IMPACT OF WRITING STRATEGIES ON TEXT QUALITY: A CASE STUDY
Abstract
When it comes to teaching foreign languages, writing is often a neglected skill. Students are not equipped with the necessary writing strategies to facilitate the writing process and improve the overall quality of the produced text. Therefore, the aim of this research is to make the writing process more comprehensible by shining some light on various writing strategies and their impact on text quality. The study focuses on writing in German as a foreign language, specifically on four texts (whose complexity gradually increased) the participant wrote during the four- month writing course accompanied by a think-aloud protocol and keystroke-logs. Firstly, the research focuses on the analysis of the data drawn from the think-aloud protocol and keystroke logs, which help determine the writing strategies. Secondly, the quality of each text is determined. The focus of the final phase is to determine how task complexity impacts the choice of writing strategy, as well as how task complexity and writing strategy influence the quality of the final text. The overall aim of the research is to dissect the process of writing, making it more comprehensible both for students and teachers, as well as to develop guidelines for teaching writing in a foreign language.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Alamargot, Denis, and Lucile Chanquoy. 2001. Through the models of writing. Berlin: Springer Science & Business Media.
Beauvais, Caroline, Thierry Olive, and Jean-Michel Passerault. 2011. "Why are some texts good and others not? Relationship between text quality and management of the writing process." Journal of Educational Psychology 415-428.
Bereiter, Carl, and Marlene Scardamalia. 1987. The psychology of written composition. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Breuer, Esther Odilia. 2019. "Fluency in L1 and FL writing: An analysis of planning, essay writing and final revision." In Observing Writing, by E. Lindgren and K. Sullivan, 190-211. Leiden: Brill.
Cao, Zhenhao, Shulin Yu, and Ying Huang. 2019. "A qualitative inquiry into undergraduates’ learning from giving and receiving peer feedback in L2 writing: Insights from a case study." Studies in Educational Evaluation 102-112.
Chen, Wenxue, Donghong Liu, and Cancan Lin. 2023. "Collaborative peer feedback in L2 writing: Affective, behavioral, cognitive, and social engagement." Educational Psychology 1-12.
Conijn, Rianne et al. 2022. "A Product- and Process-Oriented Tagset for Revisions in Writing." Written Communication 97-128.
Cumming, Alister. 1989. "Writing expertise and second‐language proficiency." Language learning 39 (1): 81-135.
Dobao, Ana Fernandez. 2012. "Collaborative writing tasks in the L2 classroom: Comparing group, pair, and individual work." Journal of second language writing 40-58.
Eklundh, Kerstin Severinson. 1994. "Linear and nonlinear strategies in computer-based writing." Computers and Composition 11 (3): 203-216.
Ellis, Rod, and Fangyuan Yuan. 2004. "The effects of planning on fluency, complexity, and accuracy in second language narrative writing." Studies in second Language acquisition 26 (1): 59-84.
Flower, Linda, and John R. Hayes. 1981. "A cognitive process theory of writing." College composition and communication 32 (4): 365-387.
Flower, Linda, John R. Hayes, Linda Carey, Karen Schriver, and James Stratman. 1986. "Detection, diagnosis, and the strategies of revision." College composition and Communication 37 (1): 16-55.
Galbraith, David. 1999. "Writing as a knowledge-constituting process." Knowing what to write: Conceptual processes in text production 139-164.
Hayes, John R. 1996. "A New Framework for Understanding Cognition and Affect in Writing." In The Science of Writing: Theories, Methods, Individual Differences and Applications, by Marshal C. Levy and Sarah (Eds.) Ransdell, 1-27. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Hayes, John R., and Linda Flower. 1980. "Identifying the Organization of Writing Processes." In Cognitive Processes in Writing: An Interdisciplinary Approach, by L. W. Gregg and Steinberg E. R. (Eds.), 3-30. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Kaufer, David S., John R., Hayes, and Linda Flower. 1986. "Composing written sentences." Research in the Teaching of English 121-140.
