The Effects Of Written Languaging On Second Language Writing

It has been a controversial issue that languaging plays a crucial role in learning asecond language (L2). Based on Vygotsky’s Socialcultural Theory, Swain defines languagingas “the process of making meaning and shaping knowledge through language”(“Advancedlanguage proficiency”98). The effects of languaging, especially oral languaging (e.g.,collaborative dialogue, private speech) have been widely investigated in the field of secondlanguage acquisition.This study investigated the effects of written languaging in L2writing based onSwain’s “Languaging” in the Output Hypothesis and Vygotsky’s Sociocutrual Theory ofMind. Specifically, the present study focused on the following two questions:(1) Doeslearners’ written languaging have an effect on their text revision?(2) Do the different types ofteacher feedback have a differential effect on written languaging?30university students who study English as a foreign language (EFL) engaged in athree-stage experiment, that is, the essay writing stage, the languaging stage and the essayrevising stage. Participants were randomly assigned to two different groups (the controlgroup and the experimental group). In the languaging stage, participants in the experimentalgroup were asked to write out their own explanations of and reflections on (both in Englishand Chinese) the corrective feedback (direct and indirect corrective feedback were included)they received on a draft they had written. Participants in the control group were required toread the corrective feedback. Stimulated recall interviews were conducted in order to furtherexplore the possible positive effects of written languaging on learners’ L2writing.Participants reflected on their concurrent thinking during the languaging task according to thegiven stimuli. The present study also explored whether different types of corrective feedbackhad different effects on written languaging both in quantity and quality.Two findings emerged from the study. First, written languaging about correctivefeedback on linguistic errors in the first essay to a certain degree helped learners successfullycorrected these errors during their text revisions; both written languaging about directcorrective feedback and that about indirect corrective feedback were associated with improved accuracy. Second, there were differences of written languaging about differentcorrective feedback both in quantity and quality; written language episodes (WLEs) aboutdirect corrective feedback outweighed those about indirect corrective feedback andparticipants reflected more deeply in the former kind of written language episodes.These findings support the argument that written languaging mediates L2learning anddevelopment. Therefore, L2teachers may encourage their students to reflect in diaries on thelinguistic problems they have encountered in L2writing and L2learning after class.