A Synthesis of Research on Second Language Writing in English (review)

A Synthesis of Research on Second Language Writing in English brings together an extensive body of research into second language (L2) writing from 1980 to 2005. The book is divided into three sections. Section I provides an account of the literature with reference to eight research contexts - primary schools, junior schools, secondary schools, undergraduate settings, graduate writing, L2 adult language and literacy programs, workplace settings, and professional writers' L2 writing - and research into ideological, political, and identity issues in L2 writing. Each of these contexts is treated in detail in a separate chapter.

Section II describes research on issues of L2 writing instruction and assessment. Within this section, chapter 9 details findings in relation to the different dimensions of writing curricula, such as theoretical approaches guiding curriculum development; chapter 10 details the accumulated knowledge on formative as well as formal assessment.

Section III is essentially 'a sort of prose database' (p. 96) of basic research findings, focusing on L2 writers, their composing processes, and their written texts. The four chapters in this section follow a similar format, breaking down research foci into multiple categories that are presented in order from most to least researched. Within this section, chapter 11 divides writer characteristics into five basic categories; chapter 12 presents research findings in terms of 25 variables related to the composing process; chapter 13 presents findings on 35 categories of textual features of L2 texts; and chapter 14 is wholly devoted to the findings of 63 reports of research in connection with six basic grammatical categories.

Written by three respected figures in the field, this book is commendable in many respects. While there are several excellent sources on different aspects of L2 writing, Leki et al. have successfully accomplished the difficult task of bringing together a disparate body of research on different aspects of L2 and thus providing a picture of the research terrain. The authors' division of the literature into contexts of research, curriculum, assessment, and basic research serves to identify significant dimensions of L2 writing, present the knowledge base thus far amassed in each area, reveal topics that have been over- or under-researched, and initiate readers into the ongoing debates in each area. As an example, chapter 2 in Section I highlights the vexing issue of whether or not to streamline L2 students into regular classes in secondary schools, the appropriate timing of such a transition, and the ramifications of such decisions for students' academic and linguistic development and their life beyond school. In this respect, the book does indeed chart a research agenda for the community. The authors' particular categorization of studies further helps link the research findings to broader theoretical orientations and concerns that often remain implicit in studies of writing. For instance, the discussion of research findings in relation to L2 curricula helps readers connect L2 instructional practices to different curricular ideologies. In addition, the categorization of research makes each chapter of the book self-contained, in the sense that the reader with a specific interest can consult the relevant chapter and readily gain a detailed review of prior literature. With respect to Section III, which lists basic research, one cautionary note is that it needs to be read with special care because of the occasional presentation of contradictory findings, which the authors themselves have noted. The book is invaluable to those new to the field, especially graduate students, and to all those who might have a professional interest in L2 writing.

This volume is admittedly a synthesis of L2 research primarily done in North America, and thus leaves out many studies from TEFL contexts as well as those done in the tradition of the Australian Sydney School. Nonetheless, it is an invaluable source for the seasoned researcher and the newcomer to the field alike. It further marks the coming of age of a field with a vast, and ever-growing, body of research. It is a timely...