Rosa Marı́a Manchón

This introduction to the special issue “Multimodality perspectives in second language writing and second language acquisition: Issues in theory, research, and practice” situates this collective project in prior multimodal scholarship, and provides an overview of its aims and contents. It starts with a global synthesis of multimodality research in second language acquisition and second language writing, followed by an overview of the aims and contents of the special issue. Subsequently, the focus, relevance, novelty, and intended contribution of the special issue are further assessed from a dual angle, namely, the advancement it represents with respect to past research, on the one hand, and the way in which the theory and research reported in the special issue are embedded in suggested future research agendas in the domain, on the other.

This paper extends the inquiry into the language learning affordances of multimodal composing through a critical examination of past theoretical and empirical developments in the domain. It starts with an overview of a controversy related to theoretical positions on the language learning potential of multimodal writing. This is followed by a research synthesis of the theoretical frameworks, aims, methods, and findings of the relevant empirical research. It is concluded that research insights robustly support the centrality of linguistic processing in individual and collaborative multimodal writing conditions, which, in turn, appears to be the result of an intricate interplay of writer-internal and task-related factors. On the basis of this analysis, substantive and methodological directions for future empirical initiatives are proposed, crucially including a greater focus on language learning gains, as opposed to the prevailing emphasis on effects on performance.

This chapter analyzes selected dimensions of the involvement of language in L2 academic writing from a dual lens: How language is implicated in learning-to-write in academic settings (LW), on the one hand, and how academic L2 writing activity may contribute to language learning (writing-to-learn-language: WLL), on the other. The discussion of the LW dimension provides a synthesis of global trends in the domain, together with an account of two key concerns in disciplinary debates: the interplay between writing expertise and language abilities, and the multilingual nature of L2 literacy practices. The analysis of the WLL dimension offers an overview of the main approaches to investigating the connection between L2 writing and L2 learning, and then synthesizes trends in the cognitively-oriented strand of relevance for academic writing discussions. The chapter ends by listing key questions in need of further research attention.

This chapter is a collective reflection on key ethical dilemmas encountered by four past and/or current editors of journals in diverse sub-fields of Applied Linguistics. We reflect on (i) our understanding of ethics in relation to journal editing; (ii) specific ethical challenges we faced in our editorial work and how they were resolved; and (iii) global considerations about the adoption of ethical practices in Applied Linguistics journal editing in the current world of academic publishing.

This chapter provides a reflection on the methodological decisions taken in a study that investigated the affordances of diverse data collection procedures for inspecting depth of processing of written corrective feedback, namely think-aloud protocols, written languaging, and a combination of both. We will start by formulating the overall aims and the specific questions guiding the study and by providing a synthetic account of the rationale behind our aims and methods. In the main part of the chapter, we will report (i) the main challenges and problems experienced when analysing the data as well as the solutions adopted; and (ii) the kind of data on feedback processing provided by the three data collection procedures used in the study. We will close with methodological conclusions for future studies intended to shed light on depth of processing of written corrective feedback.

This chapter focuses on methodological considerations in a study in which keystroke-logging data was used for the analysis of young English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ pausing behavior while writing in their L2. We first present the rationale behind the study and subsequently discuss methodological considerations in the operationalization of the construct of pausing behavior, challenges and problems related to data analysis, and solutions adopted. In the final part, we suggest directions for further research.

This introductory chapter serves two main purposes. One is to contextualize the book within the larger professional discussion, which we do through a look-back approach in order to provide a synthetic review of the main lines of research in the study of L2 writing processes and the main research instruments employed. The second aim of the chapter is to introduce readers to the aims, structure, and contents of the book.

This Introduction to the special issue first elaborates on the rationale for advocating the inclusion of L2 writing in SLA individual differences (IDs) research and subsequently provides an overview of empirical work on IDs in the domain of writing, with a focus on cognitive IDs and specifically working memory. Against this background, we synthesize the focus, structure, and contents of the special issue. We finish with substantive and methodological suggestions for moving forward in research agendas on IDs and L2 writing.

This chapter provides a succinct review of the current literature on the writing and written corrective feedback (WCF) strands of L2 writing research along the lines of recent writing-to-learn-language perspectives aligned with a process-oriented and curricular approach situated within an instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) framework. On the basis of this review, the chapter then offers a future agenda for writing and WCF investigations, followed by pedagogical suggestions and potential action research.

This chapter focuses on the role of individual differences in L2 writing. We first outline the theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical relevance of individual factors in L2 writing research. This is followed by a synthesis of key research findings, with a specific focus on such traits as language aptitude, working memory, motivation and L2 future selves, beliefs, self-efficacy, self-regulation and anxiety. We then draw practical implications and provide suggestions for the early-career teachers. As a suggestion for action research, we provide an example of a design of collaborative writing project which focuses on the effects of digital stories on L2 writers` writing motivation, self-efficacy, self-regulation and anxiety.