- Email: [email protected]
Selected bibliography of recent scholarship in second language writing
JOURNAL OF SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING, 8 (l), 99-108
(1999)
Selected Bibliography of Recent Scholarship in Second Language Writing TONY SILVA PAUL KEI MATSUDA 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 April 1,1998 through July 31,1998. .
Allison, D., Cooley, L., Lewkowicz, J., & Nunan, D. (1998). Dissertation writing in action: The development of a dissertation writing support program for ESL graduate research students. English for Specific Purposes, 17(2), 199-217.
The authors describe a program designed to support students who are writing dissertations in the English Center at the University of Hong Kong. The program developed was based on data collected from interviews with dissertation supervisors, a survey of graduate students, and analyses of dissertations. l
Balhom, M., & Meyer, L. (1997). “Otherness” and other imponderables: Teaching Hmong students academic writing. The Quarterly of the National Writing Project, 19(3), 10-16.
This article describes the Hmong English Literacy Program, a tutoring program for South East Asian permanent residents at the University of WisconsinStevens Point. Various challenges in working with Hmong students are identified and their effects on tutors and the program are discussed. .
Bosher, S. (1998). The composing process of three Southeast Asian writers at the post-secondary level: An exploratory study. Journal of Second Lunguage Writing, 7(2), 205241.
This study explored the writing processes of Southeast Asian students from different educational backgrounds through interviews, recall protocols prompted by videotaped composing sessions, and text analysis. Variations were found in the
100
SILVA AND MATSUDA
level of metacognitive awareness, the ability to incorporate sources, the aspects of writing processes noticed, and problem-solving strategies used. .
Byrd, P., & Reid, J.M. (1998). Grammar in the composition classroom: Essays on teaching ESL for college-bound students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinle & Heinle.
Thiscollectionofessaysdiscussesissuesinaddressinggrammarinthewritingclassroom. Grammar issues are investigated from the perspective of student characteristics and learning styles, grammar in the context of academic writing, and the integration of grammar in writing instruction. Strategies for teaching are also presented. .
Campbell, C. (1998). Teaching second-language writing: Interacting with text. Portsmouth. NH: Heinle & Heinle.
This volume incorporates the voices of teachers and students as well as current theoretical perspectives to provide a grounded discussion of second-language writing instruction. The author addresses topics such as reflective teaching, writing processes, reading-writing connections, integrated courses, peer response, and teacher response. .
Casanave, C.P. (1998). Transitions: The balancing act of bilingual academics. Journal of Second Language Writing, 7(2), 175-203.
This qualitative case study of four bilingual Japanese scholars educated in the U.S. and working in Japan examines their Japanese and English academic writing activities and attitudes. The researcher reflects on the complexity and local nature of the informants’ writing experiences and calls for an expanded view of academic writing. .
Ghan, M. (1997). No talking, please, just chatting: Collaborative writing with computers. ERIC Document 415836.
The author describes the use of collaborative writing software and electronic chats in an ESL classroom. She claims that electronic chats can contribute to sentence construction, vocabulary building, reading comprehension, and thinking skills. She also suggests that electronic collaboration encourages collaborative exploration of ideas and increases motivation. .
Dagneaux, E., Denness, S., & Granger, S. (1998). Computer-aided error analysis. System, 26(2), 163-174.
101
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bringing together the methodology of corpus linguistics and computer technology, the authors present a technique for Computer-aided Error Analysis (CEA) and make a case for the continuation of Error Analysis. Methodological limitations of traditional error analysis are considered, and results of a preliminary CEA study are presented. .
Daoud, S.A. (1998). How to motivate EFL learning and teaching of academic writing by cross-cultural exchanges. English for Specific Purposes, 17(4), 391-412.
A pedagogical academic writing exchange of texts and undergraduate .
project designed to increase motivation among students in EFL courses is presented. The author describes a cross-cultural between postgraduate medical students in a Syrian university students in a U.S. university.
Dong, Y .R. (1998). Non-native graduate students’ thesis/dissertation writing in science: Self-reports by students and their advisors from two U.S. institutions. English for Specific Purposes, 17(4), 369-390.
