Charting L2 argumentative writing: A systematic review

Abstract

Instilling in students the ability to argue effectively is one of the most important responsibilities of educators at any level. This may be why so much focus is put on the quality of reasoning in schools and universities both in L1 and L2 contexts, especially when arguments appear in written form. Research conducted on L2 written argumentation has covered myriad aspects in educational contexts which calls for the need to provide a big picture view of the types of studies conducted and their associated scholars. Accordingly, in the present study, we reviewed 108 articles on L2 argumentative writing research from 2003 to 2023 adopting a synthetic approach to investigate the impact of theoretical orientations, research methodology, and the main topics of interest. The findings revealed L2 written argumentation has gathered global interest across all educational levels. Primary topic focuses were on language usage, pedagogy, and assessment, while there was less interest in the actual quality of the argumentative content. The most frequently used theoretical frameworks were theories related to modified Toulmin models, cognition, society and culture (i.e., sociocultural theory), linguistic complexity, and genre. Research methodologies were mostly quantitative. Implications and recommendations for those working on L2 argumentative writing are discussed.