Enhancing Writing Proficiency in EFL Learners through Task Repetitions in TBLT: A Comparative Study
Nafiseh Hosseinpour
1
(Assistant Professor, Department of Foreign Languages, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad university, Isfahan, Iran)
Fatemeh Raeesi
2
(Ph.D. Department of English language and literature, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University)
فریبا رحیمی اصفهانی
3
(Department of English, Shahrekord branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran)
کلید واژه: Task repetitions, Exact task repetition, Content task repetition, Procedural task repetition, Complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF) measures,
چکیده مقاله :
Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is an instrumental approach in equipping students with the necessary skills and preparing them for success in academic, professional, and real-life communication contexts. However, the lack of research in this area in teaching writing is a notable gap in the field of language education. This gap in research hinders the understanding of how TBLT can be optimally applied to the development of writing proficiency in language learners. To this end, the current study aimed at finding the effects of three types of task repetitions (exact, procedural and content) on the writing quality of a group of EFL learners. A convenience sample of 120 intermediate EFL learners agreed to participate in this study. The participants were then randomly assigned to 4 groups: 1 control group and 3 experimental groups. The initial writing task, functioning as the pre-test, was conducted across all groups. In this task, learners were requested to rephrase the reading passage from unit 6A of the American File book, which was considered a descriptive writing assignment. Following this, the participants underwent the necessary treatment over three sessions in three experimental groups. The variations among the experimental groups were related to the types of task repetition. After the treatment sessions were completed, the same pre-test was given to the participants as the post-test to measure any difference in the quality of the participants’ writing. Data analysis was done through a series of t-tests and one-way ANCOVA.
چکیده انگلیسی :
Abdali, A., & Fatemipour, H. (2014). The impact of different writing tasks on intermediate EFL learners' writing performance. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 4(4), 730.
Ahmadian, M. J. (2011). The effect of ‘massed' task repetitions on complexity, accuracy, and fluency: Does it transfer to a new task? The Language Learning Journal, 39(3), 269-280.
Ahmadian, M. J., & Tavakoli, M. (2011). The effects of simultaneous use of careful online planning and task repetition on accuracy, complexity, and fluency in EFL learners’ oral production. Language Teaching Research, 15(1), 35-59.
Ahmadian, M.J. , Tavakoli, M., & Vahid Dastjerdi, H. (2015). The combined effects of online planning and task structure on complexity, accuracy, and fluency of L2 speech. The Language Learning Journal, 43(1), 41-56.
Al-Seghayer, K. (2011). English teaching in Saudi Arabia: Status, issues, and challenges. Hala. Washington.
Amelohina, V., Nicolas-Conesa, F., & Manchón, R. M. (2020). Effects of task repetition with the aid of direct and indirect written corrective feedback. In F. Nicolas-Conesa & R. M. Manchón (Eds.), Writing and Language Learning: Advancing Research Agendas (pp. 145-182).
Amiryousefi, M. (2016). The differential effects of two types of task repetition on the complexity, accuracy, and fluency in computer-mediated L2 written production: A focus on computer anxiety. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 29(5), 1052-1068.
Baba, K., & Nitta, R. (2014). Phase transitions in development of writing fluency from a complex dynamic systems perspective. Language Learning, 64(1), 1-35.
Bui, G., Ahmadian, M. J., & Hunter, A. M. (2019). Spacing effects on repeated L2 task performance. System, 81, 1-13.
Bygate, M. (1999). Task as context for the framing, reframing, and unframing of language. System, 27(1), 33-48.
Bygate, M. (2001). Effects of task repetition on the structure and control of oral language. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, & M. Swain (Eds.), Researching Pedagogic Tasks: Second Language Learning, Teaching and Testing (pp. 23-48). Longman.
Bygate, M., Samuda, V. (2005). Integrative planning through the use of task repetition. In M. Bygate, V. Samuda (Eds.), Planning and Task Performance in a Second Language (pp. 37-74). Springer.
Bygate, M., & Samuda, V. (2009). Creating pressure in task pedagogy: The joint roles of field, purpose, and engagement within the interaction approach. In Multiple Perspectives on Interaction (pp. 96-122). Routledge.
Bygate, M. (2018). Learning Language through Task Repetition. John Benjamins.
DeKeyser, R. (1998). Beyond the focus on form: Cognitive perspectives on learning and practicing second language grammar. Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition, 28, 42-63.
Ellis, N. C. (2002). Frequency effects in language processing: A review with implications for theories of implicit and explicit language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24(2), 143-188.
Ellis, R., & Barkhuizen, G. P. (2005). Analyzing learner language. Oxford University Press.
Ellis, R. (2009). A typology of written corrective feedback types. ELT Journal, 63(2), 97-107.
Hunt, K. W. (1965). A synopsis of clause-to-sentence length factors. The English Journal, 54(4), 300-309.
