This presentation reports on the findings from an investigation into Chinese EFL learners’ cognitive processes while composing argumentative essays in English by applying stimulated recall. Findings revealed that with GOs as a visual aid, EFL learners stayed more focused, got less sidetracted in writng and composed better-organized essays.
EFL writing never fails to attract researchers’ and educators’ interest and attention. A myriad of studies have tried to get to the core of L2/FL (henceforth L2) writing by examining learners’ written texts, comparing L1 and L2 writing, employing aids such as computers or some visual aids in writing and investigating thinking processes during the composing act. Research has shown that by providing some visual aids, such as graphic organizers (GOs), L2 writers can produce texts with better quantity and quality, more supporting details and a better overall organization. Meanwhile, many studies exploring L1 and L2 writers’ cognitive processes have found that both L1 and L2 writers have a repertoire of similar cognitive processes to fulfill the task but that they use these processes differently. This study applied stimulated recalls (SR) to investigate Chinese EFL learners’ cognitive processes in composing English argumentative essays with and without GOs as visual aids. Twenty-one college students participated in this study whose proficiency levels range between CEFR A2 to B1. They wrote two argumentative essays, one with and the other without GOs as visual aids. Their writing processes were videotaped, which serves as the stimulus later when they did SR where they talked about what they were thinking about when they paused while writing. Afterwards, students gave feedback on using GOs as a pre-writing activity. The SR protocols, students’ texts and feedbacks were coded and analyzed. The results showed that (1) GOs did help students better understand the rhetorical structure of the argumentative genre, stay more focused on the essay topic and get sidetracted less while writing; (2) written texts composed with GOs as a visual aid were more readable and conformed more to the rhetorical structure of argumentative essays; (3) students held positive attitude towards GOs and confirmed GOs’ effects on EFL writing.
