Cover not available
Part of
Research Methods in the Study of L2 Writing Processes
Edited by Rosa M. Manchón and Julio Roca de Larios
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 5] 2023
► pp. 364–381

Afterword

 | Michigan State University
In this afterword, I summarize the strengths and challenges of different research methods used to study second language writing processes with reference to the various chapters in the volume. This is followed by a discussion of considerations researchers have to make when choosing a method. Next, I summarize themes that are apparent throughout the volume, and then focus on certain themes that I believe need more attention.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Factors affecting choice of method (and vice versa)
    • Writing conditions and prompts
    • Participant characteristics
    • Focus of the research
    • One-shot or longitudinal research
  • Summary of major themes addressed in the book
    • Ecological validity, external validity, and authenticity
    • Reductionism, triangulation, and the relationship between the parts and the whole
    • Population variability and expansion to non-WEIRD populations
    • Data reduction/presentation/coding
  • Themes needing more attention
    • Theoretical bases for studying the writing process
    • The learning potential of research methods
    • How understanding the writing process has or has not improved teaching
  • Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 23 October 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.5.17pol
References (28)
References
Aljaafreh, A., & Lantolf, J. P. (1994). Negative feedback as regulation and second language learning in the zone of proximal development. The Modern Language Journal, 78(4), 465–483. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Andringa, S., & Godfroid, A. (2020). Sampling bias and the problem of generalizability in applied linguistics. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 40, 134–142. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bachman, L. F. (1991). What does language testing have to offer? TESOL Quarterly, 25(4), 671–704. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Brooks, L., & Swain, M. (2009). Languaging in a collaborative setting. In A. Mackey & C. Polio (Eds.), Multiple perspectives on interaction: Second language research in honor of Susan M. Gass. (pp. 58–89). Routledge.Google Scholar
Chan, C. S. (2019). Long-term workplace communication needs of business professionals: Stories from Hong Kong senior executives and their implications for ESP and higher education. English for Specific Purposes, 56, 68–83. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Flower, L., & Hayes, J. R. (1981). A cognitive process theory of writing. College Composition and Communication, 32(4), 365–387. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gonzalves, L. (2021). Development of copying skills in L2 adult English learners with emergent print literacy. Journal of Second Language Writing, 51. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hartshorn, K. J., Evans, N. W., Merrill, P. F., Sudweeks, R. R., Strong-Krause, D., & Anderson, N. J. (2010). Effects of dynamic corrective feedback on ESL writing accuracy. TESOL Quarterly, 44(1), 84–109. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hasrol, S. B., Zakaria, A., & Aryadoust, V. (2022). A systematic review of authenticity in second language assessment. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 1(3). 1000023. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hayes, J. R. (1996). A new framework for understanding cognition and affect in writing. In C. M. Levy & S. Ransdell (Eds.), The science of writing: Theories, methods, individual differences, and applications (pp. 1–27). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Hort, S. (2017). Exploring the use of mobile technologies and process logs in writing research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1). DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kessler, M. (2021). The longitudinal development of second language writers’ metacognitive genre awareness. Journal of Second Language Writing, 53. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Larsen-Freeman, D., & Cameron, L. (2008). Research methodology on language development from a complex systems perspective. The Modern Language Journal, 92(2), 200–213. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Leijten, M., Van Waes, L., Schriver, K., & Hayes, J. R. (2014). Writing in the workplace: Constructing documents using multiple digital sources. Journal of Writing Research, 5(3), 285–337. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lillis, T., & Curry, M. J. (2010). Academic writing in a global context: The politics and practices of publishing in English. Routledge.Google Scholar
Lim, J., Tigchelaar, M., & Polio, C. (2022). Understanding text-based studies of linguistic development through goals for academic writing. Language Awareness, 31(1), 117–136. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
López-Serrano, S., de Larios, J. R., & Manchón, R. M. (2019). Language reflection fostered by individual L2 writing tasks: Developing a theoretically motivated and empirically based coding system. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41(3), 503–527. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Manchón, R. M. (2021). The contribution of ethnographically-oriented approaches to the study of L2 writing and text production processes. In I. Guillén-Galve & A. Bocanegra-Valle (Eds.), Ethnographies of academic writing research: Theory, methods, and interpretation (pp. 83–104). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pettitt, N., Gonzalves, L., Tarone, E., & Wall, T. (2021). Adult L2 writers with emergent literacy: Writing development and pedagogical considerations. Journal of Second Language Writing, 51. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Polio, C. (2012). The relevance of second language acquisition theory to the written error correction debate. Journal of Second Language Writing, 21(4), 375–389. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Polio, C., & Friedman, D. A. (2017). Understanding, evaluating, and conducting second language writing research. Routledge.Google Scholar
Polio, C. & Kessler, M. (2019). Teaching L2 writing: Connecting SLA theory, research, and pedagogy. In N. Polat, T. Gregersen, & P. MacIntyre (Eds.), Driven pedagogy: Implications of L2 theory and research for the teaching of language skills (pp. 76–96). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Susser, B. (1994). Process approaches in ESL/EFL writing instruction. Journal of Second Language Writing, 3(1), 31–47. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Swain, M. (2006a). Verbal protocols: What does it mean for research to use speaking as a data collection tool? In M. Chaloub-Deville, M. Chapelle, & P. Duff (Eds.), Inference and generalizability in applied linguistics: Multiple research perspectives (pp. 97–113). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2006b). Languaging, agency, and collaboration in advanced second language proficiency. In H. Byrnes (Ed.), Advanced language learning: The contribution of Halliday and Vygotsky (pp. 95–108). Continuum.Google Scholar
Tan, X. (2023). Stories behind the scenes: L2 students’ cognitive processes of multimodal composing and traditional writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 59. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tardy, C.M., Sommer-Farias, B., & Gevers, J. (2020). Teaching and researching genre knowledge: Toward an enhanced theoretical framework, Written Communication, 37(3), 287–321. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wegener, D., & Blankenship, K. (2007). Ecological validity. In R. F. Baumeister & K. D. Vohs (Eds.), Encyclopedia of social psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 275–276). Sage.Google Scholar