On the Temporal Nature of Planning in L1 and L2 Composing

Abstract

In this article we report on a study in which verbal protocol data were used to explore English as a foreign language writers' planning behavior while engaged in academic writing tasks. The analysis was approached from a temporal perspective (i.e., time spent on planning operations) in relation to three independent variables: (a) the participants' level of proficiency (preintermediate, intermediate, and advanced) in the second language (L2); (b) the language of composition: native (L1, Spanish) vs. foreign language (L2, English) writing; (c) the stage of the composition in which planning operations occurred (composition time was divided into three periods). Results indicate that the language of the composition did not explain differences in planning time, but the participants' level of L2 proficiency did. Proficiency also influenced (a) the different amount of time devoted to planning in the L1 and the L2 tasks and (b) the participants' coordination of goals as well as the range of constraints guiding their planning behavior. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are advanced.