Corpus-based Study on the Use of Delexicalized Word“Thing”by Non-English Majors in L2 Writing

Recent years,interdisciplinary studies on English writing have become more and more prevalent,which is especially indicated by corpus-based studies,springing up.As the theoretical foundation,the Delexicalization Theory,which is a reasonably common language phenomenon,provides a more extensive perspective for English writing.According to the real linguistic data of EFL learners(The CET4 essays of four different classes),it can be easily found that students tend to use the word“thing”—considered to be one of the frequently-used delexcialized words,to express their opinions by means of the analysis of AntConc.However,the results indicate that Chinese non-English majors are inclined to overuse the word.Meanwhile,there are a large amount of inappropriate use of the word“thing”such as redundancy,substitution,collocation and semantic errors.Moreover,the study attempts to summarize the cause that the overuse may be attributed to improper writing strategies,and the effect of fossilization of interlanguage in order to provide some implications for English teaching promotion.

Task-Type repetition and L2 Writing Development

The study aims to investigate whether repetition of the same task type affects quality of writing production in terms of complexity, accuracy and fluency(CAF). Data is collected in the form of TOEFL integrated and independent essays repetitively written at weekly intervals. Fluency, complexity and accuracy of each essay were gauged using various measures to reflect multidimensionality of these constructs. Data analysis reveals that there is improvement in both integrated and independent writing, especially in terms of linguistic accuracy, which could be attributed to repetition of these two tasks.

Genre Effect on L2 Syntactic Complexity and Holistic Rating for Writing Quality of Intermediate EFL Learners

This exploratory study examines whether genre has an impact on syntactic complexity and holistic rating in EFL writing. Over 300 sample texts produced by intermediate learners were collected from a test and some regular after-class assignments for English writing courses. Each participant completed two writing tasks, one argumentative and the other narrative. Results show that genre type has a significant impact on L2 syntactic complexity. Genre effect is found stronger with timed writing tasks. L2 holistic ratings show correlation with syntactic complexity on the different measure(s) depending on genre type and planning conditions. Regression analyses reveal that for timed writing tasks, clausal density(clauses per sentence) is a reliable predictor for holistic assessment on intermediate EFL learners’ writing quality. It is found to account for 6% of the score variance for timed writing and 10% for timed argumentative writing. Genre is evidenced to be related to EFL writing holistic ratings. Closer examination indicates that while syntactic complexity is predictive of holistic writing scores for argumentative writing, it does not correlate with holistic scores for narrative writing. Other linguistic features rather than syntactic complexity may be accountable. Overall, the study lends support to genre effect in the relationship between syntactic complexity and L2 writing quality holistic rating.

The Effect of Different Types of Corrective Feedback on L2 Writing Accuracy of college students

Since the process writing was raised in the L2 writing in 1970s, the feedback has been an important part of teaching. A range of researchers have investigated the effect of different types of error feedback to find whether the feedback can help L2 writers improve the accuracy of their writing. Similar to the previously discussed question, they have also reached rather controversial conclusions. Most often, these studies have categorized corrective feedback as either direct or indirect. To explore the effects of corrective feedback in L2 writing, the paper investigated the types of feedback given to 30 college students of Tianhe College in Guangdong province. The study improved that correction feedback can improve accuracy in student writing.

Fluctuations and Directions in Teaching Second Language Writing

The research literature on teaching writing in a L2 （second language） has inspired L2 writing teachers with various sorts of activities in the last few decades and scholars have highlighted multiple aspects of L2 writing on which L2 writing teachers should focus. This paper presents a chronological sketch of the main approaches and trends in teaching and researching L2 writing around the world. It summarizes the components of L2 writing addressed in these approaches and enumerates the dimensions of L2 writing stressed in different approaches including language structure, text functions, themes and topics, creative expression, composing processes, content, genre, and context of writing. Referring to the types of knowledge that need to be imparted to L2 writers, the paper exemplifies teaching activities that can enrich L2 writing classes. The theme that emerges from the discussion is that varied pedagogical implications of the research literature will not be confusing for L2 writing teachers, if they broaden their vision of L2 writing to extend a social view to all dimensions of forms, processes, audiences and L2 writers Teaching L2 writing is presented as the teaching of social individuals using socially-mediated processes to produce socially-meaningful texts for socially-aligned audiences

