The Revision Strategies of Skilled and Unskilled ESL Writers: Five Case Studies

Abstract

Recently, the teaching of writing has shifted from an emphasis on the final product to that of the process of writing. Research, primarily first language studies (Emig, 1971; Flower and Hayes, 1978; Sommers, 1978; Perl, 1979; Pianko, l979), has resulted in implications suggesting that revision plays a crucial and mediating role in the writing process. However, related research in ES/FL is still lacking. This th es is reports on a study designed to investigate the revision strategies of skilled and less skilled ESL writers for similarities and differences. This descriptive analysis required the implementation of process/product methodology, specifically tailored to reveal how each writer went about the task of using revisions to improve their essays. Relevant findings indicate that skilled writers were better able to evaluate the writing task by arranging their priorities to give revision a complementary and productive role in the writing process. Unskilled writers tended to employ revisions less efficiently.