JOURNAL OF SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING, 3 (2), 165-173 (1994)

Selected Bibliography of Recent Scholarship in Second Language Writing

TONY SILVA MELINDA REICHELT Purdue University

This bibliography cites and summarizes theoretically grounded reports of research and discussions of central issues in second and foreign language writing and writing instruction that have become available to its compilers during the period of August 1 through November 30,1993. The categories used represent an attempt to aid readers, not to pigeonhole studies. WRITERS
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Devine, J., Railey, K., & Boshoff, I? (1993). The implications of cognitive models in Ll and L2 writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 2(3), 203-225.
Ten Ll basic writers and 10 L2 writers, all first-year college students, were surveyed about their ideas concerning personal, task, and strategy variables in writing. Analysis of survey results and student writing samples indicated that the two groups possessed different cognitive models of writing and performed differently on writing tasks.

Masny, D., & Foxall, J. (1992). Writing apprehension 352844.

in L2. ERIC Document

Twenty-eight ESL writing students responded to a writing apprehension questionnaire. Females showed higher apprehension than males, and low achievers showed higher apprehension than high achievers. While all indicated more concern with form than content, low achievers were more concerned than high achievers. A relationship between apprehension and unwillingness to take advanced writing courses was found.

165

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T. Silva and M. Reichelt

PROCESSES
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Alam, M. (1993). The use of Arabic in the composing processes of Arab university students writing in English. Dissertation Abstracts International, 54(4), 1338A. Kuwait University students wrote one essay in English and were then interviewed via a stimulated recall method, concerning use of their Ll (Arabic) in the writing. Results indicated that students used ~Arabic during prewriting, writing, and revising and can be grouped as over-users, optimal users, and under-users.

Khongpun, S. (1992). Composing processes of Thai high-school students: protocol analysis. Dissertation Abstracts International, 54(4), 1337A.
The composing processes of five Thai EFL high-school students is investigated via audio- and videotaped composing sessions in which students verbalized their thoughts. Results relate to concern for purpose and audience, constraints imposed by limited L2 proficiency, and the role of the Ll. A tentative composing process model for these subjects is proposed.

Lusignan, G., & Fortier, G. (1992). Revision de textes et changement daudience. Canadian Journal of Education, 17(4), 405-421. (in French)
In order to explore audience adaptation in high-school students writing, the researchers asked 35 students to write an essay for their French teachers. Next, one subgroup revised for a 6th grade audience, while another subgroup revised for adult newspaper readers. Only students revising for the younger audience changed their texts.

Pennington, in relation 227-255.

M.C. (1993). A critical examination of word processing effects to L2 writers. Journal of Second Language Writing, 2(3),

Studies regarding composition are following variables studies: students, instruction type measures.

the effects of word processing on Ll (English) and L2 reviewed. The researcher finds that differences in the help account for differences in results between Ll and L2 teachers, setting, extent of exposure to word processing, and amount, software and hardware, and assessment

Bibliography

167

Phinney, M., & Khouri, S. (1993). Computers, revision, and ESL writers: The role of experience. Journal of Second Language Writing, 2(3), 257-277. Four university ESL students were observed and videotaped while using a computer to write and revise a paper. Data analysis indicated that computer experience was a stronger predictor of computer writing strategies than was writing proficiency. Other results relate to revising, making surface changes, using computer functions, concern for content, and apprehension.

TEXTS
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Lynch, T., & McGrath, I. (1993). Teaching bibliographic skills. English for Specific Purposes, I2(3), 219-238.

documentation

Through performance sampling and questionnaire, the authors investigated Ll and L2 students difficulties constructing bibliographies and the way in which instruction addresses these problems. Results indicated that constructing a bibliography is complex and can be aided by instruction. No significant Ll/L2 differences were found.

Shakir, A., & Obeidat, H. (1992). Aspects of cohesion and coherence student written texts. Al-Arabiyya, 25, l-28.

in AFL

Five texts written by American students studying Arabic as a second language were analyzed in terms of cohesion and coherence. Results indicated that incoherent texts lacked contextualization and appropriate cohesive connectives and included inappropriate lexical collocations and substantial Ll interference.

Sonomura, M. (1993). Idiomaticity in basic writing: Formulas and idioms in the writing of some multilingual and Creole-speaking community college students. Dissertation Abstracts International, M(4), 1344-1345A. ESL basic writers and Hawaiian Creole English (HCE) writers essays were examined for idiomatic and grammatical error. ESL writers produced twice as many errors overall as the HCE writers. The ESL writers had more grammatical errors than idiomatic errors, while the opposite was true for the HCE writers.