The researcher surveyed 169 graduate students and their advisors at two U.S. institutions about thesis/dissertation writing in science. The results suggest the need for teaching knowledge transformation skills, for establishing support networks, and for interdisciplinary collaboration in EAP instruction. .
El-Koumy, A.S.A. (1997). Exploring the reading-writing NES and EFL students. ERIC Document 413781.
relationship
in
This study examined the relationship between reading comprehension and writing ability for 150 NES students at U.S. universities and 150 EFL students at Egyptian universities. A statistically significant correlation between reading and writing skills was found for the NES students but not for the EFL students. .
Ferris, D.R., & Hedgcock, J.S. (1998). Teaching ESL composition: Purpose, process, and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
This book presents approaches to teaching ESL composition that are informed by current theoretical perspectives on second language writing and writers, The authors provide a comprehensive review of theoretical and research issues and discuss various pedagogical issues, including reading-writing relations, course design, teaching materials, teacher response, peer response, grammar, assessment, and technology.
102
.
SILVA AND MATSUDA
Harvey, K., & Yuill, D. (1997). A study of the use of a monolingual pedagogical dictionary by learners of English engaged in writing. Applied Linguistics, 18(3), 253-278.
Using an introspective method, this study examined the role of a learner’s dictionary in @ completion of written tasks by EFL students. The findings indicate the importance of information on spelling and meaning and the central role of examples. Coded syntactic information in the dictionary was found to be largely neglected by learners. .
Haswell, R.H. (1998). Searching for Kiyoko: Bettering mandatory ESL writing placement, Journal of Second Language Writing, 7(2), 133-174.
The author proposes ways to improve mandatory college placement for ESL writers by developing a two-tier system. The claims for the proposed system are examined through an experiment, a case study, and a theoretical discussion of the role of contrastive rhetoric in making placement decisions. .
Huang, J. (1998). English corner and EFL extracurricular writing. English Teaching Forum, 36(2), 29-3 1.
This article describes an extracurricular writing program at a Chinese university. The program is aimed at developing an environment which encourages learner autonomy, communicative language use, integration of the four skills, and social interaction among students. .
Johns, A.M. (1997). Text, role, and context: Developing academic literacies. New York: Cambridge University Press.
The author proposes a socioliterate view of academic literacy, in which students are encouraged to inquire into the nature of texts, their role as readers and writers, and the context surrounding academic literacy practices. She also considers the literacy instructor’s role in encouraging campus-wide efforts to develop students’ academic literacy. She concludes by presenting principles of curricular design. .
Jones, N.B. (1998). Comments on Tony Silva’s “On the ethical treatment of ESL writers”: A defense of using themes and topics to teach ESL/EFL writing. TESOL Quarterly, 32(2), 338-342.
The author contends that comprehensive course themes and specific writing topics can contribute to writing instruction. He argues that such instruction can
BIBLIOGRAPHY
103
facilitate the learning of the writing process, motivate students, prepare students for future academic writing, and help to prevent plagiarism. .
Medina, S., & Wenzell, V. (1996). Developing an ESL tutoring lab on a shoestring budget. ERIC Document 413737.
A year-long project to develop an ESL tutoring lab for a growing number of nonnative English speakers at California State University at Dominguez Hills is described. The authors discuss major challenges encountered during the project (including recruitment of immigrant students for tutoring, evaluation of tutors and learners, tutor training, and lab operation) and how they were overcome. .
Mejia J.A. (1998). Tejano arts of the U.S.-Mexico contact zone. Journal of Advanced Composition, 18(l), 123-135.
Pointing out the lack of awareness of rhetorical practices and critical literacy needs of bilingual writers among rhetoric and composition scholars, the author calls for more attention to the presence of bilingual writers-particularly Texas Mexican college student writers-in English studies. .
Moulton, M.R., & Holmes, V.L. (1997). Pattern poems: Creative writing for language acquisition. The Journal of the Imagination in Language Learning, 4, 84-90.
This article presents the use of pattern poems-simple, closed-form poems -as a way of helping students to acquire the target language by allowing them to produce and experiment with various features of the language. Nine different forms of pattern poems are presented and their uses discussed. .
