Journal of Second Language Writing最新文献

Based on usage-based approaches to language learning, this study investigated how second language (L2) writers use verbs and argument structure constructions across different genres, while also exploring how this genre effect interacts with L2 writing proficiency. We analyzed five previously established usage-based indices using a learner corpus comprising argumentative and narrative essays elicited from 3196 college-level learners. Through a series of mixed-effects regression analyses, we identified a consistent genre effect, with argumentative essays featuring a more sophisticated use of verbs and constructions alongside a greater diversity in construction types. Additionally, a significant interaction emerged between genre and proficiency regarding construction frequency and the frequency of verb–construction combinations. These results indicate that while the previously observed genre effect extends to the L2 use of verbs and constructions, its manifestation varies depending on L2 proficiency. Overall, our study supports the usage-based learning of verbs and constructions in the context of L2 writing.

Amidst the growing hype surrounding ChatGPT and its use for writing purposes, numerous studies have emerged, but there has been limited emphasis on investigating how individual students utilize it for text revision. Against this backdrop, the present study examined how six Iranian graduate ESL students from STEM fields engaged with ChatGPT when revising their academic research proposals. The study employed a tripartite multidimensional framework encompassing behavioral, cognitive, and affective aspects of engagement. Behavioral engagement was analyzed by studying students’ texts and their screencasts using ChatGPT for text revision. Cognitive and affective engagement were evaluated through students’ comments during stimulated recall of the screencasts, along with semi-structured interviews and follow-up surveys. The findings show that participants used ChatGPT behaviorally for lower-order concerns, relying on a training prompt. While they generally noticed and comprehended the feedback, they expressed doubts regarding its accuracy whenever necessary, implying a reasonably high level of cognitive engagement. Affective engagement revealed high satisfaction, with participants' favoring ChatGPT for paraphrasing to enhance professionalism in writing. The research offers insights for educators on how to effectively integrate ChatGPT into L2 writing classrooms.

In response to the need for more attention to teachers of writing (Lee, 2024), this collaborative autoethnography (CAE) aims to explore the lived experiences of Western-trained teachers teaching EFL writing in the tertiary-level educational context of Vietnam. Drawing upon the concepts of systemic tensions, emotion, and agency from an activity theoretical perspective, we report on tensions we encountered between our Western-based TESOL education and our local activity of teaching EFL writing as well as on how we emotionally and agentively responded to these tensions to allow for practices compatible with the local context. Our CAE unveiled a host of intricate tensions between multiple components of our activity systems. These tensions triggered our emotional responses, which in turn spurred us to exercise our pedagogical and relational agency to reconstruct our pedagogical cognition and implement adaptive pedagogies. Notably, the dynamic interplay between our tensions, emotion, agency constituted critical experiences which fostered the emergence of participatory pedagogical content knowledge of writing, and in turn, of situated possibilities for learning and teaching EFL writing. The study provides implications for Western-based TESOL teacher education and relevant stakeholders regarding how to better support teachers like us in our transition from learning in the West to teaching in the East.

Argumentative writing in English as a foreign language (EFL) is an important skill in upper secondary education in Germany and Switzerland. This article provides insights into students’ EFL writing skills in the aspects of language quality, content, and structure (N = 2314 TOEFL argumentative essays from two time-points, beginning and end of Year 11). These essays were analyzed by trained human raters using analytic assessment rubrics for each aspect and evaluated in a cross-sectional as well as a longitudinal perspective. Results show that there were significant variations between these aspects in learners’ texts, suggesting that they represent separate dimensions of the argumentative writing ability. Scores were lowest for language quality, suggesting that this was the most challenging aspect for EFL learners. Learning gains over one year were largest for structure, smaller for content and smallest for language quality. Overall, learners in Switzerland showed higher skills in all three aspects, but German learners showed larger gains in structure over the school year. Implications for classroom learning and further research are discussed.

This quasi-experimental classroom-based study (n = 128) assessed how individual writing developed after students had completed either collaborative or independent writing; specifically looking at the development of language use in writing and changes in the complexity, accuracy and fluency of individual writing completed before and after either collaborative or independent writing had been carried out. While the complexity and fluency of individual writing changed in a similar way after collaborative or independent writing had been completed, analysis of pre and post-test writing revealed that accuracy increased by a significantly greater degree in the post-test writing of learners who carried out collaborative writing (n = 64). This suggests that students may be able to learn about correct language use from writing collaboratively with their peers.

This study examined the effects of second language (L2) proficiency, acquisition context, and topic on the use of verb argument constructions (VACs) in Asian college-level L2 writers’ argumentative essays. A total of 776 essays written on two topics by 388 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) writers of two L2 proficiency levels were used as data. Six indices informed by large-scale corpora of L1 English speakers were used to gauge the frequency and association strength of the VACs. Results of a series of linear mixed-effects models showed the frequencies of verbs and verb-construction combinations were affected by the interaction between L2 proficiency and acquisition context. L2 proficiency also had a main effect on construction frequency, with more proficient writers using constructions of lower frequency than less proficient writers. No effect of L2 proficiency was found on the association strength of VACs. Additionally, acquisition context affected the directional association strength of VACs, with ESL writers using verbs that associated less strongly with constructions than EFL writers. Finally, topic effects were found on five of the six indices. These findings offered empirical evidence for the developmental trajectories of VACs, and carried practical implications for L2 writing pedagogy.

This study explores the relationships between task sequencing, task anxiety, task enjoyment, and second language (L2) writing development. While L2 writing is influenced by various factors, including task sequencing and learner-related variables, empirical evidence on the interactions between task sequencing and task emotions in L2 writing development is scarce. To address this gap, 75 L2 English students performed nine versions of three decision-making tasks in different sequences (simple to complex, complex to simple, or random) over nine weeks. The participants completed post-task questionnaires on their perceptions of the tasks, task anxiety, and task enjoyment, and their essays were analyzed for syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical complexity, and fluency (CALF). Linear mixed-effect modeling examined the effect of task sequencing on CALF measures and task emotions. Results revealed that the simple-to-complex group had the best performance in CALF measures compared to other groups. Furthermore, the complex-to-simple group outperformed the random group in accuracy, lexical complexity, and fluency measures. Participants showed improved writing over time and experienced less task anxiety and more task enjoyment in the simple-to-complex group. Overall, this study suggests that task sequencing plays a crucial role in L2 writing development by improving learners’ performance, enjoyment, while reducing anxiety.

This study explored writing processes in two languages (L1-Swedish and L2-English) and in two text types (argumentative and narrative) of 158 upper-secondary students by analysing keystroke logging data. The main aim of this study was to identify effective writing processes of argumentative and narrative tasks in L1 and L2. First, results of the mixed effects model analysis showed that students' typical writing processes displayed differences in timing, higher and lower order pauses, production speed, and revision depending on the language in which they wrote and the type of text they wrote. Secondly, using regression model analyses we explored which writing process patterns were positively related to text quality. By combining a reduced set of process measures, we identified effective writing process patterns. These patterns explained a rather substantial part of the variance in text quality, more precisely, between 56.1 % and 69.3 %. This study contributes to the current field of writing process studies by expanding our knowledge of typical and effective writing processes in argumentative and narrative writing in upper-secondary students' L1 and L2. These insights can be used to further shape writing education to support students’ writing across languages and text types.