Planning Requests for Help as a Function of Anticipated Resistance and Language Proficiency

Abstract

This study examined how the formulation of message plans varies as a function of anticipated partner resistance and language proficiency. The ninety participants were students enrolled in English for Speakers of Other Languages classes (n = 24) and students in public speaking classes (n = 66). They wrote a plan in English in which assistance was requested from a prospective recipient who was portrayed as resistant to or cooperative with the speaker's goal. The anticipation of resistance did not predict overall plan elaborateness but was associated with a higher proportion of request-relevant units and a lower proportion of opening and closing units than the anticipation of cooperation. This difference occurred for more proficient speakers of English but not for less proficient speakers. Implications for planning theory and second-language instruction are discussed.