Exploring Second Language Writers’ Pausing and Revision Behaviors

Abstract

This study investigated the cognitive processes underlying pauses at different textual locations (e.g., within/between words) and various levels of revision (e.g., below word/clause). We used stimulated recall, keystroke logging, and eye-tracking methodology in combination to examine pausing and revision behaviors. Thirty advanced Chinese L2 users of English performed a version of the IELTS Academic Writing Task 2. During the writing task, participants’ key strokes were logged, and their eye movements were recorded. Immediately after the writing task, 12 participants also took part in a stimulated recall interview. The results revealed that, when participants paused at larger textual units, they were more likely to look back in the text and engage in higher-order writing processes. In contrast, during pauses at lower textual units, they tended to view areas closer to the inscription point and engage in lower-order writing processes. Prior to making a revision, participants most frequently had viewed the text that they subsequently revised or their eye gazes had been off-screen. Revisions focused more on language- than content-related issues, but there was a smaller difference in the number of language- and content-focused stimulated recall comments when larger textual units were revised.

What Can L2 Writers’ Pausing Behavior Tell Us About Their L2 Writing Processes?

“…There is little longitudinal research on changes in L2 learners’ writing processes or the effects of L2 instruction on L2 learners’ writing processes. Pause analysis, particularly when combined with other methods such as eye-tracking, observation, interviews, and stimulated recalls (Alamargot et al, 2007; Chukharev-Hudilainen, Saricaoglu, Torrance, and Feng, 2019; Leijten & Van Waes, 2013; Révész, Michel, & Lee, 2019; Wengelin, 2006; Wengelin et al, 2009), can provide significant insights into whether and how L2 writing ability develops over time. Such research can also shed light on the aspects of writing that L2 learners with different backgrounds and L2 proficiency levels attend to, as well as when and why, when responding to different writing tasks under different conditions in various contexts.…”

Combined Deployable Keystroke Logging and Eyetracking for Investigating L2 Writing Fluency

“…The first issue has been addressed in multiple ways. The most obvious approach is to overlap a screen recording of the composition process with visualizations of gaze-point movements, such as fixation paths or heat maps, and then manually annotate the resultant video stream (Révész, Michel, & Lee, 2019). This, however, is very time consuming due to the amount of manual coding involved.…”

Methodological Advances in Investigating L2 Writing Processes

“…Having sketched some of the broader theoretical context within which these studies have been carried out, we turn now to discussing the individual articles. To do so, we have divided them up into three groups: those that use think-aloud protocols (TAP), and hence provide information about the content of writer’s thoughts during writing (López-Serrano, Roca de Larios, & Manchón, 2019); those that use either keystroke logging and/or eye movements, and hence provide moment-by-moment information about the distribution of different types of processes (Barkaoui, 2019; Chukarev-Hudilainen et al, 2019; Leijten, Van Waes, Schrijver, Bernolet, & Vangehuchten, 2019); and those that combine keystroke logging with eye-tracking and retrospective verbal protocols, and hence provide information about the distribution of different types of processes and (retrospectively) about the content of the writer’s thoughts (Révész, Michel, & Lee, 2019).…”

“…Pauses are defined using a threshold of two seconds, and hence reflect episodes during writing where the writer breaks off from text production to engage in some form of conscious reflection. As discussed in Barkaoui’s review, this is a common practice within the field (and is used in both the article by Barkaoui, 2019, and the article by Révész et al, 2019), but has advantages and disadvantages depending on the aim of the research. As a threshold, two seconds does help isolate moments during writing where the normal flow of writing is interrupted, and hence where the writer has stepped back to engage in conscious reflection.…”

“…Looked at like this, Barkaoui’s findings are consistent with higher-level units being associated with a higher proportion of reflective thought during writing. At lower levels, such episodes are more likely to reflect problems with the language production process; at higher levels, they are more likely to reflect global planning and revision operations (writers often use paragraph boundaries to review and edit previously produced text) (Baaijen et al, 2012; Chukharev-Hudilainen et al, 2019; Révész et al, 2019).…”