APLNG 593
Project proposal
The effect of joint reading-writing task: a study of Chinese learners of English as a second
language
Abstract
This paper is to investigate the effect of collaborative reading-writing task in second
language context with regards to language proficiency. Although the correlation of reading and
writing in second language classroom has been investigated by a small number of scholars
(Janopoulous, 1986; Flahive & Bailey, 1988), and some research studies have discussed the
advantage of collaboration in writing in the second language classroom (Storch, 2005; Swain &
Lapkin, 1998), few studies have examined the effectiveness of collaborative reading-writing task
in the second language context. This study aims to examine whether the joint reading-writing
activities should be done collaboratively in a group setting or in an individual setting.
The participants were 150 Chinese ESL learners attending a four-year university in
America. Students of different level (Advanced level, Intermediate and novice level) are asked to
complete reading-writing task in different conditions (the individual condition and the
collaborative condition). In the individual condition, learners are given reading material and then
asked to write an essay in 40 minutes. In the collaborative condition, learners work in pairs and
are given 60 minutes to complete the essay. They are allowed to interact with their peers to
discuss the reading material and then they plan the writing as a group. Each member is
responsible for drafting parts of the writing, and the whole group edits parts into a coherent
passage. Learners’ essays are evaluated on five rating scales: Grammar, Language, content,
organization and mechanics. ANOVA test will be used to analyze results of the study. This study
provides some meaningful pedagogical implications on how to have reading-writing activities
effectively in second language writing class.
Introduction
Research questions：
What are the impacts of collaborative vs. individual reading-writing task conditions on the
quality of learners’ essays?
What are the impacts of proficiency level (advanced, intermediate, and novice) on the
quality of learners’ essays?
Is there any interaction between the task conditions and the proficiency level on the quality
of learners’ essays?
Condition
Proficiency
Advanced Level
Intermediate Level
Novice Level
Individual Condition
Collaborative Condition
N=50
N=100
Methodology
Participants
The participants were 150 international student enrolled at American university with the
same Chinese L1 background. All students met the standard of English proficiency required for
university entrance (TOFEL ibt score above 79, IELTS score above 6.5). Participants ranged
from first year to fourth year students whose majors were English, Biology, Business,
Engineering and Education, etc. Among the 150 participants, 63 were male, and 87were female.
Their ages ranged from 18-25.
There are 50 pairs of learners who completed reading-writing activity collaboratively.
Another group of 50 learners composed the same activity individually.
Pretest
Participants are divided in to three proficiency level depending on their linguistic
proficiency level. Multiple-choice grammar test from TOEFL test is used to identify Learners’
proficiency level.
Task
Learners were asked to read a passage on influence of mass media on people’s behavior and
then write an Argumentative essay debating the advantages and disadvantages of mass media.
Scoring procedure
Rating Rubrics
Results
Analysis of written text
In order to determine whether there were any differences in the reading-writing task
completed by learners in pairs and learners working individually, the essays were analyzed by
two raters using scoring rubrics. The maximum composition score was 25 total. There are 5
sections namely, Grammar, Language, content, organization and mechanics, and the maximum
mark for each section is 5. To measure the effects of condition (the individual condition and the
collaborative condition) and the proficiency level (Advanced, intermediate, and novice) on
learners’ essay for the reading-writing task factorial ANOVA was carried out with the composite
score.
Appendix A
Passage A
Globalization occurs when various countries in the world become more connected through trade
and business. The benefits of globalization are often debated but have been proved in certain
areas. Globalization provides competition and ensures a greater availability of products and
services to consumers. Another one of the benefits of globalization is that it helps to provide
economic stability in countries that have low economic status. It also provides a comparative
advantage, which means that productivity is high because trade is open and resources are used
more effectively.
A healthy level of competition keeps prices lower for consumers and helps keep production high.
This can be a threatening concept for an industry because it is forced to work harder to stay
viable, maintain high production and keep consumers happy, but it is beneficial for those
purchasing products and services. Another of the benefits of globalization is a greater availability
of products and services, because a globalized market has more businesses offering products and
services to consumers. This means that consumers have more choices when it comes to their
purchases.
