LENS Model: Comparing Pre- and Post-Writing Model-Text Feedback

Abstract

Developing effective persuasive writing skills remains a major challenge for ESL learners, and identifying feedback strategies that promote meaningful revision is an important concern in second language writing instruction. This study compared pre-writing versus post-writing exposure to model texts on the persuasive writing of 100 Bahraini EFL undergraduates. Over three weeks, a control group analyzed a model before writing, while an experimental group wrote a draft, then compared it to the model. Results showed the post-writing group achieved significantly greater gains in overall writing and all subscales (Organization, Coherence, Grammar, Vocabulary). Their reflective notes demonstrated deeper noticing, whereas the pre-writing group showed more general, anticipatory noticing. Both groups viewed the intervention positively. Results indicate stronger outcomes for post-writing exposure to model texts, theorized through an integration of the Output Hypothesis, Noticing Hypothesis, and scaffolding. The proposed LENS Model (Learner-Elicited Noticing and Scaffolding) frames writing development as a recursive cycle: initial output primes cognitive readiness, and model comparison elicits focused noticing of gaps, which scaffolds revision. Presenting models after a writing attempt is an effective feedback strategy for developing L2 persuasive writing. The findings recommend incorporating post-writing model-text comparison into ESL writing instruction to promote deeper noticing and improve persuasive writing performance, particularly in higher education contexts with large class sizes.