It's not just a phase: Investigating text simplification in a second language from a process and product perspective

Area of Science:

• Applied Linguistics
• Writing Studies
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Text simplification aims to enhance text comprehension for broader audiences, particularly lay readers.
• Simplifying texts, especially in a second language, presents unique challenges influenced by writer expertise and language proficiency.
• Existing research on text simplification training primarily focuses on first-language writers simplifying their own work.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of text simplification training on second-language university students simplifying existing texts.
• To analyze the impact of training on pausing and revision behaviors across different writing phases.
• To examine the correlation between writing process dynamics (pausing) and text readability.

Main Methods:

• Utilized keystroke logging to capture detailed writing process data, including pausing behavior.
• Employed automated text analysis to evaluate the readability and linguistic features of simplified texts.
• Identified and analyzed two distinct phases within the text simplification writing process.

Main Results:

• The training did not significantly alter pausing or revision dynamics between writing phases.
• Texts produced after training exhibited reduced word length and syntactic complexity.
• Increased pausing frequency and duration at specific locations correlated positively with enhanced readability.

Conclusions:

• Text simplification training can improve the linguistic quality of simplified texts for second-language writers.
• Writing process dynamics, specifically pausing, offer insights into effective text simplification strategies.
• Findings have implications for pedagogical approaches to writing instruction and audience awareness training for second-language learners.