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Research on second language (L2) collaborative writing (CW) has proliferated over the recent decade and will continue to bloom due to the changing landscape of writing and learning in the digital age. This article provides a research agenda on CW in L2 classrooms. We illustrate six research themes for future research inquiry by pointing out the research gap, following a brief review of theoretical frameworks and existing empirical efforts on CW. We then expound on six specific research tasks that we deem to be pressing for this domain to progress, including more attention to multimodal CW, expanded frameworks for analyzing peer interaction and writing products, deployment of underused research techniques and improved research practice, development of CW assessment practice, as well as the inquiry of practitioners’ input on CW. We hope to provide guidance for future research endeavors by identifying avenues of investigations on CW and meanwhile contribute to the trajectory of vibrant research on L2 writing and language learning.

Considering the undeniable importance of examining the role of domain- and skill-specific individual difference factors in second-language (L2) writing research, this study examined the possible roles of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners’ ideal L2 writing self and growth L2 writing mindset in their L2 writing grit, which may in turn contribute to their L2 writing achievement (WA). Data were collected from 532 English-major students selected via convenience sampling by administering a questionnaire to measure their growth L2 writing mindset, ideal L2 writing self, and L2 writing grit. The International English-Language Testing System (IELTS) academic writing tasks 1 and 2 were used as measures of the learners’ L2 WA. The psychometric properties of the scales were investigated and verified through confirmatory factor analyses. Structural equation modeling (SEM) results revealed that ideal L2 writing self and L2 writing grit directly predicted L2 WA. Additionally, growth L2 writing mindset and ideal L2 writing self predicted L2 WA through the mediation of L2 writing grit. This study highlighted the importance of domain- and skill-specific individual difference factors in L2 WA and the vital necessity of considering them in L2 writing instruction.

Online feedback is frequently implemented during second/foreign language (SL/FL) writing tasks and assessments. This meta-analysis investigates the effectiveness of online feedback in SL/FL writing. After careful screening and the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, this study synthesizes the results of 17 primary studies reporting on students’ English SL/FL writing quality after online feedback. The studies involved 1568 students, and the results indicate a Hedges’ g effect size of 0.753 for the effectiveness of written feedback in general. Online feedback from teachers/instructors produces a larger effect size (g = 2.248) than online peer feedback (g = 0.777) and online automated feedback (g = 0.696). It was also found that educational levels and task genre mitigate the impact of online feedback on writing quality. Overall, the findings contribute to a better understanding of the impact of online feedback on ESL/EFL writing and provide insights into online ESL/EFL writing instruction.

Written corrective feedback has been subject to increasing attention in recent years, in part because of the conceptual controversy surrounding it and in part because of its ubiquitous practice. This study takes a meta-analytic approach to synthesizing extant empirical research, including 21 primary studies. Guiding the analysis are two questions: Does written corrective feedback help to improve the grammatical accuracy of second language writing? What factors might mitigate its efficacy? Results show that written corrective feedback can lead to greater grammatical accuracy in second language writing, yet its efficacy is mediated by a host of variables, including learners' proficiency, the setting, and the genre of the writing task.

With the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence, automatic writing evaluation (AWE) has received much attention from English Foreign Language (EFL) writing teachers. However, the obstacles and potential problems of integrating AWE in EFL writing instruction have yet to be explored. Scholars have indicated that the effectiveness of AWE in EFL writing instruction depends on the learners' depth of reflection. Hence, this study proposes a learning approach that integrates AWE and peer assessment (PA) based on the knowledge-building theory, with the expectation that learners will be able to strengthen their reflections on AWE feedback through PA, and thereby improve their EFL writing performance. To examine the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a quasi-experiment was conducted in a university EFL writing class. One of the classes (33 students) was the experimental group using the PA-AWE approach, and the other class (31 students) was a control group that studied using the conventional AWE approach (C-AWE approach). Findings revealed that the PA-AWE group outperformed the C-AWE group regarding EFL writing performance, learning motivation, critical thinking, and reduced EFL writing anxiety. In addition, a thematic inductive qualitative analysis of the interview data indicated each approach's benefits and learning conceptions.

