Revision in Second Language Writing: What Teachers Need to Know

Abstract

Revising is an essential component of skilled writing. Yet it seems to play a limited role in the writing of many novice second-language (L2) writers. These writers may find it easier to generate ideas than to revise what they have written in relation to task requirements and their writing goals and audience. Consequently, many fail to revise frequently, extensively, or skilfully. This article reviews research on revision in L2 writing in an attempt to understand how and what skilled and unskilled L2 writers revise, factors influencing their revision practices, and how instruction can help them improve their revision skills.

Metacognitive awareness of skilled and less-skilled EFL writers

“…This is in agreement with what Yu-Ling and Shih-Guey (2001), and Victori (1999) found. This is also in tandem with Barkaoui (2007) who explains that less-skilled SL writers do not distinguish between editing and revising. Skilled writers, on the contrary, regarded revision as a strategy which reshapes their works.…”

“What Do You Mean I Wrote a C Paper?” Writing, Revision, and Self-Regulation

“…Certainly there is a general scholarly consensus regarding the importance of revision in the writing process: as Barkaoui (2007) notes after citing numerous sources going back decades (Faigley & Witte, 1981;Sommers, 1980;Witte, 1985;Zamel, 1982), "good writers seem to revise at all stages of the writing process as they generate, reevaluate, reformulate, and refine their writing goals" (p. 81). Despite this widespread recognition of the importance of revision, considerable variation in (Whitney et al, 2008) and even ambiguity about (Witte, 2013) the teaching of revision remains.…”

The Effect of Topical Structure Analysis Instruction on University Students’ Writing Quality

“…In previous research on the writing process of skilled and unskilled students (e.g, Bosher, 1998;Nunan, 1991;Roca de Larios, Murphy, & Manchon, 1999;Zamel, 1983), it has been concluded that skilled L2 writers tend to spend more time to plan, revise and do writing tasks in the most effective way . Also, their main concerns were in the discourse levels like global content, organization, topic sentences, coherence and unity (Barkaoui, 2007;Nunan, 1991;Tsai, 2009). …”