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Volume 3 Number 2, Spring 2006, Pages 1-192   


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Effects of L2 Writing Proficiency and Reader Awareness on EFL Students' Writing Product and Process On-Line: Computer-based Observation

    Yeon Hee Choi


This study aims at investigating Korean university students' product and process of writing in English to see the impact of L2 writing proficiency and reader awareness, using a software program for recording keyboard activity and compose-aloud protocols with retrospective interviews. It analyzes compose-aloud protocols of eight students of two different levels of English writing ability (LP and HP) for two tasks (one with specific information on the target reader and the other without it), which were combined with the data recorded by the computer program Inputlog. The results of the study illustrate the effects of L2 writing proficiency on the written product and writing process on-line of Korean students. Both groups spent most of their time writing, but the HP group did more editing. The LP students verbalized more often for language form searching. The study also reveals some impact of reader awareness, which was more observable in the HP group. The HP students were aware of the reader role in English writing; thus, they used audience-related strategies regardless of the tasks. But its frequency increased in the task where the target reader was given, while no clear impact of reader awareness was noted in the overall quality of both groups' writing.