The Key to Second Language Writing Performance： The Relationship Between Lexical Competence and Writing

Vocabulary knowledge is an important component of the writing skill and it has many dimensions, such as size, depth, and productive, in interaction with writing skill. To evaluate this relation and determine which dimension is the most effective for second language writing quality, the present study was conducted. Turkish EFL （English as a Foreign Language） learners＇ lexical competence and writing abilities were examined through their vocabulary profiles and academic essays. The results of each vocabulary measure indicated that the participants had a limited vocabulary size, containing words mostly from 2,000 to 3,000 frequency bands and thus, the productive vocabulary knowledge of the participants mostly consisted of lk ＋ 2k words and the use of academic words in their essays was very low. The results of the study revealed that the lexical competence covering the main components of vocabulary knowledge was a good predictor of the students＇ quality of writing performance.

The Effects of Pre-Task Planning on Second Language Writing:A Systematic Review of Experimental Studies

There are both pedagogical and theoretical grounds for asking second language writers to plan before they start writing.The question then arises whether pre-task planning(PTP)improves written output.To address this question,this article reviewed 32 studies by comparing the effect of PTP either with no planning or with unpressured online planning(OLP).These studies also investigated the moderating effect of variables relating to the writer participants,the nature of the planning,and the writing tasks.The main findings are:(1)There is no clear evidence that PTP leads to better overall writing quality when this is measured using rating rubrics,(2)PTP generally results in more fluent writing,(3)its impact on syntactical and lexical complexity is inconsistent and negligible,(4)OLP does sometimes result in increased linguistic accuracy,and(5)there is insufficient evidence to reach clear conclusions about the role that moderating variables have on the impact of PTP,but the results suggest that collaborative(as opposed to individual planning)can lead to increased accuracy and that PTP tends to lead to more complex language when the writing task is a complex one.The article concludes with a set of principles to ensure better quality research and three general proposals for the kind of future research needed.

Negative Lexical Transfer of Native Language in Chinese College Students＇ English Writing

This paper focuses on manifestations of negative transfer of native language at lexical level reflected in Chinese college students＇ English writing. A classification as well as its exemplification is offered concerning all these lexical transfer errors. And the cause of formation is analyzed for the corresponding class of lexical transfer.

Academic Writing and the Challenges It Poses to Chinese Students in Anglophone Universities

Academic literacy is the fundamental quality that scholars should possess in order to get socialized in their disciplinary communities, of which academic writing is one of the most important aspects. This article attempts to summarize some common features of academic writing and the skills and background knowledge that are essential for successful writing. The next part focuses on the possible challenges that academic writing may pose on Chinese overseas students as they try to meet the requirements of the Western discourse communities. In the last part, it provides some recommendations to those who intend to study abroad and concludes that for both native and non-native speakers the learning of academic writing is a lifelong process of endless confliction and negotiation.

A Comparative Analysis of Syntactic Complexity in Applied Linguistics Abstracts Written by Chinese Novice Writers and Native English Advanced Writers

The rhetorical structure of abstracts has been a widely discussed topic, as it can greatly enhance the abstract writing skills of second-language writers. This study aims to provide guidance on the syntactic features that L2 learners can employ, as well as suggest which features they should focus on in English academic writing. To achieve this, all samples were analyzed for rhetorical moves using Hyland’s five-rhetorical move model. Additionally, all sentences were evaluated for syntactic complexity, considering measures such as global, clausal and phrasal complexity. The findings reveal that expert writers exhibit a more balanced use of syntactic complexity across moves, effectively fulfilling the rhetorical objectives of abstracts. On the other hand, MA students tend to rely excessively on embedded structures and dependent clauses in an attempt to increase complexity. The implications of these findings for academic writing research, pedagogy, and assessment are thoroughly discussed.

