民办学院非英语专业学生写作能力个体差异的研究.docVIP

民办学院非英语专业学生写作能力个体差异的研究 Chapter One Introduction 1.1ResearchBackground Among the five basic skills in language learning, writing is the most important anddifficult, for it demonstrates a person’s comprehensive ability in using a language andexpressing ideas. Writing can be challenging either in one抯 native language or in the secondlanguage (Peyton, 1993). So writing has been attracting considerable attention from researchersbothat homeand abroad.For learners, especially college students, writing is an indispensable skill to acquire insecond language learning. College students are exposed to a variety of examinations, in most ofwhich writing task is a necessary and integral part, such as in CET4, CET6. According toCollege English Curriculum Requirements (2007)2, the basic requirements for writing are 搕owrite within 30 minutes a short composition of no less than 120 words on a general topic, or anoutline. The composition should be basically complete in content, clear in main idea,appropriate in diction and coherent in discourse. Students are expected to have a command ofnecessarywriting skills.擨n CET4, the writing takes up 15% of the total score. However, the result of the writingscore is far from satisfactory. In June 1993, the average score throughout the nation is 6.8, whilein June 2001, the average score in the whole nation is 7.7; until now the average score is stillratherlow. For theprivatecolleges likeNingbo DahongyingCollege, theaverage scoreis lower;thepassing ratio ofCET4 forGrade2010 non-Englishmajoris about40%. 厖?. 1.2ResearchMotivation College English writing teaching has been appealing to many researchers and variousteaching methods have been used which intend to teach English writing more effectively.However, no satisfying method has been found so far. Since the 1970s, the research focus of L2teaching and learning has shifted from teachers?teaching to learners?learning. The learners抜ndividual characteristics and their impacts on the process of L2