Using Concept Map Prewriting Strategies in Korean Writing Classes

This study investigated the effect of pre-writing strategies on Korean language learners' writing performance in a college-level Korean language program context. The study expected that individual and collaborative concept mapping activities, used as a pre-writing strategy, could reduce cognitive demands on second/foreign language writers. One hundred and twenty-three undergraduates from Korean language classes in a state university were represented in both the treatment and comparison groups. Data were collected during three writing sessions: (1) pre-test of writing, (2) individual planning, and (3) collaborative planning. The treatment groups were encouraged to develop concept maps to plan their compositions in the second and third writing sessions. To analyze the findings, the study used a repeated measure, analysis of covariance on composition scores, and analysis of variance of survey responses to analyze research findings. The results showed that the treatment groups that used concept maps scored significantly higher than did the comparison groups on a composition profile at both sessions. But the student compositions were not improved by collaborative concept mapping. The survey showed that most participants were satisfied with collaborative concept mapping activities for writing. The study provided evidence that using concept mapping as a pre-writing strategy in a foreign language learning context is beneficial. Further research should consider the practical limitations challenging the use of collaborative mapping tasks in Korean writing classes.