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T. Silva and M. Reichelt

Wong , S. (1992). Contrastive rhetoric: An exploration of proverbial references in Chinese student Ll and L2 writing. Journal of Intensive English Studies, 6, 71-90. Chinese and English texts written by three Chinese graduate students in theology were analyzed in terms of use of Chinese set phrases. Results indicated that many such phrases were translated from Chinese and used in the English texts and that some were effective and some were ineffective.

READERS
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Huntley, H. (1992). Feedback strategies in intermediate and advanced second language composition: A discussion of the effects of error correction, peer review, and student-teacher conferences on student writing and performance. ERIC Document 355809. The author reviews the literature regarding feedback on L2 composition, focusing on error correction, peer review, and student-teacher writing conferences. She asserts that current research indicates that students can benefit from a variety of feedback techniques focusing on content and organization first, and grammatical errors and syntax second.

Samway, K. (1993). This is hard, isnt it?: Children TESOL Quarterly, 27(2), 233-258.

evaluating

writing.

Nine nonnative-English-speaking children, Grades 2 to 6, were interviewed concerning stories they had read and rated. Analysis of the interview data indicated that the students were critical, focused on meaning, were very idiosyncratic in the range of evaluation criteria they used, and were influenced by their ESL classes pedagogy.

Severino, C. (1993). The sociopolitical implications of response to second language and second dialect writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 2(3), 181-201. The author argues that LUESL composition pedagogy is as political as Ll pedagogy, but that its ideology needs to be openly articulated. She describes a continuum of three response stances to L2 and second dialect writing: separatist, accommodationist, and assimilationist. Examples of responses to student writing are analyzed.

Bibliography
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Thrush, E. (1993). Bridging international and multicultural

the gap: Technical communication in an society. Technical Communication Quarterly,

2(3), 271-283.
The author writes that world experience, amount of common knowledge shared within a culture, societys and the workplaces hierarchical structure, culturally specific rhetorical strategies, and cultural differences in processing graphics affect the way readers interpret texts. She suggest ways in which technical communication teachers can supplement their curricula in these areas since textbooks do not address them adequately.

CONTEXT
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Brueggemann, B. (1992). Context and cognition in the composing processes of two deaf student writers. Dissertation Abstracts International, 54(l),
159A. The author investigated the writing of two deaf students in college remedial English courses in order to explore how their writing reflected and constructed their social and cognitive frameworks. Results indicated that their backgrounds, their role in deaf culture, and the centrality of writing to their lives affected their writing.

Die&man, E. (1992). Secondary limited English proficient Hispanics doing writing for teachers and competency tests: A critical etbnography. Disserta-

tion Abstracts International, 54(l), 71A.

Ethnographic methodology was employed in order to investigate the writing of secondary level Hispanic ESL writers and the writing instruction they received. Results related to the roles played by the teacher and students as well as the role played by the state writing competency exam.

Peters,

W. (1992). Critical conditions for effective writing strategies for language diverse learners. ERIC Document 355543. The author argues that, for writing strategies to be effective for language diverse students, the following conditions must be present: teacher ethnosensitivity, a view of writing as communication between real persons, an environment reflecting the psychosocial nature of writing, and reliance on collaboration.

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T. Silva and M. Reichelt

INSTRUCTION
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Aghbar,
dyadic

writing.

A., & Alam, M. (1992). Teaching ERIC Document 352808.

the writing

process through full

Thirty-one freshman composition students wrote three individual papers as well as two papers with a partner from a different Ll background. Results of analysis of videotaped group work, recorded reactions, and essay scores relate to a comparison of performance on individual versus pair essays and to students attitudes toward working in pairs.

Baudrand-Aertker, L. (1992). Dialog journal writing in a foreign language classroom: Assessing communicative competence and proficiency. Dissertution Abstracts International, 5#(2), 444A.
The dialog journal writing of 21 high-school French students was investigated. Factors considered included holistic assessment of the communicativeness of journal writing, along with results of a writing proficiency test and an attitude questionnaire. Results relate to students positive attitudes and strong performance.

Canagarajah, A. (1993). Comments on AM Raimes Out of the Woods: Emerging Traditions in the Teaching of Writing. Up the garden path: Second language writing approaches, local knowledge, and pluralism. TESOL Quarterly, 27(2), 301-306.
The author criticizes Raimes discussion of approaches to teaching L2 writing, arguing that her pluralism resembles an escapist, indecisive, stultifying relativism. The author asserts that a more socially contextualized approach is needed which encourages students to resist the dominant ideology and to negotiate the meaning of texts in relation to their native discourses.

Morris, G. (1993). Novice ESL writing in six public Dissertation Abstracts International, .54(4), 1343A.

school

students.

