1st Edition
Second Language Writing Research Perspectives on the Process of Knowledge Construction
In this original volume, eighteen researchers from different parts of the world reflect on their own research projects, providing insights into key methodological issues in research on second language writing. By offering a glimpse into the process of constructing and negotiating knowledge in the field--the messy space of situated practices of inquiry--it helps to demystify the research process, which can appear in published studies and in introductory methodology guides to be neater and more orderly than it actually is.
Taking a broad conception of research as inquiry that emphasizes the situated and constructed nature of knowledge in the field, Second Language Writing Research: Perspectives on the Process of Knowledge Construction encourages multiple forms of inquiry, including philosophical, narrative, and historical modes. Empirical inquiry as presented in this book encompasses both quantitative and qualitative approaches as well as those that strategically combine them. A helpful discussion of the "nuts and bolts" of developing sustainable research programs is also provided. The volume as a whole facilitates a situated, issue-driven research practice. Its unique focus on second language writing research makes it an invaluable resource for both novice and experienced researchers in the field.
Biography
Edited by Matsuda, Paul Kei; Silva, Tony
"The candid portraits the contributors provide, the scope of the issues they cover, and the range of research methodologies they include all make this book extremely valuable, not just for people entering L2 writing research, but also for those in second language studies and composition studies." – Talinn Phillips, TESOL QUARTERLY