An Exploration of L1 Thinking Mode in the L2 English Writing Process of Chinese ESL and EFL Undergraduates

Abstract

This study examines how L1 Chinese thinking mode relates to the L2 English writing process among Chinese ESL and EFL undergraduates through a questionnaire survey, and compares the perceptions of the two learner groups. The quantitative analyses show that participants in both contexts believed that L1 Chinese exerts a certain influence on their English composing processes and admitted using mothertongue thinking to develop ideas, although the EFL participants reported a greater willingness to rely on L1 during L2 writing than the ESL
participants. The results also reveal that learners with lower English proficiency tended to translate directly from L1 into L2, whereas those
with higher proficiency preferred to think directly in English when brainstorming, structuring and searching for appropriate expressions.