In:Writing and Language Learning: Advancing research agendas
Edited by Rosa M. Manchón
[Language Learning & Language Teaching 56] 2020
► pp. 121–144
Chapter 6The effects of task repetition across modalities and proficiency levels
Published online: 20 November 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.56.06san
https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.56.06san
Abstract
Research on task repetition (TR) has consistently showed beneficial effects for L2 oral production
in terms of CAF measures (complexity, accuracy, and fluency). However, open questions exist regarding the
modality-dependency and proficiency-dependency of TR learning affordances. To advance research in these two areas, the
study reported in this chapter investigated TR across modalities and L2 proficiency levels. The participants were 29
(16 high-school and 13 university) Spanish EFL learners who completed a decision-making task twice, either orally or
in writing. Their task performance was assessed in terms of CAF measures using a wide range of indices. Results
confirm some of the previous predictions regarding the modality-dependency of TR effects, and additional
modality-related effects were also found. These findings shed light on the greater language learning affordances of
writing as compared to those created by speaking tasks.
Article outline
- Introduction
- Task repetition and language learning: Rationale
- Empirical research on task repetition in speaking and writing
- The role of proficiency
- The present study: Research questions
- Method
- Participants
- Tasks and procedures
- Data analyses procedures
- Data analysis procedures
- Results
- Complexity
- Modality-related Effects
- Accuracy
- Fluency
- Discussion
- Conclusions
Funding References Appendix
References (60)
Ahmadian, M. J. (2011). The
effect of “massed” task repetitions on complexity, accuracy, and fluency: Does it transfer to a new
task? Language Learning
Journal, 39(3), 269–280.
Ahmadian, M. J., & Tavakoli, M. (2010). The
effects of simultaneous use of careful online planning and task repetition on accuracy, complexity, and
fluency in EFL learners’ oral production. Language Teaching
Research, 15(1), 35–59.
Agustín-Llach, M. P. (2011). Lexical
errors and accuracy in foreign language writing. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Amiryousefi, M. (2016). The
differential effects of two types of task repetition on the complexity, accuracy, and fluency in
computer-mediated L2 written production: A focus on computer anxiety. Computer
Assisted Language
Learning, 29(5), 1052–1068.
Bardovi-Harling, K. (1992). The
relationship of form and meaning: A cross sectional study of tense and aspect in the interlanguage of learners
of English as a second language. Applied
Psycholinguistics, 13, 253–278.
Bardovi-Harling, K., & Bofman, T. (1989). Attainment
of syntactic and morphological accuracy by advanced language learners. Studies
in second language
acquisition, 11, 17–34.
Birjandi, P., & Ahangari, S. (2008). Effects
of task repetition on the fluency, complexity and accuracy of Iranian EFL
learners. The Asian EFL
Journal, 10(3), 28–52.
Bulté, B., & Housen, A. (2012). Defining
and operationalizing L2 complexity. In A. Housen, F. Kuiken, & I. Vedder (Eds.), Dimensions
of L2 performance and proficiency: Complexity, accuracy and fluency in
SLA (pp. 21–46). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
(2014). Conceptualizing
and measuring short-term changes in L2 writing complexity. Journal of Second
Language
Writing, 26, 42–65.
Bygate, M. (1996). Effects
of task repetition: Appraising the developing language of
learners. In J. Willis & D. Willis (Eds.), Challenge
and change in language
teaching (pp. 136–146). Oxford: Macmillan.
(2001). Effects
of task repetition on the structure and control of oral
language. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, & M. Swain (Eds.), Researching
pedagogic tasks, second language learning, teaching and
testing (pp. 23–48). London: Longman.
(2006). Areas
of research that influence L2 speaking
instruction. In E. Usó-Juan & A. Martínez-Flor (Eds.), Current
trends in the development and teaching of the four language
skills (pp. 159–186). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
(2018a). Introduction. In M. Bygate (Ed.), Learning
language through task
repetition (pp. 1–25). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
(Ed.) (2018b). Learning
language through task
repetition. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Bygate, M., & Samuda, V. (2005). Integrative
planning through the use of task-repetition. In R. Ellis (Ed.), Planning
and task performance in a second
language (pp. 37–74). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical
power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd
ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Daller, H., van Hout, R., & Trefers-Daller, J. (2003). Lexical
richness in the spontaneous speech of bilinguals. Applied
Linguistics, 24, 197–222.