Mlynarczyk, R.W. (1998). Conversations of the mind: The uses of journal writing for second-language learners. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
The writing as well writing .
author reports a study of journal writing in her own pre-freshman ESL class at a large urban university. Through her reading of student journals as interviews with students, she explores the relationship between journal and students’ development as writers and thinkers.
Nelson, G.L., & Carson, J.G. (1998). ESL students’ perceptions of effectiveness in peer response groups. Journal of Second Language Writing, 7(2), 113-131.
104
SILVA AND MATSUDA
This microethnographic study examined Chinese- and Spanish-speaking students’ perceptions of their interactions in peer response groups in an ESL writing class. The researchers found that students preferred negative comments. They also preferred teacher’s comments over other students’ comments and viewed grammar and sentence-level comments as relatively ineffective. .
Pally, M. (1998). Film studies drive literacy development for ESL university students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 41(8), 620-628.
This article provides a rationale for using sustained content study to improve the reading and writing skills of college-bound ESL students. The author describes a course in Film and Society and considers its effectiveness by presenting excerpts of student discussion and writing and an analysis of students’ progress. .
Panetta, C.G. (1997). Contrastive rhetoric in technical writing pedagogy at urban institutions. College ESL, 7(2), 70-80.
Pointing out the increase in the number of ESL writers in technical degree programs, the author argues that contrastive rhetoric theory is particularly applicable to technical writing pedagogy. She suggests more focus on contrastive rhetoric in pre-service and in-service teacher preparation, technical writing pedagogy, and technical writing textbooks. .
Portocarrero, G., & Bergin, J. (1997). Developing literacy: A co-teaching model using readers’ and writers’ workshop. ERIC Document 414740.
The authors describe a workshop-based literacy program at Viers Mill Elementary School in Maryland, which is designed for ESL and NES students and taught collaboratively by classroom teachers and ESL teachers. Procedures for various workshop types-including whole-group mini-lessons, independent work, conferencing, and whole-group sharing-are discussed. .
Purvis, D. (1996). Case studies in literacy development. ERIC Document 413798.
This study examined the literacy development of three ESL learners in an English program for adult migrants in Australia over a period of nine months. Data were gathered through interviews, observations, taped excerpts of lessons, texts produced by students, and student assessments. Implications for ESL instruction and curricula are discussed.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
.
105
Ryan, P. (1995). Elements of style and an advanced ESL student: The case of Jun Shan Zhang. ERIC Document 412535.
This case study presents an account of an anthropologist from China learning to develop his professional style in a second language in the University of Iowa’s writing center. The author considers the question of the relative value of voice versus specific purpose and discusses the learner’s acquisition of subordination, coordination, and participial phrases. .
Schleppegrell, M.J. (1998). Grammar as resource: Writing a description. Research
in the Teaching of English, 32(2), 182-211.
Based on a functional grammatical analysis of descriptive texts written by 128 7th and 8th grade students, the researcher identifies grammatical features that are functional for describing. Grammar issues relevant to ESL and non-standard dialect speakers are also identified. The researcher then suggests how grammatical resources can contribute to the development of writing skills. .
Schleppegrell, M.J., & Colombi, M.C. (1997). Text organization by bilingual writers: Clause structure as a reflection of discourse structure. Written Communication,
14(4), 481-503.
This study compared the discourse organizational and clause combining strategies of two Spanish-English bilingual writers. The analysis suggests that the choice of clause combining strategies both reflect and constitute the discourse organization approach and that the control of a variety of syntactic options contributes to the development of a stylistic and organizational repertoire. .
Schraeder, L.L. (1997). Teaching narrative writing through the collaborative funnel. ERIC Document 415717.
A collaborative pedagogical strategy for a middle school English class consisting of NES and ESL students is described. The author suggests that the collaborative approach helped to reduce ESL students’ anxiety, promote exchange of ideas and feedback, develop relationships across cultural boundaries, foster student self-esteem, and develop individual accountability. .