Academic Identity Construction in Writing the Discussion & Conclusion Section of L2 Theses: Case Studies of Chinese Social Science Doctoral Students

There has been an increasing interest in studying thesis writing genre in the past two decades, however, the study on how social science doctoral students construct their academic identity in 12 thesis writing still remains underexplored to date. This paper attempts to fill the gap by examining the ways in which a cohort of Chinese social science doctoral students constructed their academic identity in the process of drafting, revising, and shaping the Discussion ＆ Conclusion section of their L2 theses. The study adopted multi-case approaches and in-depth interviews. It found that the process of the students＇ academic identity construction was fluid and dynamic. These students gradually evolved from novice student writers at the initial stage to more skilled academic writers at the later stage. The findings generated from this study offer significant implications for L2 writing pedagogy in China.

A Critical Review of Yang & Gao(2013)

This article reviews and reflects on Yang & Gao's research on beliefs and practices of Chinese university teachers in EFL writing instruction.After a summary of the major arguments, the author offers a detailed and balanced critique on Yang&Gao's research. In the end, the author comes to a conclusion based on her critique and proposes several implications it has on L2 writing instruction.

LEXICAL RICHNESS IN L2 ACADEMIC WRITING

This preliminary study investigates the relationship between lexical richness and communicative effectiveness in placement essays for graduate students whose first language (L1) is Chinese. Lexical richness is measured with Nation's web-based vocabulary profiler (Cobb, undated) software, and communicative effectiveness is scored by multiple raters. The structure of the study, lexical data compile review, results analysis, and teaching implications will be discussed. The study indicates that lexical richness needs to be taken into account in scoring the quality of writing. However, further investigation and analysis still need to be developed and discussed on the ongoing study.

Metadiscourse Use in L2 Student Essay Writing: A Longitudinal Cross-Contextual Comparison

This paper investigates developmental patterns of metadiscourse use in Chinese students’EAP writing in an English medium university,in comparison with English majors’EFL writing in mainstream state universities and L1 student writing in UK universities.Taking a longitudinal and cross-contextual perspective,the study explores corpora of L1 and L2 student writing gathered from three sources:EAP essays written by Chinese undergraduate students at an English Medium Instruction(EMI)university;argumentative essays written by English majors in the Written English Corpus of Chinese Learners(WECCL);and academic essays of English L1 students from the British Academic Written English(BAWE)corpus.Hyland’s(2005 a)model of metadiscourse was adopted to identify interactive and interactional devices in each corpus,and results were compared between different levels as well as across the corpora to reveal developmental features.Findings show marked differences in metadiscourse use between Chinese EMI students’EAP essays and English major students’EFL essays in mainstream state universities,whereas a similar pattern of use occurred in EAP essays and English L1 student academic essays.Significant changes were also found between different year levels in two L2 essay corpora.The findings suggest that metadiscourse use in L2 writing had developmental trajectories distinctive to different institutional contexts,with EAP instruction in the EMI institution having mixed effects on Chinese students’awareness and use of metadiscourse in essay writing.

Source Work in China-Based and Western SSCI Journal Articles:Preferences of Reporting Structures of English Academic Articles Published in China and in English-Speaking Countries

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of reporting verbs(RVs)in China-based and Western SSCI indexed English journal articles.Writing samples(N=168)are compared in terms of the frequencies of RVs,selection of high-frequency RVs and the evaluative orientations of RVs.The results suggest that whereas both English academic articles published in China and English academic articles published in English-speaking countries use similar varieties of RVs.Using the resources of appraisal theory,we found that English academic articles published in Chinas use fewer discourse RVs;they tend to use more neutral RVs,providing no overt intersubjective stance on the cited evidence,whereas English academic articles published in English-speaking countries favor more positive RVs to endorse the evidence during the argument.In particular,English academic articles published in China rarely employ negative and critical RVs.Academic writers’preferences of RVs are not only due to their language proficiency,but also due to their discursive tradition and underlying cultural values.They also have to do with the journals’coverage of topics and attitude toward academic debates and original thinking.The comparative findings have implications for English academic articles published in China,especially those based in non-English-speaking countries,when they try to use RVs to develop authorial stance in English:that is,to distinguish the semantic stance of RVs and cultivate cross-language and-culture awareness.

