inquiry into concept mapping as a form of pre-task planning in adult Japanese ESL learners' essay writing.
Published: 2004
Language: eng
Number of pages: 114
Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers -- Japanese; English language -- Writing -- Study and teaching -- Japanese speakers.; English language -- Rhetoric.
Description: This study investigated concept mapping as a form of pre-task planning in ESL (English as a Second Language) learners' writing performance. I observed during regular class periods the writing practices of 3 adult Japanese learners enrolled in a writing program at a private ESL school in Toronto. I then analyzed 4 of the learners' compositions written with and without concept mapping, using measures of accuracy, complexity, fluency and following Hamp-Lyons' (1991) holistic measures. I examined through a questionnaire, retrospective interview and logs the students' applications of the strategy in their writing processes. Pre-task planning was associated positively with the overall measures of the learners' written production during in-class compositions, except for accuracy. However, each learner made unique applications of the concept mapping strategy in their writing processes, suggesting that concept mapping may help ESL learners improve their composing but in unique ways according to individual experience, motivation, and task conditions.
Notes: Adviser:  Alister Cumming.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2004.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, page: 1936.

MICR copy on microfiche (2 microfiches).