Severino, C. (1998). The political implications of responses to second language writing. In T. Smoke (Ed.), Adult ESL: Politics, pedagogy, and participation in classroom and community programs (pp. 185-206). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
106
SILVA AND MATSUDA
Contending that ESL instruction is by nature political, the author considers the political implications of ESL teaching and proposes a continuum of political stances on response to L2 writers. Using this continuum, she examines the implications of teacher response to three culturally and linguistically diverse students. .
Shaw, P., & Liu, E. (1998). What develops in the development of second-language writing? Applied Linguistics, 19(2), 225-254.
This study examined the development of register features in the texts written by overseas students in an EAP classroom at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. The comparison of texts written before and after the course revealed that features of spoken English were replaced by those of formal written English. Fewer changes were noted at the syntactic and lexical levels. .
Silva, T. (1998). The author responds.. . TESOL Quarterly, 32(2), 342-35 1.
In response to Nathan B. Jones’s comments, which defend the use of comprehensive themes and specific topics, the author constructs a dialogue in which he clarifies his original points and critiques some of the respondent’s arguments. .
Simpson, J.M. (1998). Research writing in a foreign language. English Lunguage Forum, 36(2), 34-37.
The author reports the application of a North American system of research writing in a high-intermediate class of EFL learners in Columbia. After identifying potential problems in research writing encountered by nonnative speakers, the author presents a IO-step process of teaching research writing and discusses adjustments that were needed in its application. .
Sonomura, M.S. (1997). Hawaii Creole English and the idiomatic demands of academic writing. ERIC Document 413608.
The author points out the importance of teaching “phrasemes”-collocalions, formulas, and idioms that are not rule-governed but assembled from memory -in producing appropriate academic discourse. She calls for efforts to identify phrasemes students need to produce appropriate academic discourse and suggests the use of reading materials that provide models of idiomatic writing in English. .
Swenson, B.E. (1997). Recycle, reformulate, reevaluate: The three R’s for writing in the language classroom. ERIC Document 413777.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
107
The author presents strategies for incorporating writing into the language classroom. These strategies include recycling of previous information and background knowledge, reformulation of ideas through editing and peer evaluation, and reevaluation by the teacher. Practical classroom techniques as well as suggestions for grading are described. .
Wachholz, P.B. (1997). When they don’t all speak English: Addressing writing problems in multilingual peer response groups. ERIC Document 415718.
This qualitative study of 11 students in a multilingual university writing classroom examined how writing groups functioned, the kinds of responses generated, and how students responded to peers’ suggestions. The findings raise concerns about issues of authority, rules, roles, and relationships that must be addressed in order to make response groups function effectively in a linguistically diverse classroom. .
Weissberg, B. (1997). On the interface of writing and speech: Acquiring English syntax through dialog journal writing. ERIC Document 412558.
To explore the question of whether written language was a preferred vehicle for syntactic acquisition in some adult learners, the researcher studied 5 Spanish-speaking ESL students through interviews, observations, and language data elicited by oral and written tasks. Writing in general, especially dialogue journal writing, was found to be the preferred mode for both syntactic innovation and accuracy for most of the students. .
Worthington, L. (1998). Let’s not show the teacher: EPL students’ secret exchange journals. English Teaching Forum, 35(3), 2-7.
To provide an alternative to teacher-student dialogue journals, which can be too time consuming for busy teachers, the author proposes the use of student-student exchange journals. She contends that such journals can provide the same benefits to students as a teacher-student journal while generating greater interest in communication. .
Yardley, G.A.J. (1998). Write right for a job. English Teaching Forum, 36(l), 28-33.
The author describes an activity which introduces EPL college students (sophomores) to the process of writing a resume in English. Adopting an imaginative identity, students simulated the process of applying for a job by responding to a
108
SILVA AND MATSUDA
job advertisement, sending a letter and a resume to other students, and evaluating each other’s applications. .
Zamel, V., 8z Spack, R. (Eds.) (1998). Negotiating Teaching
and learning
across
languages
academic literacies: and cultures. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. In response to the growing diversity in U.S. higher education, the editors bring together articles from various disciplinary perspectives to develop an understanding of the acquisition of academic literacies and ways of knowing. Disciplines represented in this collection include: composition studies, literature, applied linguistics, English as a second language, history, education, and anthropology.
