Task repetition and L2 writing development
-
Ryo Nitta
Abstract
Previous research has shown that repetition of a task improves L2 oral performance in terms of fluency and complexity (e.g. Bygate 2001). However, there is no clear evidence regarding the effects of task repetition and task-type repetition on L2 writing ability. Using a Dynamic Systems perspective, this study investigates longitudinally over a one-year period whether any noticeable changes are brought about through repeating a timed writing task. Forty-six first-year Japanese university students participated in this project for thirty weeks. Each week students wrote a composition on a chosen topic for ten minutes; the topic was changed every two weeks. A group-level analysis of 1300 compositions with five indices of fluency and syntactic and lexical measures shows that, while the effects of specific task repetition were limited, task-type repetition did have a marked effect on writing in terms of lexical and grammatical aspects. An individual-level analysis suggests that task-type repetition does not have an identical effect on student writing development in terms of linguistic features. Based on these findings, we suggest that the benefits of repeating the task may not show up in the short term but that repetition over an extended period would yield positive effects on students’ writing.
Abstract
Previous research has shown that repetition of a task improves L2 oral performance in terms of fluency and complexity (e.g. Bygate 2001). However, there is no clear evidence regarding the effects of task repetition and task-type repetition on L2 writing ability. Using a Dynamic Systems perspective, this study investigates longitudinally over a one-year period whether any noticeable changes are brought about through repeating a timed writing task. Forty-six first-year Japanese university students participated in this project for thirty weeks. Each week students wrote a composition on a chosen topic for ten minutes; the topic was changed every two weeks. A group-level analysis of 1300 compositions with five indices of fluency and syntactic and lexical measures shows that, while the effects of specific task repetition were limited, task-type repetition did have a marked effect on writing in terms of lexical and grammatical aspects. An individual-level analysis suggests that task-type repetition does not have an identical effect on student writing development in terms of linguistic features. Based on these findings, we suggest that the benefits of repeating the task may not show up in the short term but that repetition over an extended period would yield positive effects on students’ writing.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Series editors’ preface to volume 7 ix
- Task-based language learning 1
-
PART I. Tenets, methods, and findings in task-oriented theory and research: The case of writing
- The internal dimension of tasks 27
- Reframing task performance 53
- Theorizing language development at the intersection of ‘task’ and L2 writing 79
-
PART II. Empirical findings
- Task repetition and L2 writing development 107
- Planning and production in computer-mediated communication (CMC) writing 137
- Task complexity and linguistic performance in advanced college-level foreign language writing 163
- Differences across modalities of performance 193
- Storyline complexity and syntactic complexity in writing and speaking tasks 217
- Linking task and writing for language development 237
-
PART III. Coda
- Task, task performance, and writing development 267
- About the contributors 301
- Author index 305
- Subject index 309
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Series editors’ preface to volume 7 ix
- Task-based language learning 1
-
PART I. Tenets, methods, and findings in task-oriented theory and research: The case of writing
- The internal dimension of tasks 27
- Reframing task performance 53
- Theorizing language development at the intersection of ‘task’ and L2 writing 79
-
PART II. Empirical findings
- Task repetition and L2 writing development 107
- Planning and production in computer-mediated communication (CMC) writing 137
- Task complexity and linguistic performance in advanced college-level foreign language writing 163
- Differences across modalities of performance 193
- Storyline complexity and syntactic complexity in writing and speaking tasks 217
- Linking task and writing for language development 237
-
PART III. Coda
- Task, task performance, and writing development 267
- About the contributors 301
- Author index 305
- Subject index 309
