On Second Language Writing

by Tony Silva (editor), Paul Kei Matsuda (Editor)

On Second Language Writing brings together internationally recognized scholars in a collection of original articles that, collectively, delineate and explore central issues with regard to theory, research, instruction, assessment, politics, articulation with other disciplines, and standards. In recent years, there has been a dramatic growth of interest in second-language writing and writing instruction in many parts of the world. Although an increasing number of researchers and teachers in both second-language studies and composition studies have come to identify themselves as specialists in second-language writing, research and teaching practices have been dispersed into several different disciplinary and institutional contexts because of the interdisciplinary nature of the field. This volume is the first to bring together prominent second-language writing specialists to systematically address basic issues in the field and to consider the state of the art at the end of the century (and the millennium).

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Second Language Writing (2001) is a collection of fifteen essays written by an international panel of experts in collegiate-level composition as it applies to students for whom English is a second language. The editors stress reflection, and this collection of essays is deliberately diverse in the topics addressed in order to reflect the range of composition-related issues present in college classrooms today and the questions that are produced from the research that is being done in this area. In the last two decades there has been an increased awareness of the difference between knowledge and L2 language ability, and this is further problematized by the increasingly political nature of the environment surrounding education. This book is among the first to ask professors and directors of writing centers geared towards L2 students to think about their classrooms, their students, and the politics surrounding the education they are asked to provide, and to provide a commentary that offers insights from experience.

Across all fifteen essays there is a common theme: Education research is often interdisciplinary, and this has the unintended consequence of scattering the information that would be most helpful to educators. Although great strides have been made in improving conditions for L2 students and educators, this book argues that composition instruction is still a complicated endeavor vulnerable to policy-making, inadequately prepared instructors, and students who don’t understand the pedagogical goals of their programs. With this in mind, the editors of this volume have carefully designed this text not only for the professor in the classroom, but also the administrators who create the policies and oversee the programs that serve these students.