The Effects Of Memorized L2 Input On Chinese College English Learners' Expository Writing

In China, how to achieve high proficiency in English writing is a big headache for English teachers and learners, which has always been what EFL/L2 researchers and instructors strive for. According to the existing findings from both theoretical and pedagogical perspectives, one important reason is that Chinese learners are lack of sufficient L2 input. Compared to other writing genres, on the other hand, expository writing, actually used widely in both academic research and our daily life, is rarely focused on about the effects of memorized L2 input in terms of fluency, accuracy and complexity. Based on previous studies, the present study aims to empirically investigate the effects of memorized L2 input and two techniques of memorization combined with recitation and memorization with writing from memory on Chinese college English learners' expository writing with regard to fluency, accuracy, and complexity.The 117 subjects were first-year college students from Northwest University in Shaanxi province. They were randomly chosen and divided into three groups including one control group (G1) without memorized L2 input and two experimental groups. One (G2) of experimental groups received L2 input through memorization combined with recitation, and the other group (G3) received L2 input by memorization with writing from memory.Before the current experiment, a pilot study was performed to confirm that no significant differences stand between three groups in terms of their English writing proficiency. In the first week, the pretest was conducted with respect to fluency, accuracy, and complexity of their English expository writing. During the experiment, all the subjects from two experimental groups were required to memorize an English expository writing text which was explained to make it comprehensible each week, and then in the following week, the students of G2 would be randomly selected to recite the excerpt individually in the presence of the other students in English session in the classroom. While for those from G3, their assignments were to be examined by writing down the excerpt from memory also in English session in the classroom. After that, a second model text would be introduced to them for another course of memorized input. The experiment lasted thirteen weeks till the posttest was carried out. Meanwhile the qualitative data of subjects' answers to questionnaires were also collected. All the participants'written products in the pretest and posttest were measured with the number of words per T-unit for fluency, the number of error-free clauses for accuracy, the number of clauses per T-unit for syntactic complexity, and mean segmental type/token ratio for lexical diversity. The experimental results were obtained with the help of SPSS 11.5 package by employing paired-samples T Test and One-Way ANOVA. The quantitative and qualitative results showed that:firstly, apart from lexical diversity, memorizing texts in target language has positive effects on Chinese college English learners'expository writing; secondly, different techniques of memorized input affect L2 learners'expository writing performance in different ways from different aspects. Subjects from G3 significantly outperformed the other two groups in terms of fluency and syntactic complexity. As for accuracy, subjects from both two experimental groups performed remarkably better than those from the control group. Subjects from three groups all achieved a lot in lexical diversity during the experiment, and no statistically significant differences were found between them.The present study provides further empirical evidence for future studies on how to improve L2 learners'writing proficiency. In particular, it is a reference to EFL learning and instruction in terms of English expository writing. Through reconsideration and reappraisal of memorized input, it also helps disabuse some EFL/L2 instructors of the notion prevailing in the college English classroom that traditional strategies of language learning and teaching are old-fashioned. In China, how to achieve high proficiency in English writing is a big headache for English teachers and learners, which has always been what EFL/L2 researchers and instructors strive for. According to the existing findings from both theoretical and pedagogical perspectives, one important reason is that Chinese learners are lack of sufficient L2 input. Compared to other writing genres, on the other hand, expository writing, actually used widely in both academic research and our daily life, is rarely focused on about the effects of memorized L2 input in terms of fluency, accuracy and complexity. Based on previous studies, the present study aims to empirically investigate the effects of memorized L2 input and two techniques of memorization combined with recitation and memorization with writing from memory on Chinese college English learners' expository writing with regard to fluency, accuracy, and complexity.The 117 subjects were first-year college students from Northwest University in Shaanxi province. They were randomly chosen and divided into three groups including one control group (G1) without memorized L2 input and two experimental groups. One (G2) of experimental groups received L2 input through memorization combined with recitation, and the other group (G3) received L2 input by memorization with writing from memory.Before the current experiment, a pilot study was performed to confirm that no significant differences stand between three groups in terms of their English writing proficiency. In the first week, the pretest was conducted with respect to fluency, accuracy, and complexity of their English expository writing. During the experiment, all the subjects from two experimental groups were required to memorize an English expository writing text which was explained to make it comprehensible each week, and then in the following week, the students of G2 would be randomly selected to recite the excerpt individually in the presence of the other students in English session in the classroom. While for those from G3, their assignments were to be examined by writing down the excerpt from memory also in English session in the classroom. After that, a second model text would be introduced to them for another course of memorized input. The experiment lasted thirteen weeks till the posttest was carried out. Meanwhile the qualitative data of subjects' answers to questionnaires were also collected. All the participants'written products in the pretest and posttest were measured with the number of words per T-unit for fluency, the number of error-free clauses for accuracy, the number of clauses per T-unit for syntactic complexity, and mean segmental type/token ratio for lexical diversity. The experimental results were obtained with the help of SPSS 11.5 package by employing paired-samples T Test and One-Way ANOVA. The quantitative and qualitative results showed that:firstly, apart from lexical diversity. memorizing texts in target language has positive effects on Chinese college English learners" expository writing:secondly, different techniques of memorized input affect L2 learners'expository writing performance in different ways from different aspects. Subjects from G3 significantly outperformed the other two groups in terms of fluency and syntactic complexity. As for accuracy, subjects from both two experimental groups performed remarkably better than those from the control group. Subjects from three groups all achieved a lot in lexical diversity during the experiment, and no statistically significant differences were found between them.The present study provides further empirical evidence for future studies on how to improve L2 learners' writing proficiency. In particular, it is a reference to EFL learning and instruction in terms of English expository writing. Through reconsideration and reappraisal of memorized input, it also helps disabuse some EFL/L2 instructors of the notion prevailing in the college English classroom that traditional strategies of language learning and teaching are old-fashioned.