De Jong, N., & Tillman, P. (2018). Grammatical
structures and oral fluency in immediate task repetition. Trigrams across repeated
performances. In M. Bygate (Ed.), Learning
language through task
repetition (pp. 43–73). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Ellis, R. (2005). Planning
and task-based research: Theory and
research. In R. Ellis (Ed.). Planning
and task performance in a second
language. (pp. 3–34). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Ellis, R., & Yuan, F. (2005). The
effects of careful within-task planning on oral and written task
performance. In R. Ellis (Ed.), Planning
and task performance in a second
language (pp. 167–193). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Fukuta, J. (2015). Effects
of task repetition on learners’ attention orientation in L2 oral
production. Language Teaching
Research, 20(3), 321–340.
Gass, S. M., Mackey, A., Álvarez-Torres, M. J. & Fernández-García, M. (1999). The
effects of task repetition on linguistic output. Language
Learning, 49(4), 549–581.
Gilabert, R. (2005). Evaluating
the use of multiple sources and methods in needs analysis: A case study of journalists in the autonomous
community of Catalonia (Spain). In M. H. Long (Ed.), Second
language needs
analysis (pp. 182–99). Cambridge: CUP.
(2007). Effects
of manipulating task complexity on self-repairs during L2
production. IRAL, 45, 215–240.
Guiraud, P. (1954). Les
Charactères Statistiques du Vocabulaire. Essai de
méthodologie. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.
Heatley, A., Nation, I. S. P., & Coxhead, A. (2002). RANGE
and FREQUENCY programs. <[URL]> (26 May, 2020).
Hu, X. (2018). Effects
of task-type, task-type repetition and performance criteria on L2 oral
production. In M. Bygate (Ed.), Learning
language through task
repetition (pp. 149–175). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Kim, Y., Crossley, S., Jung Kyle, K. & Kang, S. (2018). The
effects of task repetition and task complexity on L2 lexicon
use. In M. Bygate (Ed.), Learning
language through task
repetition (pp. 75–97). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Kim, Y., & Tracy-Ventura, N. (2013). The
role of task repetition in L2 performance development: What needs to be repeated during task-based
interaction? System, 41, 829–840.
Kobayashi, E., & Kobayashi, M. (2018). Second
language learning through repeated engagement in a poster presentation
task. In M. Bygate (Ed.), Learning
language through task
repetition (pp. 229–260). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Kormos, J. (2014). Differences
across modalities on performance: An investigation of linguistic and discourse complexity in narrative
tasks. In H. Byrnes & R. M. Manchón (Eds.) Task-based
language learning. Insights from and for L2
writing (pp. 193–216). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Kuiken, F., & Vedder, I. (2007). Task
complexity and measures of linguistic performance in L2 writing. International
Review of Applied Linguistics in Language
Teaching, 45, 261–284.
Lu, X. (2010). Automatic
analysis of syntactic complexity in second language writing. International
Journal of Corpus
Linguistics, 15, 474–496.
(2011). A
corpus-based evaluation of syntactic complexity measures as indices of college-level ESL writers’ language
development. TESOL
Quarterly, 45, 36–62.
Lu, X., & Ai, H. (2015). Syntactic
complexity in college-level English writing: Differences among writers with diverse L1
backgrounds. Journal of Second Language
Writing, 29, 16–27.
Lynch, T., & Maclean, J. (2000). Exploring
the benefits of task repetition and recycling for classroom language
learning. Language Teaching
Research, 4, 221–250.
Lynch, T., & MacLean, J. (2001). Effects
of the benefits of immediate task repetition on learners’
performance. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, & M. Swain (Eds.), Researching
pedagogic tasks, second language learning, teaching, and
testing (pp. 141–162). London: Longman.
Malvern, D., & Richards, B. (2002). Investigating
accommodation in language proficiency interviews using a new measure of lexical
diversity. Language
Testing, 19, 85–104.
Manchón, R. M. (2011a). The
language learning potential of writing in foreign language contexts: Lessons from
research. In T. Cimasko & M. Reichelt (Eds.), Foreign
language writing instruction: Principles and
practices (pp. 44–64). Anderson, SC: Parlor Press.
(2011b). Learning
to write and writing to learn in an additional
language. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
(2014a). The
distinctive nature of task repetition in writing. Implications for theory, research, and
pedagogy. ELIA, 14,13–42.
