One-way ANOVA analysis of writing performance.

This study investigated the effects of task complexity, task difficulty, and critical thinking disposition on college students’ writing performance. 201 participants were selected via probability sampling. Each completed three writing tasks of varying complexity, resulting in a corpus of 603 compositions. A follow-up questionnaire assessed task difficulty and critical thinking disposition. Results showed that both task complexity and difficulty significantly affected writing performance. Specifically, four sub-constructs of critical thinking disposition (analyticity, systematicity, inquisitiveness, and cognitive maturity) were positively associated with writing performance and mediated the relationship between task difficulty and writing performance. Structural and mediation models were established using Smart PLS to illustrate these relationships. This study contributes to the growing field of cognitive-oriented and affective-related research by exploring the cognitive and affective factors influencing writing and provides practical recommendations for writing assessment and pedagogy.本研究旨在探究任务复杂度、任务难度与批判性思维倾向（Critical Thinking Disposition）对大学生写作表现的影响。研究通过概率抽样法选取了201名参与者，每名参与者完成三项复杂度各异的写作任务，最终形成包含603篇作文的语料库（corpus）。后续通过追踪问卷对任务难度与批判性思维倾向进行了测评。研究结果表明，任务复杂度与任务难度均对写作表现存在显著影响。具体而言，批判性思维倾向的四个子维度——分析性（analyticity）、系统性（systematicity）、求知欲（inquisitiveness）与认知成熟度（cognitive maturity）——均与写作表现呈显著正相关，且在任务难度与写作表现的关联中发挥中介作用。本研究采用Smart PLS构建了结构方程模型与中介模型，以清晰阐释上述变量间的内在关系。本研究通过剖析影响写作表现的认知与情感因素，为日益发展的认知导向及情感相关写作研究领域提供了新的研究思路，并为写作测评与教学实践提供了切实可行的实践建议。