Fluctuations and Directions in Teaching Second Language Writing

Abstract

The research literature on teaching writing in a L2 (second language) has inspired L2 writing teachers with various sorts of activities in the last few decades and scholars have highlighted multiple aspects of L2 writing on which L2 writing teachers should focus. This paper presents a chronological sketch of the main approaches and trends in teaching and researching L2 writing around the world. It summarizes the components of L2 writing addressed in these approaches and enumerates the dimensions of L2 writing stressed in different approaches including language structure, text functions, themes and topics, creative expression, composing processes, content, genre, and context of writing. Referring to the types of knowledge that need to be imparted to L2 writers, the paper exemplifies teaching activities that can enrich L2 writing classes. The theme that emerges from the discussion is that varied pedagogical implications of the research literature will not be confusing for L2 writing teachers, if they broaden their vision of L2 writing to extend a social view to all dimensions of forms, processes, audiences and L2 writers. Teaching L2 writing is presented as the teaching of social individuals using socially-mediated processes to produce socially-meaningful texts for socially-aligned audiences.