Use of Think-Aloud Protocols: Investigating the Writing Habits of Saudi EFL/ESL Learners

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the writing processes of bilingual Saudi writers by means of think-aloud protocols. Think-aloud or talk-aloud protocols involve having participants verbally describe their activities while performing a given task. My goal was to understand the writing habits of Saudi EFL/ESL learners and what native Arabic speakers experience when writing in English by examining how they write compositions in English. My basic question for this investigation was “How do EFL/ESL Saudi learners write in English?” The goal of this study was to identify useful information for teaching EsL composition to Arabic-speaking learners in general and Saudi learners in particular.