(1999)
Selected Bibliography of Recent Scholarship in Second Language Writing TONY SILVA PAUL KEI MATSUDA 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 April 1,1998 through July 31,1998. .
Allison, D., Cooley, L., Lewkowicz, J., & Nunan, D. (1998). Dissertation writing in action: The development of a dissertation writing support program for ESL graduate research students. English for Specific Purposes, 17(2), 199-217.
The authors describe a program designed to support students who are writing dissertations in the English Center at the University of Hong Kong. The program developed was based on data collected from interviews with dissertation supervisors, a survey of graduate students, and analyses of dissertations. l
Balhom, M., & Meyer, L. (1997). “Otherness” and other imponderables: Teaching Hmong students academic writing. The Quarterly of the National Writing Project, 19(3), 10-16.
This article describes the Hmong English Literacy Program, a tutoring program for South East Asian permanent residents at the University of WisconsinStevens Point. Various challenges in working with Hmong students are identified and their effects on tutors and the program are discussed. .
Bosher, S. (1998). The composing process of three Southeast Asian writers at the post-secondary level: An exploratory study. Journal of Second Lunguage Writing, 7(2), 205241.
This study explored the writing processes of Southeast Asian students from different educational backgrounds through interviews, recall protocols prompted by videotaped composing sessions, and text analysis. Variations were found in the
100
SILVA AND MATSUDA
level of metacognitive awareness, the ability to incorporate sources, the aspects of writing processes noticed, and problem-solving strategies used. .
Byrd, P., & Reid, J.M. (1998). Grammar in the composition classroom: Essays on teaching ESL for college-bound students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinle & Heinle.
Thiscollectionofessaysdiscussesissuesinaddressinggrammarinthewritingclassroom. Grammar issues are investigated from the perspective of student characteristics and learning styles, grammar in the context of academic writing, and the integration of grammar in writing instruction. Strategies for teaching are also presented. .
Campbell, C. (1998). Teaching second-language writing: Interacting with text. Portsmouth. NH: Heinle & Heinle.
This volume incorporates the voices of teachers and students as well as current theoretical perspectives to provide a grounded discussion of second-language writing instruction. The author addresses topics such as reflective teaching, writing processes, reading-writing connections, integrated courses, peer response, and teacher response. .
Casanave, C.P. (1998). Transitions: The balancing act of bilingual academics. Journal of Second Language Writing, 7(2), 175-203.
This qualitative case study of four bilingual Japanese scholars educated in the U.S. and working in Japan examines their Japanese and English academic writing activities and attitudes. The researcher reflects on the complexity and local nature of the informants’ writing experiences and calls for an expanded view of academic writing. .
Ghan, M. (1997). No talking, please, just chatting: Collaborative writing with computers. ERIC Document 415836.
The author describes the use of collaborative writing software and electronic chats in an ESL classroom. She claims that electronic chats can contribute to sentence construction, vocabulary building, reading comprehension, and thinking skills. She also suggests that electronic collaboration encourages collaborative exploration of ideas and increases motivation. .
Dagneaux, E., Denness, S., & Granger, S. (1998). Computer-aided error analysis. System, 26(2), 163-174.
101
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bringing together the methodology of corpus linguistics and computer technology, the authors present a technique for Computer-aided Error Analysis (CEA) and make a case for the continuation of Error Analysis. Methodological limitations of traditional error analysis are considered, and results of a preliminary CEA study are presented. .
Daoud, S.A. (1998). How to motivate EFL learning and teaching of academic writing by cross-cultural exchanges. English for Specific Purposes, 17(4), 391-412.
A pedagogical academic writing exchange of texts and undergraduate .
project designed to increase motivation among students in EFL courses is presented. The author describes a cross-cultural between postgraduate medical students in a Syrian university students in a U.S. university.
Dong, Y .R. (1998). Non-native graduate students’ thesis/dissertation writing in science: Self-reports by students and their advisors from two U.S. institutions. English for Specific Purposes, 17(4), 369-390.
