Effects of EFL Proficiency and Task Complexity on Summary Writing Task

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2024.03.011

Abstract

Abstract:

This study investigated the effects of EFL proficiency and task complexity on the summary writing performance and perceived task difficulty of 89 high school students. Summary writing tasks of varying complexities were administered, with the complexity manipulated by adjusting the linguistic complexity of the source text. The findings reveal that both EFL proficiency and task complexity have significant main effects on summary writing performance, although their interaction effect is not significant. Additionally, EFL proficiency and task complexity significantly influence task difficulty, without any interaction effect. These results hold practical implications for the teaching of task-based EFL summary writing.

Key words: task complexity, task difficulty, summary writing, EFL proficiency

CLC Number:

H319

PENG Cheng, BAO Zhen. Effects of EFL Proficiency and Task Complexity on Summary Writing Task[J]. Contemporary Foreign Languages Studies, 2024, 24(3): 110-120.

Figures/Tables 5

References 28

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原文语言复杂度	复杂度维度	概要写作的两大要素	任务复杂度
低语言复杂度	低词汇复杂度	阅读低复杂度原文、概括性写作	低
低语言复杂度	低句法复杂度	阅读低复杂度原文、概括性写作	低
高语言复杂度	高词汇复杂度	阅读高复杂度原文、概括性写作	高
高语言复杂度	高句法复杂度	阅读高复杂度原文、概括性写作	高

维度	Lexical Complexity
指标	MTLD	Word length	Concreteness	Frequency	MLT	C/T	CP/T	CN/T
高复杂度原文	114.31	5.18	364.78	1.26	18.29	1.29	0.59	2.41
低复杂度原文	99.13	4.57	373.47	1.62	14.76	1.14	0.38	1.81
差值	15.18	0.61	-8.69	-0.36	3.53	0.15	0.21	0.60

语料来源	语言	内容	语料
高水平被试	正确	正确	Global cooperation in innovation is vital, due to one single expert’s limited expertise and increasing complexity of scientific research.
中水平被试	正确	错误	Human innovation originates from the integration of cutting-edge expertise and global cooperation.
中水平被试	错误	正确	To be an all-round expert is impossible, because innovation is depends on combinations of different scientific fields.
低水平被试	错误	错误	The 21^st century’s trend is global cooperation to develop innovation is science and technology.