TOOL USAGE AND EFFECTIVENESS AMONG L2 SPANISH COMPUTER WRITERS
Keywords:
computer writing, L2 writing tools, online dictionaries, spell checker, grammar checker, diacritic generationAbstract
This study describes the tools employed by intermediate learners of Spanish (N = 12) writing short, low-stakes compositions via computer. Echo360 screencasting software was used to create video recordings of five compositions per participant over a three-month period, as well as to capture a think-aloud protocol on the final task. Results reveal that sixth-semester learners make frequent use of online bilingual dictionaries and translators, regularly depend on the word processor’s spelling and grammar checkers, and use a variety of techniques to make diacritics and special characters in their writing. Despite high levels of overall success with both internet and word processing resources, errors were common in the texts generated, with grammatical errors occurring more than vocabulary and spelling mistakes combined, at a rate of just over 6 per 100 words. Taken together with previous research, these findings paint a more complete picture of L2 computer writing in Spanish as a demanding task requiring pedagogical intervention to maximize the effectiveness of available resources, even for college majors and minors.
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