Alignment effect in the continuation task of Chinese low-intermediate English learners

Abstract This article aims to probe into whether low-intermediate EFL learners align their writing with an original text in a continuation task (using stories with the middle part missing). The study examined the effect of alignment on words, phrases, sentences, error rates and writing quality. Sixty low-intermediate EFL learners were divided into two groups. In the first week, group A (n=30) read the Chinese version of a story and group B (n=30) read the corresponding English version. They were then asked to finish the stories in written English using their imaginations. The two groups performed the same task in reverse conditions in the second week. Quantitative results were supplemented by two questionnaires and an interview, which were used to consolidate the quantitative data. The results revealed that: (1) low-intermediate Chinese EFL learners can align their writing with the original text in a story continuation task (with the middle part missing), (2) alignment can foster learners’ writing in terms of linguistic features, error rates and overall quality of writing, and (3) the participants who performed the English-based continuation task exhibited stronger alignment effects than those who performed the Chinese-based continuation task.