The distinctive nature of task repetition in writing. Implications for theory, research, and pedagogy

Abstract

This paper looks into the distinctive nature of task repetition (TR) in the environment of L2 writing and the potential language learning benefits that may derive from implementing various forms of TR. The main argument put forward is that it is theoretically and pedagogically relevant to problematize and expand current understandings of TR in the realm of oral tasks on account of both the defining characteristics of written communication, and the idiosyncrasy of the "external" and "internal" task repetition dimensions of writing tasks. The argument is constructed on the basis of three building blocks: (i) an analysis of the concept of TR as currently conceptualized and researched in the TBLT theoretical and empirical literature, and a review of the empirical literature on the nature and observed effects of TR in the oral modality; (ii) a discussion of the nature and potential effects of TR in the written modality, and, on the basis of the two previous building blocks, (iii) a reflection on implications for refinements in TBLT theorizing and for the expansion of empirical research agendas.