Improving Quality in L2 Writing; the effects of implementing a learner-as-participant observation model in a formal foreign language setting.

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore whether or not an approach following the learner-as-participant observation model as formulated in Rijlaarsdam et al. (2008) proves to be effective when trying to improve secondary school students’ writing proficiency in a L2 instead of a L1. 65 students from a secondary school in the south of the Netherlands participated in this experiment in which they are asked to write an e-mail of complaint to their neighbour. After a feedback session they are required to rewrite their e-mail, after which the e-mails are assessed and the results compared. The results of this research show that there is no significant increase in overall writing quality in the e-mails of students who were part of the experimental condition when compared to those who were part of the control group.