PEER REVISION OF WRITING IN L2 CLASSROOM

Peer revision,a supplementary strategy to teacher revisionof writing in L2 classroom,makes passive receivers of teacherrevision become active revisers,enabling students to involve inmore motivated language learning.Benefits of peer revision andits implications for teacher and student roles are discussed.Thisarticle also tentatively analyzes ways of preparing students foreffective peer revision.

Error Feedback on Students' Writings by Chinese Tertiary Teachers of English

This study explores how error feedback is practiced by Chinese tertiary EFL teachers with its focus on the extent and modes of error feedback, types of focused errors, feedback strategies, and perceptions and attitudes of concern. Analysis of the data from questionnaires, interviews and sample writings indicates that error feedback was extensively practiced in both comprehensive and selective modes. When providing feedback, teachers tended to focus on diction problems and ill-formed sentences, and mainly used the strategies of ＂direct feedback＂ and ＂hinting at the location of errors＂. Despite their expectations on students to locate and correct errors, teachers were found more concerned with the immediate goal of helping students avoid making the same errors than helping them learn on their own. As for the students, they expected teachers to provide comprehensive error feedback and make frequent use of error codes. This paper finally points out that for more effective error feedback, various feedback strategies should be used by teachers and self-correction and peer review should be conducted by students.

Fostering Professional Inquiry:A Report on the Sixth National Symposium on EFL Writing Research and Teaching in China

本文通过概述2008年秋季在北京召开的第六届全国英语写作教学与研究研讨会,分析了我国英语写作教学研究的现状和热点。本届研讨会的主要议题可以归纳为:(1)国内外二语写作研究现状;(2)写作教学;(3)写作学习者和中国英语;(4)写作评估和测试;(5)写作教师专业发展。本文最后根据会议情况分析了中国英语写作教学研究的发展趋势。

INCORPORATING LITERATURE INTO ENGLISH WRITING AS A PROCESS TO IMPROVE TRADITIONAL WRITING INSTRUCTION

This article, based on a solid literature review, provides an in-depth exploration of L2 writing process, including a detailed description of L2 writing behaviors and habits and the differences in the writing process between advanced and unskilled L2 learners. Findings indicate that writing is a dynamic, recursive interplay of three major processes: planning, drafting, and revising. Experiencing this writing process, L2 learners have more to write and write it well. Therefore, this article suggests incorporating literature into L2 writing process as an effective way to improve traditional writing instruction.

Teaching and Assessing Critical Thinking in Second Language Writing: An Infusion Approach

Recent calls for promoting students＇ critical thinking （CT） abilities leave second language （L2） teachers wondering how to integrate CT into their existing agenda. Framed by Paul and Elder＇s （2001） CT model, the study explores how CT could be effectively taught in L2 writing as a way to improve students＇ CT skills and L2 writing performance. In this study, an infusion approach was developed and implemented in actual classroom teaching. Mixed methods were employed to investigate： （1） the effectiveness of the infusion approach on improving students＇ CT and L2 writing scores; （2） the relationship between students＇ CT and L2 writing scores; and （3） the effects of the infusion approach on students＇ learning of CT and L2 writing. The results of the statistical analyses indicate that the infusion approach has effectively improved students＇ CT and L2 writing scores and that there was a significant positive relationship （r=0.893, p〈0.01） between students＇ CT and L2 writing scores. The results of the post-study interview illustrate that the infusion approach has beneficial effects on students＇ learning of CT and L2 writing by bridging the abstract CT theories and interactive writing activities and by integrating the instruction and practice of CT into those of L2 writing.