Economic stability is one of the most important benefits of globalization. Poorer countries are
able to sell products and services to those with more money, therefore creating economic gain.
From a worldwide perspective, this is a good thing, because fewer nations are struggling with
poverty. Countries that trade with one another have a vested interest in each other's well-being,
which helps keep the political climate more stable as well. It is less likely for a country to wage
war on another, for example, if it is reliant on the other for an important good or service.
A comparative advantage occurs in the area of globalization when countries are able to trade
freely with one another. This keeps production at an optimal level, because countries are able to
produce goods and services in areas where they are most efficient. In theory, with a closed trade
system, countries would be forced to produce all of the goods and services that they need. A
country is able to produce a product or service where it is efficient, so overall global production
can increase because resources are being used in a more effective manner. This also can help the
environment because resources are not being wasted, and attention can be paid to greener
business practices.
(http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-benefits-of-globalization.htm)
Passage B
Today whatever people want can be bought with the help of the improvement of trading system.
Begins with the Silk Road now the earth has a gigantic way for exchanging and that is called
globalization. Globalization is a process by which the worlds are unified into a single society and
function. It is claimed that globalization supports productivity, cultural intermingling and cash
flow into the developing countries; however, there are some disadvantages of globalization that
should not be overlooked: unemployment, social degeneration and difficulty of competition.
First of all, it has been asserted that globalization provides the increasing of productivity and life
standard of societies. To begin with productivity is indeed increased as it can be seen that the
population of the world is rising rapidly even uncontrollable and more people means that there is
a need of more product too. Thus Globalization responds the needs of 7 billion people. Moreover
the standards of life is a lot better than 50 years ago as they are more machines and systems
invented in developed countries supporting all world. However there is another side of the facts.
Globalization causes the poor citizens having more requirements. Secondly cultural
intermingling is enlarging with globalization which lets the people from all over the world able
to communicate easier. On the other hand sharing traditional behaviors causes them fading as
boundaries are disappearing.
The most important disadvantage of globalization is the increasing number of the loafer. After
the industrial revolution, industry gravitated some particular countries. Because of that, these
countries became a power in industry. However production decreased and so unemployment was
raised in the other countries. Another reason of the unemployment rise is that the need of less
manpower. As stated at Wikipedia, many workers found themselves suddenly unemployed, as
could no longer compete with machines which only required relatively limited work to produce
more product than a single worker.
Another major damage of globalization is that some cultures are getting lost. The cultures of the
countries that have more economic power are more dominant than others. Because, wealthy
countries produce many things that can affect cultures, for example, clothes, movies and
technologic products. According to Ikerd, while the global community is increasing, more and
more people have became ignorant about social, ethical and moral values which are various in
defining groups. Therefore, globalization damages small cultures which are in risk of being
extinct.
The final significant effect of globalization is the difficulty of competition. With globalization,
trade between the countries has been started to remove limits. This situation of enterprises has
prepared the ground to be in constant competition with not only national competitors but also
international competitors. Therefore, business requires being in a more rigorous and challenging
competitive atmosphere to maintain continuity and development. Rising of monopole companies
and trough among production costs are the main effects of this hard competition in business. As
pointed in Global Policy Forum, undeveloped countries choose to use foreign capital for their
improvement however it disposes the equality and stability instead.
In conclusion, unemployment, social degeneration and difficulty of competition are the killer
disadvantages on people life that based on globalization. In my opinion, people must be aware of
this exploitation. Globalization is a one-way tale.
(http://ruud.hubpages.com/hub/Disadvantages-of-Globalization)
Direction: Use your own words to answer the following questions based on the readings. Your
answers will be graded on content and accurate use of English.
1. What’s the main idea of passage A?
2. What are the most important effects of globalization in passage A?
3. What’s the connection between globalization and environmental protection?
4. What’s the main idea of passage B?
5. What are the most important effects of globalization in passage B?
6. Why globalization damages some culture?
7. How might the author B argue against passage A’s opinion that “Poorer countries are able to
sell products and services to those with more money, therefore creating economic gain.”?
Appendix B