Idea generation and planning time in second language academic writing: an empirical investigation at Howard College campus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
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Date
2015
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Abstract
Ideas generation is a cognitive process which underlies the production of coherent writing.
However, little is known about the nature of this process and how it is affected by different
preparatory conditions. The current study examines the effects of three planning time conditions;
“planning time” (10 minutes), “extended planning time” (20 minutes), and “no planning time”
and two task conditions namely “topic given” and “topic and ideas given” and their effect on the
quality and the quantity of idea units produced in the planning notes and essays of thirty English
Second Language (ESL) learners at a South African University. The study aims to replicate an
earlier study by Ong (2013) and tests four hypotheses: Hypotheses (1) and (2) state that an
extended planning time has a positive effect on both the quantity and the quality of ideas
generated in the planning notes (hypothesis 1) and essays (hypothesis 2). Hypotheses (3) and (4)
state that additional ideas alongside a topic enhance the idea generation process in both the
planning notes (hypothesis 3) and the essays (hypothesis 4).
My findings do not verify hypothesis (1) as neither in the planning notes nor essays was the
quantity of ideas affected by the planning time conditions. Hypothesis (2) was partially verified
as the quality of ideas in the essays – but not in the planning notes – improved as an effect of an
extended planning time. These results differ from Ong (2013) whose data fully support both
hypotheses (1) and (2). My data falsify hypotheses (3) and (4) as the topic given condition
consistently produced both a better quality and a larger quantity of ideas in the planning notes
and in the essays of my participants. This finding concurs with Ong (2013).
In conclusion, my attempt at a replication of Ong (2013) only partially yielded the same results.
Interestingly, my data indicate that the idea generation process differed between the production
of the planning notes and the production of the essays.
Description
Master of Arts in Linguistics. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College 2015.
Keywords
Academic writing--Planning., Second language acquisition., English language--Written English., Theses--Linguistics., Idea generation.