Investigating second language writing processes: Methodological advances and challenges
Prof Andrea Révész
16 October at 11.00-12.00 UK time
The last three decades have seen significant advances in describing and understanding second language (L2) writing behaviours and associated cognitive processes. A variety of methods have been employed by researchers, with a view to informing models of L2 writing and generating insights for L2 instruction and assessment. In this talk, I will highlight methodological innovations in the field, and demonstrate how adopting more novel data collection technologies (e.g., keystroke-logging, eye-tracking) and combining these with traditional techniques (e.g., verbal protocols) can generate new and more valid information about the L2 writing process. I will also discuss challenges in triangulating and interpreting results obtained from various data sources. In doing so, I will draw on my own and colleagues' recent projects investigating L2 writing behaviours and processes during IELTS and TOEFL iBT tasks. I will end the talk with discussing some implications for second language teaching and assessment.
Andrea Révész is a Professor of Second Language Acquisition at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London. She obtained her doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to joining UCL, she worked at Georgetown University (US) and Lancaster University (UK). Her main research interests lie at the interfaces of second language acquisition and instruction, with particular emphases on the roles of task, interaction, and individual differences in SLA. More recently, she has also begun investigating the cognitive processes underlying second language writing and speaking performance. She serves as associate editor of the journal Studies in Second Language Acquisition and is Vice-President of the International Association for Task-based Language Teaching (IATBLT). She was a winner of the 2017 IATBLT Best Research Article Award and is the co-recipient of the 2018 TESOL Award for Distinguished Research.