This paper reviews and reflects on developments in classroom-based research on second or foreign language (L2) writing from 2001 to 2020, based on scholarship drawn from the "Journal of Second Language Writing," the flagship journal of the field. The review covers a total of 75 classroom-based studies and examines the major research…

In English as an additional language writing, error correction or error feedback is most commonly referred to as 'written corrective feedback (WCF)'. The emphasis on 'correctness' in 'WCF' suggests native-speakerist standards or norms, which are controversial in an increasingly globalized world. In this Forum article, I discuss the problems…

While student engagement is central to connecting feedback provision with learning outcomes and has significant value for unlocking the learning potential of feedback, the extant research on student engagement with written feedback is not only scant but also under-theorized. This article explores the potential of sociocultural theory (SCT) for…

In different parts of the world second language (L2) teachers devote a massive amount of time to giving feedback on grammatical errors in student writing. Such written corrective feedback, which is unfocused and comprehensive, is fraught with problems for both teachers and students. Nonetheless, it remains a prevalent practice in many L2 contexts.…

Although feedback researchers generally advocate a selective, focused written corrective feedback (FWCF) approach, a large number of second language writing teachers in school contexts still respond to written errors in an unfocused manner. Much of existing written corrective feedback (WCF) research is conducted in experimental classrooms, and…

The present case study aims to revisit the role of Chinese traditional cultural issues in group peer feedback by examining how Chinese EFL students respond to several typical Chinese cultural issues that have emerged from the literature--"collectivism and group harmony," "face-saving," and "power distance" and what…

To date, research on feedback in second language (L2) writing has primarily focused on feedback per se, with little attention paid to the teachers' professional development with regard to feedback in writing. This study aims to explore the ways in which two secondary teachers in Hong Kong attempted to implement feedback innovation in their writing…

This article reviews research on peer feedback in second language (L2) writing published in the last decade (i.e. 2005-2014). We analyse first the theoretical underpinnings that have informed both peer feedback research and the pedagogical use of peer feedback in L2 writing instruction. We also provide a critical interpretation of existing peer…

While the last three decades have witnessed a growing body of research on peer feedback in first language (L1) and second language (L2) writing, research about students' motives for participating in group peer feedback has remained underexplored. In order to fill this important gap, this case study, guided by the constructs of activity and motive…

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.…

This article describes a university-school collaboration project that investigates six English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' attempts to change conventional feedback approaches in three secondary schools of Hong Kong, indicating the benefits university-school collaboration can reap for both teacher educators and school teachers.

While there has been a proliferation of research on assessment for learning (AFL) over the past two decades, L2 writing assessment has tended to focus much more on assessment of learning (AOL) than AFL. This study seeks to investigate the implementation of AFL for EFL writing within an examination-driven AOL system in Hong Kong, its possible…

Feedback in writing has in recent years attracted the attention of an increasing number of writing researchers. While much feedback research focuses on the act of feedback per se, little attention has been paid to the issue of teacher readiness to implement change in feedback. Using data gathered from Hong Kong secondary teachers attending a…

While much feedback research in L1 and L2 writing has been conducted in pre-university and university contexts, little attention has been paid to supervisors' comments at the graduate level. Specifically, the nature and role of supervisors' commentary on the writing of graduate-level academic genre is under-explored. Designed to fill such an…

Although second language (L2) teachers spend a significant amount of time marking students' writing, many of them feel that their efforts do not pay off. While students want teachers to give them feedback on their writing and value teacher feedback, they might experience feelings of frustration and confusion once they receive it. What is amiss in…