Writing-Reading Relationships: Effectiveness of Writing Activities as Pre-Reading Tasks to Enhance L2 Inferential Reading Comprehension - Vol. 5 No. 5

Oct 15, 2026

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The study examines how reading and writing processes interact, focusing on the effect of pre-reading tasks that incorporate writing tasks (“prw tasks”) on L2 inferential reading comprehension. Seventy first-year ESL students from the University of Kelaniya participated, with an experimental group using prw tasks and a control group completing tasks without a pre-reading component. Performance was assessed after each of six one-hour sessions, and SPSS analysis compared test scores. Results showed the experimental group performed significantly better, supporting the effectiveness of prw tasks.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Reading and ESL context

Research gap in L2 writing and reading

Background

Reading skill requirements in academic contexts

Focus on inferential comprehension and prw tasks

Literature Review

Definitions and models of reading comprehension

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 Vol. 5 No. 5; October 2014 Copyright © Australian International Academic Centre, Australia Writing-Reading Relationships: Effectiveness of Writing Activities as Pre-Reading Tasks to Enhance L2 Inferential Reading Comprehension Thilina Indrajie Wickramaarachchi English Language Teaching Unit University ofKelaniya Sri Lanka E-mail: [slthilina123@yahoo.com](slthilina123@yahoo.com) Doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.5n.5p.213 URL: [http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.5n.5p.213](http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.5n.5p.213) Received: 04/08/2014 Accepted: 08/09/2014 Abstract The study examines the interaction between reading and writing processes in general and more specifically the impact of pre-reading tasks incorporating writing tasks (referred to as “prw tasks”) in helping the development of inferential reading comprehension. A sample of 70 first year ESL students of the University of Kelaniya were initially selected with one group (experimental group) engaging in “prw tasks”while the other group (control group) performing the tasks without a pre-reading component. The intervention was for 6 sessions (one hour in each session) . At the end of each session, the performance of the two groups was measured and the test scores were analyzed using the data analysis package SPSS to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. The results indicated that the experimental group had significantly performed better than the control group which suggested the effectiveness of the prw tasks in improving reading comprehension. Keywords: inferential comprehension, writing tasks, English as L2, control-experimental 1. Introduction Reading is an essential skill in educational settings as students have to frequently engage in complex reading texts. In ESL contexts, the students are mostly frustrated in reading in English as they have to grapple with both the complexities of the reading skill and their own lack ofproficiency in English language. Research evidence suggests that it is more productive to teach reading skill (or any language skill for that matter), in combination with other language skills, or to develop eclectic approaches in language teaching. In this regard, researchers have been particularly interested in developing instructional programmes that incorporate reading and writing skills since both skills share “common cognitive proficiency”(Eisterhold, 1994, p. 94) . Due to such interest in exploring reading-writing relations, research has focused on three fundamental approaches to understanding readingwriting relations: how reading leads to writing, how writing leads to reading, and how reading and writing are mutually beneficial. However, there is limited research, or a “gap” in research in relation to the way writing affects reading comprehension. More significantly, there is even lesser research evidence in relation to the phenomenon in L2 contexts. In fact, Hudson (2007) asserts that while there is less evidence in relation to how writing influences reading, there is“much less empirical work in the second language literature”(p.279) that examines the way L2 writing has an impact on L2 reading. In this context, the proposed study is significant as it focuses on how writing tasks in English help reading comprehension in English in a context where English operates as a L2 . In this manner, the study attempts to contribute to this important area of research on L2 writing and reading relations. 2. Background Reading skill is one of the most important language skills required especially in academic contexts. At the same time, it is a skill that needs to be developed through extensive reading tasks and the learner is required to possess adequate vocabulary knowledge, sub-skills and strategies related to reading. Since it is a complex skill, reading in a second language (L2) is more demanding particularly for students with low proficiency

FAQs

What is the main focus of the study?

The study investigates the interaction between reading and writing processes and, specifically, whether writing-based pre-reading tasks improve L2 inferential reading comprehension.

How were the participants grouped and what did each group do?

Seventy first-year ESL students were split into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group engaged in “prw tasks,” while the control group performed tasks without a pre-reading component.

What was the duration and how was effectiveness measured?

The intervention ran for six sessions, one hour each. After each session, both groups’ performances were measured and test scores were analyzed using SPSS to determine effectiveness.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Cipher