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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Lang. Sci.
Sec. Language Processing
Volume 3 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/flang.2024.1422123
This article is part of the Research Topic Foreign Language Teaching and Learning in Chinese Higher Education: Emerging Challenges View all 13 articles

Remodeling Reading-to-write process: A response writing task for Chinese English learners

Provisionally accepted
  • Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Long recognized as a significant integrated task in major English proficiency tests, reading-to-write tasks have been researched from dimensions mainly concerning its testing validity. A further exploration into the process is essential for a better understanding of the construct and instructions of the integrated task in different cultural and educational contexts. The present study investigated the process of a response writing task by collecting data of interviews and reflective journals from 36 Chinese learners. These data were analyzed qualitatively to identify the main phases and sub-stages occurring in the reading-to-write process. The results disclosed three main phases: pre-reading, reading for writing, writing from reading. Besides, among a set of sub-stages, planning and rereading recurred and were embedded with each other in the main phases, and therefore, bridged reading and writing. The purposes of the occurrence of the main phases and recurring sub-stages presented the dynamic agency that learners exercise. Accordingly, a new model was constructed to account for the nuanced processes as well as their connection and interaction in a reading-to-write task, providing new insight into the recursive and reciprocal nature of reading-to-write tasks for learners in the Chinese context and furthermore, into the construct of integrated academic tasks. Pedagogical suggestions for L2 learners were provided in the end.

    Keywords: Reading-to-write, Integrated writing, Reading-writing connection, learner agency, Chinese context

    Received: 23 Apr 2024; Accepted: 09 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Lingyun Wu, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

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