Compared to second language (L2) oral development, L2 writing development has received less attention from SLA researchers, which is regrettable considering the rich data that L2 writing can provide for an advanced understanding of SLA (Harklau, Reference Harklau2002). The special issue of the Journal of Second Language Writing, “Exploring L2 Writing-SLA Interfaces,” in 2012 was the first concerted effort to bridge these two research communities. This volume is the second one. The editor presents four empirical studies applying SLA theories, two empirical studies applying L2 writing-related theories, and one theory-based study, providing readers with a better understanding of “how to foster L2 writing abilities in instructed SLA research” (p. 4).
The introductory chapter provides a brief history of L2 writing scholarship to outline how various theoretical frameworks and research methods are expanded to reach more populations in different contexts with diverse pedagogical purposes. Three aims are presented: (a) demonstrating how different theories are applied to different models of L2 writing development, (b) describing which research methods can be adequately applied to both operationalized L2 writing development and other related factors, and (c) considering how operationalized L2 writing development should be investigated in the future, including for pedagogical implication. An overview of the studies is then provided to prepare readers to reflect on the three aims in each theory-driven empirical study and to compare the studies to observe the researchers’ effort in building bridges between L2 writing and SLA.
Each study in this volume represents a different perspective on L2 writing development, and the different theories were selected so that sound research methods could be used for looking at a variety of factors and relevant pedagogical implications. Dynamic systems theory is applied in two studies to examine L2 writing development based on the use of the target language (i.e., formulaic sequences [Chapter 2] and the interaction among multiple languages [Chapter 3]). Another study (Chapter 5) investigates how writing knowledge of multiple languages contributes to L2 writing development based on multicompetence theory. Sociocultural theory is applied in two studies. Chapter 4 looks at how learners, using collaborative writing, scaffold one another to overcome the recognized gaps between feedback and their linguistic knowledge. The other study, by adding perspectives from goal theories, reports different L2 writing development depending on goals set by learners, including different goals depending on socioeconomic status (Chapter 6). Genre theories (Chapter 7) explore how learners develop their genre knowledge both inside and outside of instructional situations. In the last study (Chapter 8), the development of L2 writing within a collegiate language curriculum is researched by another genre-based, systemic functional linguistics approach with a pedagogical perspective.
The closing chapter provides a thorough synthesis of the studies and the theoretical frameworks, followed by a critical reflection on the three aims presented in the introductory chapter. Based on these, Norris and Manchón emphasize the importance of collaboration between SLA and L2 writing communities to pursue “theoretically-informed, methodologically-sound, [and] pedagogically-relevant research” (p. 242) in understanding L2 writing development.
Overall, this volume would be an excellent choice for researchers needing an overview of recent research trends in SLA and L2 writing. An understanding of the diverse theoretical perspectives discussed in this volume provides excellent background knowledge for understanding how L2 writing development is defined and why certain research methods are used in empirical studies. Moreover, the populations presented in this volume are not limited to advanced university students in the English as a second language or English as a foreign language contexts but also include secondary school learners and learners of other languages (e.g., Chinese, German, or Japanese). Lastly, L2 writers discussed in this volume include multilingual speakers, which illustrates the different L2 writing development in bilinguals or multilinguals as compared to monolinguals. Unfortunately, adult immigrants who are illiterate in all languages but need to learn a L2 are left out of this volume. Addressing this population could have given a more comprehensive understanding of L2 writing development and how it affects overall L2 learning (Tarone, Hansen, & Bigelow, Reference Tarone, Hansen, Bigelow, Herschensohn and Young-Scholten2013). Despite this limitation, this volume still contributes greatly to bridging SLA and L2 writing disciplines.
