Noticing in L2 writing Problem-solving strategies and individual differences Monika Geist Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Philosophie an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München vorgelegt von Monika Geist geboren in Prag, Tschechische Republik München, Oktober 2013 Erstgutachterin: Prof. Dr. Angela Hahn Zweitgutachterin: Prof. Dr. Friederike Klippel Datum der mündlichen Prüfung: 22. Juli 2013 Acknowledgments This PhD thesis would not have been written without the kind support of a number of people. First and most important, I would like to thank my advisor, Prof. Dr. Angela Hahn. She gave me the confidence to start a PhD project and has supported me throughout the whole time of planning and conducting the project and writing the thesis. In numerous discussions, she showed a very good sense of the degree of support I needed at a certain point of time and acted accordingly, sometimes simply listening to my ideas, at other times being the critical voice which made me consider aspects I had not considered before and question my hidden assumptions, and at yet other times cheering me up at difficult stages. My thanks also go to my second examiner, Prof. Dr. Friederike Klippel. I was able to present my project in her seminar for PhD students and received invaluable feedback. Two of my colleagues often discussed my PhD project with me and provided me with new and interesting ideas. At an earlier stage of the project, it was Prof. Dr. Susanne Ehrenreich with whom I shared an office and discussed especially the methodological approach of the study. At a later stage, I discussed especially the data analysis with my closest office colleague, Dr. Tanja Angelovska. In our lively discussions, a number of ideas emerged which have found their way into the thesis. I would like to thank Dr. Frieda Pattenden for helping me stay relaxed at numerous points of time. Her calmness and realistic world view were especially important in the most difficult stages of the project. In addition, as a native-speaker of English, she proofread the final draft of the thesis. Among my colleagues at the Language Centre of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, my greatest thanks go to the director of the Language Centre, Dr. Bettina Raaf. She was always curious about the progress of my project. In the last stage, she supported me immensely by keeping additional work assignments to a minimum, thus enabling me to concentrate on the thesis. I would also like to thank my colleagues Gabriele Vollmer, i María Victoria Rojas Riether, Denis Heuring (and his father), Franz Steinberger and Elena Gallo for their support and for helping me recruit participants for my study. Dorottya Ruisz from the ELT department established contact with two participants in my study. Furthermore, I would like to thank the participants in Prof. Hahn's seminar for their feedback and ideas. I was able to present the current state of my project every semester, which was always of great help. In the initial phase of the PhD project, I attended a summer school on research methods which also provided me with useful insights and ideas. Among the experts present at the summer school, my special thanks go to Prof. Dr. Karen Schramm who gave me feedback especially concerning the use of introspective methods. An empirical study cannot be conducted without participants. I would like to express my gratitude to all participants who agreed to take part in the study and thus provided me with a wealth of interesting data. Last but not least, I would like to say thank you to my family for their patience and support throughout the project. My husband, Jürgen Geist, always gave me the support and understanding which I needed, be it discussions, a day without the PhD project, or a day on which I was able to concentrate only on the PhD project. ii Table of contents LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................. VI LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................ VIII PREFACE .............................................................................................................................................. X ZUSAMMENFASSUNG ....................................................................................................................... 1 ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................... 5 I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 7 II. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ...................................... 11 II.1. Theoretical background ............................................................................................ 11 II.1.1. Quantitative and qualitative research approaches compared ................................. 12 II.1.2. Models of the L2 writing process .............................................................................. 15 II.1.3. Language awareness, noticing and attention to form and meaning........................ 21 II.1.3.1. Definitions and terminology........................................................................... 21 II.1.3.2. Research into linguistic awareness and noticing ........................................... 30 II.1.3.3. Language awareness, form and meaning in second language instruction .... 37 II.1.3.4. Linguistic awareness and noticing in L2 writing ............................................. 42 II.1.4. Strategies in L2 writing ............................................................................................. 44 II.1.5. Learner variables ....................................................................................................... 51 II.1.5.1. Motivation ...................................................................................................... 53 II.1.5.2. Communication and accuracy ........................................................................ 55 II.1.5.3. Knowledge of strategies ................................................................................. 57 II.1.6. Summary and research goals .................................................................................... 58 II.2. Research questions ................................................................................................... 59 III. METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH ......................................................................................... 61 iii III.1. Qualitative research approach ................................................................................. 61 III.1.1. Research approach in this study .............................................................................. 61 III.1.2. Principles and quality criteria in qualitative research ............................................. 62 III.1.3. Criteria in the current research project ................................................................... 65 III.2. Data collection ......................................................................................................... 66 III.2.1. Participants .............................................................................................................. 66 III.2.1.1. Target group .................................................................................................. 66 III.2.1.2. Participant recruitment ................................................................................. 68 III.2.1.3. Ethical issues ................................................................................................. 69 III.2.2. Methodological design ............................................................................................ 70 III.2.3. Introspective methods ............................................................................................. 72 III.2.3.1. The discussion of introspective methods ...................................................... 74 III.2.3.2. Introspective methods in second language research ................................... 81 III.2.3.3. Think-aloud protocols – the procedure ........................................................ 85 III.2.3.4. Stimulated recall interviews – the procedure ............................................... 90 III.2.4. Qualitative interviews .............................................................................................. 92 III.2.4.1. Approaches to qualitative interviews ........................................................... 92 III.2.4.2. Interview guide 1 ........................................................................................... 95 III.2.4.3. Interview guide 2 ......................................................................................... 101 III.2.5. Triangulation in the research design ..................................................................... 103 III.2.6. Piloting the methods .............................................................................................. 105 III.2.7. Data processing ...................................................................................................... 107 III.2.7.1. Technical equipment and data storage ....................................................... 107 III.2.7.2. Transcription ..............................................................................................