写作策略与产出性词汇量对写作质量的影响

The Influence of Writing Strategies and Productive Vocabulary Size on Writing Quality

本文旨在研究在写作策略的作用下,词汇量对写作质量是否有显著影响,写作策略能否弥补词汇量之不足。研究对象为大学二年级学生,共60人,为两个自然班。一个受过写作策略训练,但词汇量较小。另一个词汇量虽大,但没受过策略训练。研究结果发现,产出性词汇量对写作质量的直接影响并不显著,与写作策略相结合才能发挥很大作用。写作策略对写作质量的影响有“阈限”,在“阈限”以上则会产生很大影响。而写作策略在一定程度上能弥补词汇量的不足。

This paper constitutes an attempt to study whether productive vocabulary size affects writing quality with writing strategy training as a moderator variable, and whether strategy training can improve writing quality when L2 learners do not have a large vocabulary. Sixty sophomores from two natural classes at the same proficiency level participated in this study. The control group with a larger vocabulary size did not receive strategy training. In contrast, the experimental group with a smaller vocabulary size was trained to use writing strategies such as planning. The sequence for strategy training instruction was based on Oxford's (1990) 'explicit strategy training' and Chamot and Rubin's (1994) 'teachability of strategy knowledge'.Paul Nation's(1990)10,000 word level test was then used to measure the subjects' productive vocabulary size and timed writing was employed to analyze their strategy use.The results showed that productive vocabulary size had no significant effect on writing quality, and that high writing quality could be attributed to the combination of a large vocabulary size and writing strategy use. The results also revealed that there existed a limit beyond which writing strategy use could exert greater influence on writing quality. The subjects who had received the strategy training could employ the three types of strategy effectively. That did much to compensate for their smaller vocabulary size.