Toward an Empirical Model of L2 Writing Process

Research Project

Project/Area Number	09680289
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	教科教育
Research Institution	Nagoya Gakuin University
Principal Investigator	SASAKI Miyuki Nagoya Gakuin University Faculty of Foreign Studies Associate Professor, 外国語学部, 助教授 (60241147)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	HIROSE Keiko Aichi Prefectural University Faculty of Foreign Studies Associate Professor, 外国語学部, 助教授 (40145719)
Project Period (FY)	1997 – 1998
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1998)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000) Fiscal Year 1998: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000) Fiscal Year 1997: ¥2,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000)
Keywords	second language learners / writing process model / English writing process / expert writers / novice writers / strategies / protocol data / writing speed / 書くプロセス / 量的研究 / 質的研究
Research Abstract	The present study investigated L2 learners' writing process using multiple data sources including written texts, stimulated recall protocols, number of words written per minutes, and video-taped "revising" behaviors, The study adapted the research scheme that has been successfully used for building models of Japanese L1 writing. Three pairs of Japanese EFL writers (experts vs. novices, more vs. less efficient student writers, novices before and after six months of instruction) were compared in terms of their strategy use and writing styles. The results revealed that (a) the experts spent a longer time before starting to write planning a detailed overall organization, whereas the novices spent a shorter time making a less global plan ; (b) once the experts made their global plan, they did not stop and think as frequently as the novices ; (c) L2 proficiency appears to explain part of the difference in strategy use between the experts and novices ; (d) after six months of instruction, novices learned to use some of the good writers' strategies. It was also speculated that the experts' global planning was based on their ability to set goals and assess the characteristics of the given task. On the basis of these results, a preliminary model of the L2 writing process was proposed.