Investigating the effect of input modality in L2 integrated writing tasks for academic purposes: A writing product and process approach

This study investigated the effect of input modality on L2 learners' writing performance and process in audio-based (AB-IW) and video-based (VB-IW) integrated writing tasks for academic purposes. Using a counterbalanced within-subjects design, 49 tertiary-level EFL learners completed two integrated writing tasks with different input modalities. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted on their writing products and strategic behaviors. Results showed that L2 learners performed better in the VB-IW task in content coverage, organization, and source use, while no difference was observed in language use. Textual analyses further revealed task-specific profiles: the VB-IW task elicited greater syntactic complexity, textual fluency, and cohesion, whereas the AB-IW task resulted in higher lexical complexity. Language accuracy did not differ between the two tasks. Regarding writing strategy use, although the frequency of most strategies was comparable across tasks, visual cues were employed significantly more in the VB-IW task. Notably, the relationship between writing performance and strategy use varied by task: organizing strategies served as the primary predictor of scores in the AB-IW task, whereas all strategy types contributed in a more balanced manner to performance in the VB-IW task. Additionally, most participants preferred the VB-IW task, reporting that the audiovisual input facilitated listening comprehension, improved writing quality, and enhanced task engagement and motivation. These findings help to advance our understanding of the role of input modality in integrated writing and offer important implications for task design and strategy instruction.