The researcher surveyed 169 graduate students and their advisors at two U.S. institutions about thesis/dissertation writing in science. The results suggest the need for teaching knowledge transformation skills, for establishing support networks, and for interdisciplinary collaboration in EAP instruction. .
El-Koumy, A.S.A. (1997). Exploring the reading-writing NES and EFL students. ERIC Document 413781.
relationship
in
This study examined the relationship between reading comprehension and writing ability for 150 NES students at U.S. universities and 150 EFL students at Egyptian universities. A statistically significant correlation between reading and writing skills was found for the NES students but not for the EFL students. .
Ferris, D.R., & Hedgcock, J.S. (1998). Teaching ESL composition: Purpose, process, and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
This book presents approaches to teaching ESL composition that are informed by current theoretical perspectives on second language writing and writers, The authors provide a comprehensive review of theoretical and research issues and discuss various pedagogical issues, including reading-writing relations, course design, teaching materials, teacher response, peer response, grammar, assessment, and technology.
102
.
SILVA AND MATSUDA
Harvey, K., & Yuill, D. (1997). A study of the use of a monolingual pedagogical dictionary by learners of English engaged in writing. Applied Linguistics, 18(3), 253-278.
Using an introspective method, this study examined the role of a learner’s dictionary in @ completion of written tasks by EFL students. The findings indicate the importance of information on spelling and meaning and the central role of examples. Coded syntactic information in the dictionary was found to be largely neglected by learners. .
Haswell, R.H. (1998). Searching for Kiyoko: Bettering mandatory ESL writing placement, Journal of Second Language Writing, 7(2), 133-174.
The author proposes ways to improve mandatory college placement for ESL writers by developing a two-tier system. The claims for the proposed system are examined through an experiment, a case study, and a theoretical discussion of the role of contrastive rhetoric in making placement decisions. .
Huang, J. (1998). English corner and EFL extracurricular writing. English Teaching Forum, 36(2), 29-3 1.
This article describes an extracurricular writing program at a Chinese university. The program is aimed at developing an environment which encourages learner autonomy, communicative language use, integration of the four skills, and social interaction among students. .
Johns, A.M. (1997). Text, role, and context: Developing academic literacies. New York: Cambridge University Press.
The author proposes a socioliterate view of academic literacy, in which students are encouraged to inquire into the nature of texts, their role as readers and writers, and the context surrounding academic literacy practices. She also considers the literacy instructor’s role in encouraging campus-wide efforts to develop students’ academic literacy. She concludes by presenting principles of curricular design. .
Jones, N.B. (1998). Comments on Tony Silva’s “On the ethical treatment of ESL writers”: A defense of using themes and topics to teach ESL/EFL writing. TESOL Quarterly, 32(2), 338-342.
The author contends that comprehensive course themes and specific writing topics can contribute to writing instruction. He argues that such instruction can
BIBLIOGRAPHY
103
facilitate the learning of the writing process, motivate students, prepare students for future academic writing, and help to prevent plagiarism. .
Medina, S., & Wenzell, V. (1996). Developing an ESL tutoring lab on a shoestring budget. ERIC Document 413737.
A year-long project to develop an ESL tutoring lab for a growing number of nonnative English speakers at California State University at Dominguez Hills is described. The authors discuss major challenges encountered during the project (including recruitment of immigrant students for tutoring, evaluation of tutors and learners, tutor training, and lab operation) and how they were overcome. .
Mejia J.A. (1998). Tejano arts of the U.S.-Mexico contact zone. Journal of Advanced Composition, 18(l), 123-135.
Pointing out the lack of awareness of rhetorical practices and critical literacy needs of bilingual writers among rhetoric and composition scholars, the author calls for more attention to the presence of bilingual writers-particularly Texas Mexican college student writers-in English studies. .
Moulton, M.R., & Holmes, V.L. (1997). Pattern poems: Creative writing for language acquisition. The Journal of the Imagination in Language Learning, 4, 84-90.
This article presents the use of pattern poems-simple, closed-form poems -as a way of helping students to acquire the target language by allowing them to produce and experiment with various features of the language. Nine different forms of pattern poems are presented and their uses discussed. .
