ESL learners’ writing as a window onto discourse competence

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between writing strategies and the cohesion of writing, and it compares how an ESL learner and a native speaker of English use strategies to organize their written narratives. A text analysis demonstrates that the ESL learner used fewer connectives than the native speaker of English, and produced a less cohesive narrative. Next, taking a qualitative approach, the study explores how the differences in their written products are related to the writers’ uses of different writing strategies and processes. The ESL learner used the strategy of translation from L1 to L2 and focused on grammar and vocabulary; the native English speaker drew on a mental template to organize her narrative. The conclusion discusses implications for L2 writing instruction.