The Effects Of L1 Use In Collaborative Writing On Senior High School Students’ English Learning

In the field of collaborative writing,empirical studies have investigated the role of first language(L1)use in collaborative writing to promote the benefits of collaborative writing for second language acquisition.However,to date,most research designs along this line have focused on the impacts of mediating variables on the function of the L1 use,while fewer studies have examined how learners’ use of the L1 affects their performance in collaborative writing.And investigations of the L1 use in collaborative writing in the K-12 context have been limited.Studies based on sociocultural theory have found that the L1 use serves as a valuable semiotic device in language learning,facilitating peer interaction and attention to target language vocabulary and grammar,as well as serving meta-linguistic functions.Despite this,research into collaborative writing has not sufficiently addressed the impacts of L1 use on both language learning opportunities and learning gains.In light of this,the present study intended to explore the effects of L1 use in collaborative writing on senior high school students’ English learning.The following three research questions are to be specifically addressed.(1)How does the use of the L1 or the L2 in collaborative writing affect the language learning opportunity?(2)How does the use of the L1 or the L2 in collaborative writing affect the language learning gains?(3)How does the use of the L1 or the L2 in collaborative writing affect the linguistic complexity,accuracy,and fluency of learners’ co-constructed texts?Empirical research was designed to capture learners’ performance on collaborative writing tasks under different interaction conditions.To eliminate the potential effect of the variable of L2 proficiency,34 high school students with similar L2 proficiency levels were selected as subjects from five classes.During the collaborative process,the participants interacted in two different language conditions,the L1(Chinese)and L2(English)respectively.Each pair’s interaction was recorded and all the learners completed a tailor-made test one week later.The experiment lasted for 8 weeks with approximately 950 minutes of audio records,68 tailor-made tests,and 34 co-constructed texts collected.The number,type,and resolution of language-related episodes(LREs)produced during the interaction and the retention of LREs in the tailor-made tests were measured to verify the effects of L1 use on second language learning opportunities and gains.The subjects’ output was analyzed in terms of linguistic complexity,accuracy,and fluency.Experimental data and post hoc analyses demonstrated that interacting in the L1 or L2 conditions has varying degrees of impact on English learning opportunities,learning gains,and textual features of language output.First,during the collaborative discussion,L1 use motivated learners to produce and successfully solve more LREs.Second,in terms of the performance in tailor-made test,learners in the L1 use condition had better retention of LREs.Finally,although text fluency was slightly lower in the L1 use condition,there was no significant effect of L1 use on linguistic complexity and accuracy.The results revealed the relationship between the L1 use and the process as well as the outcome of collaborative writing.Overall,interacting in a shared L1 triggered more language learning opportunities for meaning negotiation,error correction,usage interpretation,and advice provision.It also successfully solved more language problems,resulting in better second language learning gains,without reducing linguistic complexity or accuracy.Based on these results,this study confirmed that L1 use in collaborative writing plays a positive role in Chinese senior high school students’ English learning.The findings of the study support the role of the L1 use in facilitating second language learning from the perspectives of sociocultural theory and interaction hypothesis.In spite of its limitations,this study contributes to research on collaborative writing and the L1 use in the Chinese EFL((English as a Foreign Language)context,deepens the understanding of collaborative writing and interaction language,and offers pedagogical insights into how collaborative writing tasks or other collaborative activities facilitate students’ language learning.