Mlynarczyk, R.W. (1998). Conversations of the mind: The uses of journal writing for second-language learners. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
The writing as well writing .
author reports a study of journal writing in her own pre-freshman ESL class at a large urban university. Through her reading of student journals as interviews with students, she explores the relationship between journal and students’ development as writers and thinkers.
Nelson, G.L., & Carson, J.G. (1998). ESL students’ perceptions of effectiveness in peer response groups. Journal of Second Language Writing, 7(2), 113-131.
104
SILVA AND MATSUDA
This microethnographic study examined Chinese- and Spanish-speaking students’ perceptions of their interactions in peer response groups in an ESL writing class. The researchers found that students preferred negative comments. They also preferred teacher’s comments over other students’ comments and viewed grammar and sentence-level comments as relatively ineffective. .
Pally, M. (1998). Film studies drive literacy development for ESL university students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 41(8), 620-628.
This article provides a rationale for using sustained content study to improve the reading and writing skills of college-bound ESL students. The author describes a course in Film and Society and considers its effectiveness by presenting excerpts of student discussion and writing and an analysis of students’ progress. .
Panetta, C.G. (1997). Contrastive rhetoric in technical writing pedagogy at urban institutions. College ESL, 7(2), 70-80.
Pointing out the increase in the number of ESL writers in technical degree programs, the author argues that contrastive rhetoric theory is particularly applicable to technical writing pedagogy. She suggests more focus on contrastive rhetoric in pre-service and in-service teacher preparation, technical writing pedagogy, and technical writing textbooks. .
Portocarrero, G., & Bergin, J. (1997). Developing literacy: A co-teaching model using readers’ and writers’ workshop. ERIC Document 414740.
The authors describe a workshop-based literacy program at Viers Mill Elementary School in Maryland, which is designed for ESL and NES students and taught collaboratively by classroom teachers and ESL teachers. Procedures for various workshop types-including whole-group mini-lessons, independent work, conferencing, and whole-group sharing-are discussed. .
Purvis, D. (1996). Case studies in literacy development. ERIC Document 413798.
This study examined the literacy development of three ESL learners in an English program for adult migrants in Australia over a period of nine months. Data were gathered through interviews, observations, taped excerpts of lessons, texts produced by students, and student assessments. Implications for ESL instruction and curricula are discussed.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
.
105
Ryan, P. (1995). Elements of style and an advanced ESL student: The case of Jun Shan Zhang. ERIC Document 412535.
This case study presents an account of an anthropologist from China learning to develop his professional style in a second language in the University of Iowa’s writing center. The author considers the question of the relative value of voice versus specific purpose and discusses the learner’s acquisition of subordination, coordination, and participial phrases. .
Schleppegrell, M.J. (1998). Grammar as resource: Writing a description. Research
in the Teaching of English, 32(2), 182-211.
Based on a functional grammatical analysis of descriptive texts written by 128 7th and 8th grade students, the researcher identifies grammatical features that are functional for describing. Grammar issues relevant to ESL and non-standard dialect speakers are also identified. The researcher then suggests how grammatical resources can contribute to the development of writing skills. .
Schleppegrell, M.J., & Colombi, M.C. (1997). Text organization by bilingual writers: Clause structure as a reflection of discourse structure. Written Communication,
14(4), 481-503.
This study compared the discourse organizational and clause combining strategies of two Spanish-English bilingual writers. The analysis suggests that the choice of clause combining strategies both reflect and constitute the discourse organization approach and that the control of a variety of syntactic options contributes to the development of a stylistic and organizational repertoire. .
Schraeder, L.L. (1997). Teaching narrative writing through the collaborative funnel. ERIC Document 415717.
A collaborative pedagogical strategy for a middle school English class consisting of NES and ESL students is described. The author suggests that the collaborative approach helped to reduce ESL students’ anxiety, promote exchange of ideas and feedback, develop relationships across cultural boundaries, foster student self-esteem, and develop individual accountability. .