(2014b). The
internal dimension of tasks: The interaction between task factors and learner factors in bringing about
learning through writing. In H. Byrnes & R. M. Manchón (Eds.), Task-based
language learning. Insights to and from
writing (pp. 27–52). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Manchón, R. M., & Williams, J. (2016). L2
writing and SLA studies. In R. M. Manchón & P. K. Matsuda (Eds.), The
handbook of second and foreign language
writing (pp. 567–586). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
Matsumara, M., Kawamura, K., & Affricano, A. (2008). Narrative
task type repetition and changes in second language use in a classroom environment: A case
study. The Educational
Sciences, 10, 124–145.
Mazgutova, D., & Kormos, J. (2015). Syntactic
and lexical development in an intensive English for Academic Purposes
programme. Journal of Second Language
Writing, 29, 3–15.
McNamara, D., Graesser, A., McCarthy, P., & Cai, Z. (2014). Automated
evaluation of text and discourse with
Coh-Metrix. Cambridge: CUP.
Mojavezi, A. (2013). The
relationship between task repetition and language proficiency. Applied Research
on English
Language, 3(1), 29–40.
Murphy, L., & Roca de Larios, J. (2010). Searching
for words: One strategic use of the mother tongue by advanced Spanish EFL
learners. Journal of Second Language
Writing, 19, 61–81.
Nitta, R., & Baba, K. (2014). Task
repetition and L2 writing development: A longitudinal study from a dynamic systems
perspective. In H. Byrnes & R. M. Manchón (Eds.), Task-based
language learning. Insights from and for L2
writing (pp. 107–136). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
(2018). Understanding
benefits of repetition from a complex dynamic systems perspective. The case of a writing
task. In M. Bygate (Ed.), Learning
language through task
repetition (pp. 285–316). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Norris, J. M., & Ortega, L. (2009). Towards
an organic approach to investigating CAF in instructed SLA: The case of
complexity. Applied
Linguistics, 30(4), 555–578.
Plonsky, L. (2015). Statistical
power, p values, descriptive statistics and effect sizes: A “back-to-basics” approach to
advancing quantitative methods in L2
research. In L. Plonsky (Ed.), Advancing
quantitative methods in second language
research (pp. 23–45). New York, NY: Routledge.
Roca de Larios, J., Manchón, R. M., & Murphy, L. (1996). Generating
text in native and foreign language writing: A temporal analysis of problem solving formulation
processes. Modern Language
Journal, 90(1), 100–114.
Sheppard, C., & Ellis, R. M. (2018). The
effects of awareness-raising through stimulated recall on the repeated performance of the same task and on a
new task of the same type. In M. Bygate (Ed.), Learning
language through task
repetition (pp. 177–198). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Skehan, P. (2009). Modelling
second language performance: Integrating complexity, accuracy, fluency, and
lexis. Applied
Linguistics, 30(4), 510–532.
Cited by (18)
Cited by 18 other publications
Abdi Tabari, Mahmoud & Mahsa Farahanynia
2025. Exploring the interplay between task-readiness factors and task complexity in L2 writing
performance and anxiety. ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics
Abdi Tabari, Mahmoud, Hansol Lee & Keiko Hanzawa
Abdi Tabari, Mahmoud & Yizhou Wang
Chen, Liping, Yuichi Suzuki & Craig Lambert
Hiver, Phil, Ali H. Al‐Hoorie & Akira Murakami
Khezrlou, Sima
2025. Effects of task repetition with grammatizing on oral task performance and knowledge development. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 48:2 ► pp. 350 ff.
Mostafaei Alaei, Mahnaz & Abbas Mansouri
Abdi Tabari, Mahmoud, Phil Hiver & Reza Norouzian
Abdi Tabari, Mahmoud, Sima Khezrlou & Yu Tian
Tabari, Mahmoud Abdi, Sima Khezrlou & Yu Tian
Róg, Tomasz & Marek Krawiec
2024. Task repetition and L2 grit. TASK. Journal on Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning 4:2 ► pp. 241 ff.
Tabari, Mahmoud Abdi & Seyyed Ehsan Golparvar
Tabari, Mahmoud Abdi, Sima Khezrlou & Hessameddin Ghanbar
Fukunaga, Tatsushi
McBride, Sophie & Rosa M. Manchón
2023. Analysing L2 writers’ processing of written corrective feedback via
written languaging and think-aloud protocols. In Research Methods in the Study of L2 Writing Processes [Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 5], ► pp. 337 ff.
Leow, Ronald P., Rosa M. Manchón & Charlene Polio
2022. Writing. In Research methods in instructed second language acquisition [Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 3], ► pp. 305 ff.
[no author supplied]
[no author supplied]
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 26 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
