Language related episodes (LREs) as the operationalization of noticing in L2 writing¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 6 claims (6 for) · 2 studies (2 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 6 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article situates its method within research that operationalizes noticing and related concepts as language related episodes (LREs), citing studies such as Qi & Lapkin (2001) and Swain & Lapkin (1995). Following Swain and Lapkin, an LRE is "any segment of the protocol in which a learner either spoke about a language problem he/she encountered while writing and solved it either correctly... or incorrectly..., or simply solved it" without explicitly identifying it. The study codes think-aloud protocols at the LRE unit, selecting morphological and syntactical LREs as grammar-related, and notes that existing classifications of LREs differ widely across studies.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Think-aloud or comparable protocol data in which learners verbalize while writing, so that episodes of language problem-solving can be identified

Constraints¶

• The article notes the methodology does not capture all mental processes and some relevant LREs may have been missed because they were not verbalized

Target Learners¶

• adolescent (15- to 16-year-old) L2 writers

Target Learning Objectives¶

• grammar noticing and self-correction during L2 writing

Claims¶

• Lexical Lres Dominate Grammar Lres L2 Writing [+M]
• Morphological noticing focuses mainly on verb forms, especially modals, and on preposition choice [+W]
• Syntactical noticing focuses mainly on sentence length and ways of connecting clauses [+W]
• Learners' grammar noticing centers more on syntax than morphology, with syntax issues encountered by all participants [+W]
• Comparing original texts to model paragraphs prompted noticing that was again focused on lexical features [+W]
• While producing L2 paragraphs, an EFL learner's self-noticed problems were overwhelmingly lexical (about 79%) rather than grammatical (about 21%) [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Schmidt's noticing hypothesis — the canonical page for this theory
• Cognitive Model of L2 writing

Examples¶

• Three-stage writing task: write with problem notes, compare to a model paragraph, then rewrite

Key Sources¶

• Monika Geist. (2017). Noticing grammar in L2 writing and problem-solving strategies. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 7(3), 471-487. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2017.7.3.6