Khezrlou, S. (2020). The role of task repetition with direct written corrective feedback in L2 writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency. Journal of Second Language Studies, 3(1), 31-54.
Kim, N. K. (2008). New model of component-based product-oriented environmental management system (C-POEMS) for small and medium-sized enterprises (Doctoral dissertation, Brunel University School of Engineering and Design Ph.D. Theses).
Kormos, J. (2014). Speech production and second language acquisition. Routledge.
Kuiken, F., Mos, M., & Vedder, I. (2005). Cognitive task complexity and second language writing performance. Eurosla yearbook, 5(1), 195-222.
Lambert, C., Kormos, J., & Minn, D. (2017). Task repetition and second language speech processing. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 39(1), 167-196.
Latham-Koenig, C., Oxenden, C., & Seligson, P. (2013). English File: Pre-intermediate. Student's Book B. Workbook B. Oxford University Press.
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2012). Complex, dynamic systems: A new transdisciplinary theme for applied linguistics? Language Teaching, 45(2), 202-214.
Lynch, T., & Maclean, J. (2000). Exploring the benefits of task repetition and recycling for classroom language learning. Language Teaching Research, 4(3), 221-250.
Lynch, T., & Maclean, J. (2001). Effects of immediate task repetition on learners’ performance. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, & M. Swain (Eds.), Researching pedagogic tasks: Second language learning, teaching and testing (pp. 141-162). Harlow, UK: Longman.
Manchón, R. M. (2014). The distinctive nature of task repetition in writing: Implications for theory, research, and pedagogy. ELIA, 14, 13-41.
Mehrang, F. (2016). The effect of task structure, task repetition, and reformulation on foreign language written performance (Doctoral dissertation, ResearchSpace@ Auckland).
Nitta, R., & Baba, K. (2014). Task repetition and L2 writing development. In Task-based language learning: Insights from and for L2 writing (pp. 107-136).
Ogunsolu, O. O., Wang, J. C., & Hanson, K. (2018). Writing a review article: A graduate-level writing class. Journal of Chemical Education, 95(5), 810-816.
Payant, C., & Reagan, D. (2018). Manipulating task implementation variables with incipient Spanish language learners: A classroom-based study. Language Teaching Research, 22(2), 169-188.
Pourdana, N., Karimi Behbahani, M., & Safdari, M. (2011). The impact of task types on aspects of Iranian EFL learners' writing performance: Accuracy, fluency, and complexity. In Proceedings of International Conference on Humanities, Society and Culture.
Ravid, D., & Tolchinsky, L. (2002). Developing linguistic literacy: A comprehensive model. Journal of Child Language, 29(2), 417-447.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Major language trends in twentieth-century language teaching. Approaches and methods in language teaching, 24(2), 73-92.
Rafiee, M., & Abbasian-Naghneh, S. (2020). Willingness to write (WTW): Development of a model in EFL writing classrooms. Cogent Education, 7(1), 173-190.
Sachs, R., & Polio, C. (2007). Learners' uses of two types of written feedback on an L2 writing revision task. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 29(1), 67-100.
Sample, E., & Michel, M. (2014). An exploratory study into trade-off effects of complexity, accuracy, and fluency on young learners’ oral task repetition. TESL Canada Journal, 23, 23.
Samuda, V., Bygate, M. (2008). Researching Second Language Pedagogic Tasks. Tasks in Second Language Learning, 27(1), 82-127.
Sánchez, A. J., Manchón, R. M., & Gilabert, R. (2020). The effects of task repetition across modalities and proficiency levels. In Writing and language learning: Advancing research agendas (pp. 121-144).
Saxon, D. P., & Morante, E. A. (2014). Effective student assessment and placement: Challenges and recommendations. Journal of Developmental Education, 24-31.
Sheppard, C. (2019). Using task-based language teaching in the second language classroom: Developing global communication competencies. In Deeper Learning, Dialogic Learning, and Critical Thinking (pp. 321-338). Routledge.
Tabari, M. A., Khezrlou, S., & Tian, Y. (2022). Task complexity, task repetition, and L2 writing complexity: exploring interactions in the TBLT domain. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 26(2), 145-157.
Tatsushi, F. (Ed.). (2023). Handbook of Environmental History in Japan. Amsterdam University Press.
Tavakoli, P. (2014). Storyline complexity and syntactic complexity in writing and speaking tasks. In Task-based language learning: Insights from and for L2 writing (pp. 217-236).
Westwood, P. (2008). What teachers need to know about learning difficulties. Aust Council for Ed Research.
Wigglesworth, G., & Storch, N. (2009). Pair versus individual writing: Effects on fluency, complexity, and accuracy. Language Testing, 26(3), 445-466.
Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. London: Longman.
Willis, D., & Willis, J. (2011). Doing task-based teaching. Oxford: OUP.
