research methods in the study of l2 writing processes

Investigating L2 writing processes across independent and integrated tasks: A mixed-methods study

Most research into second language (L2) writing has focused on the products of writing tasks; much less empirical work has examined the behaviours in which L2 writers engage and the cognitive processes that underlie writing behaviours. We aimed to fill this gap by investigating the extent to which writing speed fluency, pausing, eye-gaze behaviours and the cognitive processes associated with pausing may vary across independent and integrated tasks throughout the whole, and at five different stages, of the writing process. Sixty L2 writers performed two independent and two integrated TOEFL iBT writing tasks counterbalanced across participants. While writing, we logged participants’ keystrokes and captured their eye-movements. Participants took part in a stimulated recall interview based on the last task they had completed. Mixed effects regressions and qualitative analyses revealed that, apart from source use on the integrated task, L2 writers engaged in similar writing behaviours and cognitive processes during the independent and integrated tasks. The integrated task, however, elicited more dynamic and varied behaviours and cognitive processes across writing stages. Adopting a mixed-methods approach enabled us to gain more complete and specific insights than using a single method.

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A Critical Examination of L2 Writing Process Research

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• Julio Roca De Larios 4 ,
• Liz Murphy 4 &
• Javier Marín 4  

Part of the book series: Studies in Writing ((STUW,volume 11))

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The present chapter is intended as a critical analysis of the most relevant recent research into the cognitive processes underlying second language written composition. After an introduction of the research domain, a number of relevant methodological aspects are briefly discussed. These include the data collection procedures used, the assessment of writers’ command of the second language, the evaluation of written products, the context of the research, the type and number of participants involved, the type of tasks used, and the way reliability has been reported in the different studies. The substantive part of the research has been analyzed by isolating its main theoretical frames. Each of these frames has allowed us to derive a number of research sub-domains under which the studies have been grouped: the comparison of skilled and unskilled L2 writers, the development of L2 writing skill, the comparison of L1 and L2 writing processes, and the relationship between writing ability and L2 proficiency. A systematic analysis of the findings within each category has led us to identify a number of areas in need of further research: the notion of L2 writing skill, the formulation process, the temporal character of composition, the cognitive mechanisms involved in the transfer of writing abilities across languages, and the situated nature of L2 writing.

• L1 and L2 writing processes
• writing skill
• transfer of writing skills
• skilled vs. unskilled writers
• relationship writing skill and L2 proficiency

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Universidad de Murcia, Spain

Julio Roca De Larios, Liz Murphy & Javier Marín

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Florida Atlantic University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA

Sarah Ransdell

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Marie-Laure Barbier

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De Larios, J.R., Murphy, L., Marín, J. (2002). A Critical Examination of L2 Writing Process Research. In: Ransdell, S., Barbier, ML. (eds) New Directions for Research in L2 Writing. Studies in Writing, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0363-6_2

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Research Methods in the Study of L2 Writing Processes (Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 5)

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Chapter 1 The study of L2 writing processes

Lines and methods of inquiry.

This introductory chapter serves two main purposes. One is to contextualize the book within the larger professional discussion, which we do through a look-back approach in order to provide a synthetic review of the main lines of research in the study of L2 writing processes and the main research instruments employed. The second aim of the chapter is to introduce readers to the aims, structure, and contents of the book.

• Introduction
• Writing processes in L2 writing research
• Cognitively-oriented studies of writing processes
• Socio-cultural, ethnographically-oriented studies of writing processes and text production processes
• Feedback processing
• Writing and text production processes
• Aims and scope
• Structure and contents
• Final comments