Severino, C. (1998). The political implications of responses to second language writing. In T. Smoke (Ed.), Adult ESL: Politics, pedagogy, and participation in classroom and community programs (pp. 185-206). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
106
SILVA AND MATSUDA
Contending that ESL instruction is by nature political, the author considers the political implications of ESL teaching and proposes a continuum of political stances on response to L2 writers. Using this continuum, she examines the implications of teacher response to three culturally and linguistically diverse students. .
Shaw, P., & Liu, E. (1998). What develops in the development of second-language writing? Applied Linguistics, 19(2), 225-254.
This study examined the development of register features in the texts written by overseas students in an EAP classroom at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. The comparison of texts written before and after the course revealed that features of spoken English were replaced by those of formal written English. Fewer changes were noted at the syntactic and lexical levels. .
Silva, T. (1998). The author responds.. . TESOL Quarterly, 32(2), 342-35 1.
In response to Nathan B. Jones’s comments, which defend the use of comprehensive themes and specific topics, the author constructs a dialogue in which he clarifies his original points and critiques some of the respondent’s arguments. .
Simpson, J.M. (1998). Research writing in a foreign language. English Lunguage Forum, 36(2), 34-37.
The author reports the application of a North American system of research writing in a high-intermediate class of EFL learners in Columbia. After identifying potential problems in research writing encountered by nonnative speakers, the author presents a IO-step process of teaching research writing and discusses adjustments that were needed in its application. .
Sonomura, M.S. (1997). Hawaii Creole English and the idiomatic demands of academic writing. ERIC Document 413608.
The author points out the importance of teaching “phrasemes”-collocalions, formulas, and idioms that are not rule-governed but assembled from memory -in producing appropriate academic discourse. She calls for efforts to identify phrasemes students need to produce appropriate academic discourse and suggests the use of reading materials that provide models of idiomatic writing in English. .
Swenson, B.E. (1997). Recycle, reformulate, reevaluate: The three R’s for writing in the language classroom. ERIC Document 413777.
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The author presents strategies for incorporating writing into the language classroom. These strategies include recycling of previous information and background knowledge, reformulation of ideas through editing and peer evaluation, and reevaluation by the teacher. Practical classroom techniques as well as suggestions for grading are described. .
Wachholz, P.B. (1997). When they don’t all speak English: Addressing writing problems in multilingual peer response groups. ERIC Document 415718.
This qualitative study of 11 students in a multilingual university writing classroom examined how writing groups functioned, the kinds of responses generated, and how students responded to peers’ suggestions. The findings raise concerns about issues of authority, rules, roles, and relationships that must be addressed in order to make response groups function effectively in a linguistically diverse classroom. .
Weissberg, B. (1997). On the interface of writing and speech: Acquiring English syntax through dialog journal writing. ERIC Document 412558.
To explore the question of whether written language was a preferred vehicle for syntactic acquisition in some adult learners, the researcher studied 5 Spanish-speaking ESL students through interviews, observations, and language data elicited by oral and written tasks. Writing in general, especially dialogue journal writing, was found to be the preferred mode for both syntactic innovation and accuracy for most of the students. .
Worthington, L. (1998). Let’s not show the teacher: EPL students’ secret exchange journals. English Teaching Forum, 35(3), 2-7.
To provide an alternative to teacher-student dialogue journals, which can be too time consuming for busy teachers, the author proposes the use of student-student exchange journals. She contends that such journals can provide the same benefits to students as a teacher-student journal while generating greater interest in communication. .
Yardley, G.A.J. (1998). Write right for a job. English Teaching Forum, 36(l), 28-33.
The author describes an activity which introduces EPL college students (sophomores) to the process of writing a resume in English. Adopting an imaginative identity, students simulated the process of applying for a job by responding to a
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job advertisement, sending a letter and a resume to other students, and evaluating each other’s applications. .
Zamel, V., 8z Spack, R. (Eds.) (1998). Negotiating Teaching
and learning
across
languages
academic literacies: and cultures. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. In response to the growing diversity in U.S. higher education, the editors bring together articles from various disciplinary perspectives to develop an understanding of the acquisition of academic literacies and ways of knowing. Disciplines represented in this collection include: composition studies, literature, applied linguistics, English as a second language, history, education, and anthropology.