ERIC Number: EJ1438447
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jul
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0272-2631
EISSN: EISSN-1470-1545
Exploring Working Memory and Language Dominance in Heritage Bilinguals' Writing Processes
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, v45 n3 p710-736 2023
Heritage language (HL) bilinguals' writing skills has been a topic of inquiry in the field of HL education. However, little is still known about HL writers' writing processes and the contribution of individual differences to these processes remains unexplored. By integrating keystroke-logging and think-aloud methodologies, this study examined 61 Spanish-English HL writers' pausing and revision behaviors during the completion of Spanish (HL) and English writing tasks. Participants also completed an advanced Ospan working memory test and a language dominance questionnaire. The main findings revealed that, although HL writers' pausing and revision behaviors did not significantly differ between writing tasks, the nature of their writing processes underlying these writing behaviors fluctuated. Further, language dominance as a multidimensional construct did not contribute to these writing results, whereas participants with higher working memory spent more time addressing orthographic and morphosyntactic encoding episodes during pauses within words when writing in both languages.
Descriptors: Short Term Memory, Language Dominance, Native Language, Bilingualism, Writing Processes, Individual Characteristics, Thinking Skills, Spanish, English, Behavior Patterns
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A