The interplay of task repetition and task rehearsal in L2 written production across varied proficiency levels

Abstract

Task repetition and task rehearsal are often considered synonymous within the task-based language teaching (TBLT) domain. However, they are conceptually different, emphasizing their pivotal role in shaping participants’ awareness of imminent repetitions and influencing second language (L2) task performance. Despite scarce empirical exploration into differentiating task repetition and task rehearsal in L2 writing across proficiency levels, this study investigates the impact of task repetition on syntactic complexity, accuracy, lexical complexity, and fluency (CALF) in L2 written production. The study also assesses whether distinct task conditions affect CALF development in argumentative writing across proficiency levels. A total of 180 English as a second language (ESL) participants were recruited from six academic writing classes at varying proficiency levels: two from lower-level ( n = 60), two from mid-level ( n = 60), and two from higher-level ( n = 60). Half of the participants ( n = 90) performed the argumentative task and repeated it without prior knowledge of their future performance (task repetition). The other half engaged in the writing task and repeated it with awareness of the impending repetition of their future performance at a one-week interval. Results indicated that repeating the task, regardless of the forewarning condition, significantly improved all CALF measures. Additionally, significant differences in linguistic indices were observed across proficiency groups. However, forewarning of future task performance did not yield any significant effect on CALF progression, and progress in CALF did not show significant differences across proficiency levels. These findings have implications for TBLT researchers and L2 writing practitioners, informing the design and implementation of language fteaching strategies in diverse proficiency contexts.