The Role of Planning in Cognitive Processing During L2 Writing

Abstract

This study adopted a cognitive-processing approach to explore the role of planning modes in L2 writing production and the allocation of attentional resources by L2 learners during planning and writing. A total of 120 L2 learners in an ESL writing course at a university in the United States were assigned to one of four conditions: (1) written planning (10 min note-taking + 40 min writing), (2) visual planning (10 min using visual tools + 40 min writing), (3) collaborative planning (10 min discussing with peers + 40 min writing), or (4) no planning (40 min writing without pre-task planning). After completing the writing task, participants took part in a stimulated recall interview. The findings showed that different planning modes had significant effects on the syntactic and lexical complexity and accuracy of L2 writing compared to no planning. However, planning modes did not affect L2 writing fluency. The stimulated recalls revealed that attentional resources primarily focused on content and organization during pre-task planning, regardless of the planning mode used. Attention was also directed toward lexical and grammatical encodings during pre-task planning and writing. Additionally, regardless of the planning mode, attentional resources were predominantly dedicated to monitoring during the writing stage. This mixed-methods study provided deeper insights into the cognitive processes involved in planning and writing.