Task preparedness and L2 written production: Investigating effects of planning modes on L2 learners’ focus of attention and output

Abstract

The present study examined the effects of written planning (WP) and oral planning (OP) on the complexity, accuracy, lexis, and fluency of L2 written production. This study also addressed the question of how attentional resources are distributed across different aspects of writing during planning and writing. To do so, 60 ESL learners were asked to perform an argumentative writing task under three different planning conditions: (1) in the WP condition participants had 10 min to take notes and 25 min to write, (2) in the OP condition participants had 10 min to verbalize their plans and 25 min to write, whereas (3) in the no planning condition participants had 25 min to write without planning time. Our findings indicate that both WP and OP promoted fluency, but the former facilitated syntactic complexity and accuracy while the latter promoted overall syntactic complexity and lexical complexity. Moreover, stimulated recalls show that, although WP and OP directed participants’ attention to content, complexity, and organization during planning, and language, monitoring, and complexity during writing, they differed from each other regarding lexical and grammatical encodings. These findings provide new venues for TBLT research by drawing insights into the role of pre-task planning modes in L2 written production and for L2 writing pedagogy by offering pedagogical implications for teachers to effectively use pre-task planning modes in L2 writing classrooms.