English Writing Strategies among Non-English Major Students in China: An Activity Theory Perspective

Abstract

In recent years, in the context of increasing research on second language (L2) writing strategies, scholars have focused on the writing strategies of L2 learners in different writing tasks. In China, researchers pay more attention to the tendency of English majors’ writing strategies in different writing tasks. However, Chinese non-English majors receive relatively little attention. Therefore, under the guidance of the Activity Theory (AT) framework (Engeström, 1987), this thesis adopts a mixed research design combining quasi-experimental method and semi-structured interview to investigate the writing strategies of 60 non-English majors from two Chinese universities. The results show that students use tools, rules, communities and role-mediated strategies when completing writing tasks, and learners’ strategy choices are not only influenced by individual cognitive and emotional factors, but also by a broader social and cultural background. This study integrates activity theory into the research category, which is helpful to the dynamic understanding of language learning strategy use and provides enlightenment for English teaching practice in higher education in China.