Previous studies have examined learner factors such as anxiety, self-efficacy, and achievement motivation in ESL/EFL (English as a second language/English as a foreign language) writing. Studies have affirmed that self-efficacy and achievement motivation could enhance writing performance, whereas anxiety may hinder writing achievement. This study aimed to examine individual differences in Iraqi EFL learners’ writing anxiety, writing self-efficacy, and writing achievement motivation in the Iraqi EFL context. A quantitative approach, specifically the correlational design, was employed to examine the abovementioned relationships. The sample of the study comprised 100 Iraqi undergraduate students majoring in English language from two Iraqi public universities. Data were collected via four instruments: three questionnaires, namely, Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI), Writer Self-Perception Scale (WSPS) and Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ), and one descriptive writing task. The findings of this study discovered that the higher the writing anxiety level, the poorer the writing performance, whereas the higher the writing self-efficacy and writing achievement motivation level, the better the writing performance. The findings of this study also indicated that both writing self-efficacy and writing anxiety, and writing anxiety and writing achievement motivation were negatively correlated, whereas writing self-efficacy and writing achievement motivation were significantly and positively correlated. This study suggests that these factors need to be taken into consideration in EFL writing instruction to facilitate the teaching and learning process of EFL writing, which in turn would help enhance the EFL undergraduates’ writing ability.

With increasing interest in a translingual approach to writing studies, a considerable amount of empirical research has been conducted to investigate how this approach can affect writing practice and pedagogy. This article reports on 42 empirical studies on a translingual approach to writing and discusses the approach’s implications for teaching writing in English as an additional language (EAL). The results reveal that a translingual approach has been enacted in various contexts with diverse writer groups and for different research foci. The findings show that a translingual approach that advocates for writer agency, languages other than English as resources rather than impediments, heterogeneity as the norm in the classroom, and a challenge to English monolingualism (1) brings more ideological discussions to the teaching of EAL writing, (2) enriches written feedback studies with more negotiation of unconventional language use, and (3) facilitates EAL writing instruction and learning through viewing oral genres as resources for written genres. Nevertheless, the findings also indicate the need for caution (such as balancing language norms and deviations rather than resisting the norms and crossing rather than flattening language differences) in adopting a translingual approach to EAL writing.

While research on teacher feedback has largely been influenced by second language writing and second language acquisition perspectives, little attention has been paid to the contextual and sociocultural dimension of teachers' work. Overall, there is a dearth of discussion on teacher feedback that is influenced by sociocultural perspectives. Drawing on mediated learning experience (MLE) theory, this article discusses the limitations of conventional feedback approaches in English as a foreign language school contexts and underscores the need to replace these approaches with more effective practices typical for the process-oriented writing classroom, so that feedback can mediate student learning. Informed by activity theory (AT), the article further suggests that providing MLE as a new object of the feedback system and introducing other innovations can lead to more effective feedback and help students improve learning. The article concludes with suggestions for research informed by MLE and AT perspectives.

Plagiarism is a broad and multidisciplinary field of study, and within second-language (L2) writing, research on the topic goes back to the mid-1980s. In this review article we first discuss the received view of plagiarism as a transgressive act and alternative understandings which have been presented in the L1 and L2 writing literature. We then survey and identify salient themes in the growing body of work relating to plagiarism, primarily from an L2 writing/applied linguistic perspective. These themes include terminological distinctions; views of the role of textual plagiarism in language learning and a writer's development; a concern with students’ and teachers’ sometimes differing understanding of plagiarism; and disciplinary differences in perceptions of plagiarism. We review research into the role of the electronic media in changing orientations toward plagiarism, the potential role of culture as a cause of plagiarism in the work of L2 writers, and pedagogical approaches to guiding students away from plagiarism. Methodological issues in researching plagiarism are surveyed, and the article concludes by suggesting directions for future research.