خلاصة:
The importance of task-based instruction for developing writing as one of the most
demanding tasks within SLA field is neglected in many EFL/ESL contexts. The
researchers in this study intended to investigate the role of task manipulation in
developing EFL learners’ grammatical accuracy and lexical complexity of
argumentative writing. Furthermore, the task-manipulation effects on the frequency
of three meta-cognitive sub-processes of generation, elaboration and organization of
ideas were explored. To this end, 50 Iranian EFL learners from Sheikhbahaee
University of Esfahan were selected based on their availability and their
performance on the Oxford Placement Test. Then, they were randomly assigned to
three experimental groups, and one control group. The data were collected
individually through a task of writing, think-aloud protocol and retrospective
interview. The results showed positive effects of task manipulation along resourcedispersing
dimension on the grammatical accuracy and the positive effects of task
manipulation along resource-directing dimensions on the lexical complexity.
However, the results of the frequency of meta-cognitive sub-processes were
indicative of the positive effects of task manipulation on the generation and
elaboration of ideas but not on the organization of ideas. The study suggests that
there is a trade-off effect at work which is responsible for the quality of the writing
and the frequency of the metacognitive sub-processes.
ملخص الجهاز:
<H1>The Role of Increasing Task Cognitive-complexity in Quality of L2 Writing and Learners’ Distribution of Metacognitive Sub-processes</H1> Niloofar Daneshkhah* Lecturer in the Language department of Petroleum University of Technology of Ahvaz, Khuzestan, <H1>Ahmad Alibabaee</H1> Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics, Sheikhbahaee University, Baharestan, Esfahan Abstract The importance of task-based instruction for developing writing as one of the most demanding tasks within SLA field is neglected in many EFL/ESL contexts.
The researchers in this study intended to investigate the role of task manipulation in developing EFL learners’ grammatical accuracy and lexical complexity of argumentative writing.
Though this line of research is a novitiate in the field of writing, most of the researchers addressed Robinson’s (2001a) proposal of task complexity and investigate the effects of resource-directing and resource-dispersing dimensions on the quality of language performance (Ellis &amp; Yuan, 2004; Ishikawa, 2006; Kuiken and Vedder, 2006, 2007, 2008; Ong and Zhang, 2010, 2013) the results of which were not all in the same line and confirmatory.
Thus, this study held in an embrace the chance to investigate the effects of task manipulation along both resource-directing (+/- single task) and resource-dispersing (+/- reasoning demands) dimensions on writing quality and frequency of metacognitive sub-processes in the wake of recent research developments and with an eye to the existing gaps into the literature.
It was conjectured that, based on Robinson’s (2005) Cognition Hypothesis and his Triadic Componential Framework, increasing task complexity along resource-directing and resource-dispersing dimensions would affect the quality of written product and the frequency of learners’ metacognitive sub-processes.