Kellogg, Ronald T. 1996. "A model of working memory in writing." In The science of writing: Theories, methods, individual differences, and applications, by C. M. Levy and S. Ransdell (Eds.), 57-71. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Kellogg, Ronald T. 1988. "Attentional Overload and Writing Performance: Effects of Rough Draft and Outline Strategies." Journal of Educational Psychology 14 (2): 355-365.
Kellogg, Ronald T. 1994. The psychology of writing. New York: Oxford Unviersity Press.
Kim, Hyeyoun. 2020. "Profiles of undergraduate student writers: Differences in writing strategy and impacts on text quality." Learning and Individual Differences Article 101823.
Kuiken, Folkert, and Ineke Vedder. 2002. "Collaborative Writing in L2: The Effect of Group Interaction on Text Quality." In Studies in Writing, Volume 11: New Directions for Research in L2 Writing, by Gert Rijlaarsdam, Sarah Ransdell and Marie-Laure Barbier, 169-188. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Olive, Thierry, and Ronald T. Kellogg. 2002. "Concurrent activation of high-and low-level production processes in written composition." Memory & Cognition 30 (4): 594-600.
Piolat, Anne, and Jean-Yves Roussey. 1991. "Narrative and descriptive text revising strategies and procedures." European journal of psychology of education 155-163.
Raimes, Ann. 1987. "Language proficiency, writing ability, and composing strategies: A study of ESL college student writers." Language learning 37 (3): 439-468.
Raimes, Ann. 2001. "Language proficiency, writing ability, and composing strategies: A study of ESL college student writers." In Cognition and Second Language Instruction, by P. (Ed.) Robinson, 287-318. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Scardamalia, Marlene, Carl Bereiter, and Rosanne Steinbach. 1984. "Teachability of reflective processes in written composition." Cognitive science 8 (2): 173-190.
Shehadeh, Ali. 2011. "Effects and student perceptions of collaborative writing in L2." Journal of Second Language Writing 286-305.
Silva, Tony. 1993. "Toward an understanding of the distinct nature of L2 writing: The ESL research and its implications." TESOL quarterly 27 (4): 657-677.
Skehan, Peter. 2009. "Modelling Second Language Performance: Integrating Complexity, Accuracy, Fluency, and Lexis." Applied Linguistics 510-532.
Sommers, Nancy. 1980. "Revision strategies of student writers and experienced adult writers." College composition and communication 378-388.
Storch, Naomy. 2011. "Collaborative Writing in L2 Contexts: Processes, Outcomes, and Future Directions." Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 275-288.
Storch, Neomy. 2013. Collaborative writing in L2 classrooms. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Torrance, Mark, Glyn V. Thomas, and Elizabeth J. Robinson. 2000. "Individual differences in undergraduate essay-writing strategies: A longitudinal study." Higher Education 39 (2): 181-200.
van den Bergh, Huub, and Gert Rijlaarsdam. 2001. "Changes in Cognitive Activities During the Writing Process and Relationships with Text Quality." Educational Psychology 21 (4): 373-385.
Van Gelderen, Amos, and Ron Oostdam. 2004. "Revision of form and meaning in learning to write comprehensible text." Revision cognitive and instructional processes 103-123.
Van Waes, Luuk, and Peter Jan Schellens. 2003. "Writing profiles: The effect of the writing mode on pausing and revision patterns of experienced writers." Journal of pragmatics 35 (6): 829-853.
Williamson, Michael M., and Penny. Pence. 1989. "Word processing and student writers." In Computer writing environments: Theory, research and design, by B. K. Britton and S. M. (Eds.) Glynn, 93-127. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Yu, Shulin, and Guangwei Hu. 2017. "Understanding university students’ peer feedback practices in EFL writing: Insights from a case study." Assessing Writing 25-35.
Yu, Shulin, and Icy Lee. 2016. Peer feedback in second language writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/FULL240410008V
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
ISSN 0354-4702 (Print)
ISSN 2406-0518 (Online)