language students who bring their own unique backgrounds and literacy histories to their academic writing and may find becoming part of a new and heterogeneous discourse community profoundly unsettling. Using case study methods, this dissertation explores the experiences of four undergraduate students as they become academic writers in a second language. It also carries out an analysis of some of the linguistic features one particular student essay to examine how writers simultaneously construct their texts and are constructed by them.</p>

scholarly journals Teacher Electronic Written Corrective Feedback, Trends and Future Directions

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-322
Author(s):  
Omar Abdullah Altamimi ◽  
Mona Masood
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Esl Writing ◽  
Esl Teachers ◽  
Written Corrective Feedback ◽  
Language Writing

The past two decades witnessed increased attention in the role of Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) in improving the English as a second language(ESL) students’ written linguistic accuracy. Several methods were suggested, including the use of the electronic means of providing corrective feedback. The electronic methods proved to be effective despite the limited numbers and contexts. However, the extent of these studies is still unknown. Furthermore, no comprehensive review of the studies had been conducted to date. This systematic literature review will identify and classify the research on providing ESL teachers with Electronic Written Corrective Feedback (EWCF). A survey of several experimental and analytical studies that focused on testing the effect of different methods of EWCF on ESL students was conducted, covering the period between 2006 and 2020. Two major groups of studies emerged from this research, and several gaps were identified. The research concluded with several recommendations regarding the potential tracks for future research on EWCF. The current research will serve as a guideline for ESL writing practitioners and researchers on future teacher corrective feedback in second language writing.

Reducing Second Language Writing Anxiety

2021 ◽  
pp. 28-47
Author(s):  
Bashak Tarkan-Blanco
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Writing Anxiety ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Writing Assignment

Academic writing is a difficult task for many post-secondary students in the U.S. However, it is particularly challenging for ESL students due to linguistic and cognitive factors. This challenge may lead to second language writing anxiety (SLWA), as a result of which some students may perform poorly on writing assignments and eventually fail the course. Although previous research studies offer instructional strategies to address SLWA, they are insufficient in their theoretical basis and practical application. Thus, this paper fills that gap by situating those pedagogical recommendations within their theoretical foundations and includes a sample writing assignment with a student self-regulation checklist.

scholarly journals Enhancing Second Language Writing Self-regulation Through Self-assessment and Peer-assessment: A Case of Iranian EFL Learners

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Jalil Fathi ◽  
Sara Mohebiniya ◽  
Saeed Nourzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Assessment Activities

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of self-assessment and peer-assessment activities on second language (L2) writing self-regulation of Iranian English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners. For this purpose, a sample of forty-six English major students from two intact classes at an Iranian Islamic Azad University were recruited as the participants of the present study. Then, the two classes were randomly assigned to a self-assessment group (N=22) and a peer-assessment group (N=24). The self-assessment group was instructed on the writing assessment criteria in order to self-assess their writing tasks and the peer-assessment group was trained on how to assess the writings of their peers. The treatment carried out for the self-assessment and peer-assessment groups lasted for a period of one university semester. The data was collected through Second Language Writing Self-regulation (SLWS) administered as the pre-test and post-test of the study. The results obtained from the data analysis indicated that both self-assessment and peer-assessment were conducive in enhancing L2 writing self-regulation of the participants. Nevertheless, further analysis of the data indicated that the participants in the peer-assessment group were better than those in the self-assessment group with regard to writing self-regulation, suggesting that peer-assessment activities were more effective than the self-assessment activities in contributing to enhancing writing self-regulation of the EFL learners. The justification of the findings and their implications for L2 writing pedagogy are also discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document