- Sun-Young Shin is Associate Professor in the Department of Second Language Studies at Indiana University. His research interests include test bias, standard setting, and rater behaviors in integrated assessments and paired speaking tests. His work has been published in Language Testing, Language Teaching Research, Assessing Writing, Language learning and Technology, and ReCALL.edit
Prewriting strategies are often taught to L2 learners to help them find a way into the writing topic and organize their ideas before writing an essay. However, little attention has been directed toward understanding whether prewriting and... more
Prewriting strategies are often taught to L2 learners to help them find a way into the writing topic and organize their ideas before writing an essay. However, little attention has been directed toward understanding whether prewriting and what type of prewriting actually benefits L2 writers. This paper examines the use and efficacy of prewriting strategies among 513 university level English language learners who have taken a timed essay placement exam. Our results show that more than half of the students chose to prewrite, and the majority of those that prewrote chose outlining, listing, or a combination of strategies in the L2. The students that prewrote outperformed those that did not, which confirms previous research findings that prewriting facilitates the writing process for L2 writers. However, in contrast to other studies, among those that prewrote, outlining and listing were not the more effective strategies, and there was no significant difference in test scores among those that used combined strategies. Another finding is that students who elaborated their prewriting scored higher than those who prewrote minimally or in a standard manner. This study provides ESL/EFL researchers and teachers with useful insights into understanding the use and efficacy of prewriting strategies in L2 writers.
