چکیده:
This study aimed to investigate the impact of task sequencing, along
+/- reasoning demands dimension, on writing task performance in
terms of accuracy. The study was motivated by Robinson’s
Cognition Hypothesis (CH) as well as previous studies investigating
the relationships between task complexity and second language
production. The participants of the study were 90 intermediate
students at the Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e-Qods Branch,
chosen from three classes based on their performance on the
Preliminary English Test (PET). The participants in the three classes
were assigned to three groups: Experimental 1, Experimental 2, and
a Control group. At first, the students in all groups took part in the
writing pre-test. Next, the treatment sessions including 8 sessions of
picture description task performance began, during which the first
experimental group received a series of picture description tasks
based on a randomized order of cognitive complexity. The second
experimental group received the same tasks, but ordered from simple
to complex, based on their required reasoning demands. The control
group, however, received some writing activities from the course
book. Finally, during the last session, the post- test was administered
to all participants. The results of the data analysis showed a
significant positive impact for sequencing tasks from simple to
complex on accuracy in writing task performance.
خلاصه ماشینی:
Furthermore, most of the studies in this area have been done within oral modality, and relatively few studies have examined task complexity in relation to writing task performance (Kuiken & Vedder, 2007; Rahimpour & Hosseini, 2010; Salimi, Dadashpour, & Asadollahfam, 2011); therefore, this study aims at developing this area of research by investigating the potential effects of sequencing tasks based on their cognitive complexity on L2 learners’ writing task performance in terms of accuracy.
Kuiken and Vedder (2007) in their study conducted among 84 Dutch university students of Italian and 75 students of French, investigated the effect of task complexity on accuracy of L2 writing performance through manipulating task complexity along (+/-few elements and +/- reasoning demands).
Research Question On the basis of the above literature review, the present study aimed at investigating the following research question: Does manipulating task complexity along the resource-directing dimension (+/-reasoning demands) have any significant impact on EFL learners’ writing task performance in terms of accuracy?
Table 9 makes it apparent that while members of the second experimental group in which picture description tasks were sequenced on the basis of their cognitive complexity outperformed members of the other two groups and were significantly better than them, there was no statistically meaningful difference between performance of the subjects from the other two groups in terms of writing accuracy.
Confirming Robinson’s (2001) CH, and being in line with Choong (2014) and Abdollahzadeh and Kashani (2011) studies, the results of this study clarified that sequencing tasks based on their cognitive complexity along the reasoning demands dimension could be a useful pedagogical practice for language teachers to make learners gradually develop their writing performance in terms of accuracy.