Japanese Students' Changes in L2 Writing and Motivation over 3.5 Years

本研究是Sasaki（2004）的后续研究，该研究对日本学生在三年半的时间里二语写作行为的变化进行了实证性的研究。本研究除了验证基于Sasaki（2004）研究结果的假设外，还采用Yang，Baba，and Cumming（2004）的研究框架，考察了受试者二语写作动机的变化。反思我在过去的研究中采用的仅认知方法的局限性，我采用了一个更社会文化的视角（例如，Thorne，2005）进行本分析。研究结果表明：（1）获得二语元知识和二语写作练习这两个因素对二语写作能力的发展尤其有帮助;（2）只有那些在国外呆过一段时间的学生才能形成一个与二语相关的想象共同体，从而潜在地激励他们提高二语写作能力;（3）只有那些在国外呆了四个月以上的学生才有动机在第二语言中写得更好，想象他们在国外上的写作课;（4）当外部因素开始阻碍学生学习二语写作时，学生需要内在动机来继续提高。

The present study is a follow-up of Sasaki (2004) that heuristically examined the changes in Japanese EFL students'L2 writing behaviors over 3.5 years. In addition to testing hypotheses formulated on the basis of Sasaki's (2004) results, the present study examined the participants' changes in L2 writing motivation, employing Yang, Baba, and Cumming's (2004) research framework. Reflecting on the limitations of the cognitive-only approaches I employed for the past studies, I adopted a more sociocultural perspective (e.g., Thorne, 2005) for the present analysis. The results revealed that (1) the two factors of gaining L2 metaknowledge and L2writing practice were especially helpful for developing L2 writing ability; (2) only those students who spent some time abroad formed an L2-related imagined community that potentially motivated them to improve L2 writing ability; (3) only those students who spent more than four months abroad became motivated to write better in L2, imagining the writing classes they took abroad; (4) after external factors started to impede their studying L2 writing, students needed intrinsic motivation to continue to improve.