Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to draw together various perspectives into a coherent framework that will identify relative importance of respective factors and developmental changes in accounting for second language (L2) writing. A total of 517 Taiwanese EFL students from four educational levels were recruited for inquiring into the development of EFL writing. Quantitative analyses of writing tasks, vocabulary tests and questionnaires were used to describe and explain the multi-faceted nature of EFL writing in terms of the likely influencing factors. Initially the contributions of respective factors were examined separately. Rhetorical analyses of students' English and Chinese compositions showed there were co-existing positive and negative influences of first language (L1) rhetoric on English writing. Analyses of lexical use and errors in English compositions, plus results from the assessment of two vocabulary tests, indicated that lexical and grammatical knowledge was a critical factor in explaining English writing. Results of students' Chinese writing abilities in relation to English writing proficiency revealed that the transfer of Chinese writing expertise was conditioned by a developed Chinese expertise and a lack of English writing experiences. Findings from the written-speech analysis of English essays suggested a transitional development whereby spoken language was used. Analyses of questionnaires indicated that EFL writing was positively related to attention on the macro-level structure and negatively related to micro-level concerns. Subsequently, integrated analyses were conducted to examine the interplay among these factors. The shared variability of factors contributed a much larger portion to the explanation of developmental changes, suggesting that the development of EFL writing involves the interaction among influencing factors much more than the individual factors themselves. The unique contributions (independent of other interrelated variables) showed that essay length outweighed the other predictors, suggesting a need for instruction to develop the skill of fluency. A determining factor that consistently accounted for English writing performance was the students' levels of English learning and English writing experiences. The implication is that, particularly in the context where writing is neglected for beginning or intermediate learners, there is a need to revitalize writing as a communicative skill in the EFL curriculum.
