The effect of using online language-support resources on L2 writing performance

Language learners today have access to a much wider choice of resources and language-support tools that aid their writing processes. While research on the convenience and flexibility of the writing resources that learners use in real-life writing activities have argued for a re-conceptualization of writing ability, little is known about the effect of using them in a writing assessment setting. Accordingly, the present study aimed to examine whether L2 learners’ use of writing resources in a writing test might have an effect on their writing performance. Furthermore, we also investigated how the effects of the writing resources might vary by test takers’ writing proficiency and scoring domains. Results showed that the group who had access to writing resources outperformed the group who were not given the online resource, but both groups’ scores were within the same scoring descriptor. The significant score improvement was more evident in the low- and intermediate-level learners. In a questionnaire, test takers reported that they normally use the writing resources in real-life writing situations and also found the online resource features helpful in improving their writing performance and agreed upon introducing such features in future writing tests.

Personal and Professional Support

This chapter provides strategies for successfully completing writing projects with the support of the community through personal and professional development support. This type of support is established through education, social development, and action planning. Individuals and groups often feel that writing is a solo activity and fail to seek additional resources, but writing is part of the larger community. Writing is the craft of art that is distributed to the community in various forms. Literature related to writing resources, personal, and professional development is reviewed. The authors explain the psychology of inspiration through its etymology, from the word for breathing in. They then recommend a framework for creating writing inspiration, which includes becoming the expert, engaging the interest, developing the objectives, and promoting the concept.

Policy Into Practice: Understanding State Writing Resources

Although research suggests that teachers turn to their state departments of education for curricular resources, little is known about the resources teachers find on state websites and the recommendations these resources make, especially for teaching writing. We analyze state-provided resources focused on writing ( n = 123) for their type, standard(s), and sponsor(s). We also analyze a subset of 40 resources to describe the epistemologies about writing instruction reflected in these resources. We find that just over half of states provide writing resources, that literacy and policy organizations are named about the same number of times as resource sponsors, and that resources tend to foreground structural and ideational epistemologies over social practice. This work helps identify the extent to which states focus on writing instruction, the types of resources states are providing, and the visions of writing instruction communicated through state-provided curricular resources.

Please, Encourage Kids to Write!

Dear Readers, I recently browsed through numerous web pages for kids on cbc.ca and much to my delight I came across an article titled “5 Books You Probably Didn’t Know Were Written by Kids.” I discovered that Alec Greven published a successful book called How to Talk to Girls when he was only nine years old. The book was published back in 2008, so Graven would be close to twenty today, but the lessons on the back cover remain relevant for today: “Comb your hair and don’t wear sweats / Control your hyperness (cut down on the sugar if you have to) / Don’t act desperate.” Graven was interviewed on several popular television shows soon after the book was published, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Today show, and Good Morning America, among others, and his publication became a media sensation. Graven’s accomplishment is certainly very impressive, but I was even more astounded to read about a four-year-old named Dorothy Straight, who, according to CBC, “holds the world record for being the youngest published author.” Her book titled Who Made the World? was published in 1964 and it included her own illustrations to depict her ideas about the possibility of Creation. These extraordinary stories of kids who write and publish books make inspiring reading, which is why I mention them here in my editorial, with the hope that you will encourage the children in your life to write, not necessarily for publication, but to help them read and understand stories written by other writers. There are lots of resources available to encourage children to write, including apps, websites, writers’ groups, blogs, magazines, books, and courses, so please consider doing an online search for writing materials or visit your local library to ask for help finding free writing resources for kids. Happy reading! Robert Desmarais, Managing Editor

Innovating Selection and Use of Online Writing Resources for EFL Students: A Systemic Functional Linguistic Perspective

This study reports on how teachers’ systemic functional linguistics (SFL)-based selection and use of on-line writing resources impacted students’ perceptions of on-line resources and their writing performance. Through a case study of students from one academic writing course in an urban university in China and primarily qualitative analysis of interviews with students, written artifacts, and students’ reflections, it was found that the selection and use of on-line learning resources, guided by the teacher’s SFL perspective on writing as a meaning-making process, facilitated students’ transition. That is, students gained a principled perspective on the use of on-line resources and were able to use pertinent knowledge in producing effective academic writing. The study concludes that the pedagogical use of on-line resources, when supported by SFL, could transform students’ perception of the value of on-line materials and improve their self-efficacy as academic writers.