A 6-month case study investigated the journal and structured writing of six ESL students (Grades l-9). Results suggest that informal journal writing promoted fluency in structured writing. Other findings relate to developmental stages, gender differences, and oral production.

Bibliography

171

Peyton, J.K., & Staton, J. (1993). Dialogue journals in the multilingual classroom: Building language fluency and writing skills through written interaction. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
This volume contains reports of studies carried out on the journals in one multicultural, multilingual sixth-grade classroom. It includes descriptions of the following: the teacher-researcher collaboration; the classroom, the students, and the role of dialogue journals; specific features of the writing; and the opportunity offered by journal writing for developing writing abilities. Chapter numbers, titles, and authors are as follows: (1) Collaborative research on a teacher-generated practice (Staton); (2) Opening the door to communication in the multilingual/multicultural classroom (Reed); (3) The development of beginning writers: Six student profiles (Peyton); (4) Dialogue journals as a means of assisting written language acquisition (Staton); (5) Using language functions to discover a teachers implicit theory of communicating with students (Shuy); (6) Teacher questions in written interaction: Promoting student participation in dialogue (Peyton); (7) The effect of teacher strategies on students interactive writing (Peyton and Seyoum); (8) The influence of writing task on ESL students written production (Peyton, Staton, Richardson, and Wolfram).

Powers, J. (1993). Rethinking writing center conferencing strategies for the ESL writer. Writing Center Journal, Z3(2), 38-47.
The author asserts that, because ESL students bring different contexts and knowledge to writing centers than native English speakers do, traditional collaborative approaches may not work in ESL tutorials. She argues that, despite tutors discomfort, it may be more appropriate to play the role of informant rather than collaborator with these students.

Raimes, A. (1993). The author responds.. . . TESOL Quarterly, 306-310.

27(2),

The author responds to Canagarajah by asserting that her commissioned task had been to describe rather than to prescribe approaches to ESL writing. She points out weaknesses of Canagarajahs position and defends the process approach as one which can address issues of power and difference along with other issues.

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T. Silva and M. Reichelt

Reid, J., & Powers, J. (1993). Extending the benefits of small collaboration to the ESL writer. TESOL Journal, 2(4), 25-32.

group

The authors discuss using group writing tutorials in ESL freshman composition courses. They describe problems that they encountered in the early stages of the program, including difficulties with defining tutors roles and preparing students for tutorials. They then discuss the benefits the tutorials produced relating to community building, revision, and oral skills.

Thonus, T. (1993). Tutors as teachers: writing center. Writing Center Journal,

Assisting ESWEFL 23(2), 13-26.

students

in the

The author asserts that writing center tutors can more effectively approach tutorials with nonnative-English-speaking writers by becoming aware of the role of English in todays world and by understanding three dominant approaches to ESL writing, each of which focuses either on form, on writers, or on readers.

READING
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AND WRITING

Hedgcock, J., & Atkinson, D. (1993). Differing reading-writing relationships in Ll and L2 literacy development. TESOL Quarterly, 27(2), 329-333.
One hundred fifty-seven NSs and 115 NNSs responded to questionnaires concerning their reading habits. Additionally, students wrote essays which were scored holistically. Analysis of the data indicated a correlation between Ll expository writing skills and Ll reading experience, but no correlation between L2 expository writing skills and Ll and L2 reading skills.

Reid, J. (1992). The writing-reading connection in the ESL composition classroom. Journal of Intensive English Studies, 6, 27-50.
The author first discusses the role reading has played in the ESL writing classroom, paradigm shifts in reading and writing models, and current views Next, she reports on exploratory action of reading-writing connections. research undertaken in an ESL freshman composition class emphasizing reading-writing connections.

Bibliography

173

GENERAL
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Barra, A. (1993). Writing: Reflection and research may increase teacher understanding. Forum, 31(3), 14-17, 26.
The author proposes classroom-based teacher research as a way for teachers to address their dissatisfaction with student achievement levels in EFL writing. The following aspects of such research are discussed: defining the problem, scrutinizing experience, ,looking for patterns and links, planning and undertaking research, analyzing data, and benefiting from the results.

Reid, J. (1993). Teaching ESL writing. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Regents/Prentice Hall.
This book addresses those who are becoming teachers of ESL writing. It consists of three main parts: a review of the field of composition, information about planning an ESL writing curriculum, and a discussion of ESL writing activities and assignments as well as responding to and evaluating ESL writers texts.

Schecter, S., & Harklau, L. (1992). Writing in a nonnative language: What we know, what we need to know. ERIC Document 353825.
The authors review the literature on L2 and nonnative language writing, addressing specific issues within the following areas: developmental stages; intersection of language skills, both within L2 and across Ll and L2; influence of native culture; and affect. Research priorities are identified regarding sampling, methodology, and topics.