Journal of Second Language Writing最新文献

The impact of MT as a writing tool on EFL academic writing: A qualitative linguistic analysis 翻译作为一种写作工具对英语学术写作的影响：一个定性的语言学分析

IF 5 1区文学

Journal of Second Language Writing Pub Date : 2025-07-21 DOI: 10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101231

Elisabet Comelles, Natalia J. Laso

{"title":"The impact of MT as a writing tool on EFL academic writing: A qualitative linguistic analysis","authors":"Elisabet Comelles, Natalia J. Laso","doi":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101231","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101231","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The widespread use of English in academic publishing compels many researchers to write their work in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to ensure global dissemination. To improve their written proficiency, they frequently rely on resources such as online dictionaries, grammar checkers, and Machine Translation (MT) systems. This paper explores whether the use of MT can effectively support EFL Spanish researchers in writing academic papers in English. To this aim, we recruited 16 Spanish researchers who wrote an abstract in English and another one in Spanish. The Spanish abstract was translated using MT and then post-edited by the researchers themselves. Both the EFL abstract and the MT-translated/post-edited abstract were subsequently edited by a professional editor to ensure they met publication standards. A comparative analysis of the edited versions revealed that the combination of MT and self-post-editing resulted in fewer edits related to language mechanics. However, adjustments were still needed to fully align with English academic writing conventions. Overall, the findings suggest that MT, when combined with self-post-editing, can be a useful tool in enhancing the quality of academic texts produced by EFL Spanish researchers. This study offers valuable insights into the potential of MT as a resource that can assist EFL academic writing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Second Language Writing","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101231"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144672142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Discourse complexity measures as indices of L2 writing proficiency: Insights from propositional connection and relation 语篇复杂性作为二语写作水平的指标：来自命题联系和关系的洞察

IF 5 1区文学

Journal of Second Language Writing Pub Date : 2025-07-04 DOI: 10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101226

Jingting Yuan , Qiuhan Lin , John Sie Yuen Lee

{"title":"Discourse complexity measures as indices of L2 writing proficiency: Insights from propositional connection and relation","authors":"Jingting Yuan , Qiuhan Lin , John Sie Yuen Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101226","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101226","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Complexity is a crucial feature of L2 writing development. While substantial measures have been well-established as indices of L2 writing proficiency, they are primarily focused on the lexical and syntactic complexity of learner texts. Discourse complexity (DC), especially concerning connections and relations between propositions, remains underexplored despite its importance in discourse organization in L2 writing. This study investigates DC measures for L2 written production in both the absolute and relative/cognitive dimensions. A Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST) dependency treebank of 216 argumentative essays was created to investigate the discourse structures in learner texts across three proficiency levels in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Our analysis suggests that more proficient L2 writers tend to produce more logically complex rhetorical relations, longer rhetorical length, and stronger propositional connectedness in content development and organization. Further, we show that <em>overall propositional connectedness</em> and <em>mean discourse distance</em> are both able to distinguish between texts at the CEFR A2, B1, and B2+ levels, and can be useful indicators of L2 writing proficiency. These findings not only provide novel insights into L2 complexity at the discourse level, but also carry pedagogical implications for the teaching of coherence and rhetorical organization in L2 writing classrooms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Second Language Writing","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101226"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Generative AI is useful for second language writing, but when, why, and for how long do learners use it? 生成式人工智能对第二语言写作很有用，但学习者何时、为什么以及使用多长时间？

IF 5 1区文学

Journal of Second Language Writing Pub Date : 2025-07-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101230

Haerim Hwang , Xingyu Chang, Jiaxin Sun

{"title":"Generative AI is useful for second language writing, but when, why, and for how long do learners use it?","authors":"Haerim Hwang , Xingyu Chang, Jiaxin Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101230","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101230","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous studies have highlighted the benefits of recent advancements in generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology for second language (L2) writing. However, most of these studies have relied on pretest/posttest designs or interview/questionnaire methods that reflect the researchers’ perspectives. To expand the research on this topic, we take two approaches. Firstly, we investigate how L2 learners of English utilize ChatGPT in a writing task in real time by analyzing recordings of their computer screens collected throughout the writing process. Secondly, we explore how they perceive the usefulness of ChatGPT by analyzing their responses to an open-ended question. Frequency and time-series analyses show that the participants primarily utilized ChatGPT to generate ideas, particularly during the initial stages of writing. They also used it later in the writing process, albeit less frequently and for less time overall, for a word/grammar search/check, polishing, and example generation, alongside idea generation. Semantic network analyses of their responses to the open-ended question further reveal that the participants generally held a positive opinion of ChatGPT, valuing its assistance in content creation and time management, while expressing some concerns. The results emphasize the potential of generative AI in facilitating L2 writing and suggest the importance of digital literacy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Second Language Writing","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101230"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144517784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Toward critically and humanely grounded futures for L2 writing in the GenAI era: Sparking dialogue and critical experimentation 面向GenAI时代第二语言写作的批判性和人道主义未来：激发对话和批判性实验

IF 5 1区文学

Journal of Second Language Writing Pub Date : 2025-06-30 DOI: 10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101229

Chaoran Wang, Zhongfeng Tian, M. Sidury Christiansen

引用次数: 0

Zooming in on the process-product nexus of meaning-related revisions: A micro-analytic approach to keystroke logging data 放大意义相关修订的过程-产品关系：击键记录数据的微观分析方法

IF 5 1区文学

Journal of Second Language Writing Pub Date : 2025-06-27 DOI: 10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101228

Sathena Chan , Daniel M.K. Lam

{"title":"Zooming in on the process-product nexus of meaning-related revisions: A micro-analytic approach to keystroke logging data","authors":"Sathena Chan , Daniel M.K. Lam","doi":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101228","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101228","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While many writing studies to date show that higher-proficiency and lower-proficiency L2 writers have distinct writing behaviours, there is relatively little research into meaning-related revisions – changes which influence the meaning of the text as compared to surface-level changes related to grammar or format, and whether and how such revisions make a text-level impact. Taking a micro-analytic approach, the current study examined the real-time revision behaviours of six adolescent L1 and six adolescent L2 English writers, as captured by a keystroke logging programme. The analysis compared measures of revision behaviours and the context (i.e., location) and orientation (i.e., focus) of the meaningrelated revisions between the two groups, and examined qualitatively the specific ways the revisions do or do not contribute to enhancing the evolving text. Findings revealed that the L2 writers focused more on local-level revisions while the L1 writers’ revisions more often had a text-level impact (e.g., coherence, argumentation). Based on the findings, we discuss the value of examining the textual impact of meaning-related revisions using keystroke logging data for diagnostic feedback, and make recommendations for teaching and feedback activities in the L2 writing classroom.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Second Language Writing","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101228"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144490141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

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The development and validation of a scale on student AI literacy in L2 writing: A domain-specific perspective 第二语言写作中学生人工智能读写能力量表的开发和验证：一个特定领域的视角

IF 5 1区文学

Journal of Second Language Writing Pub Date : 2025-06-18 DOI: 10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101227

Linlin Xu , Lu Zhang , Ling Ou , Di Wang

{"title":"The development and validation of a scale on student AI literacy in L2 writing: A domain-specific perspective","authors":"Linlin Xu , Lu Zhang , Ling Ou , Di Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101227","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101227","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the educational landscape, especially in second language (L2) writing, reshaping how students approach the learning and practice of L2 writing. This shift has highlighted the importance of student AI literacy, which enables students to harness the power of AI tools and navigate the complexities of L2 writing more effectively and responsibly. Despite its significance, research on student AI literacy in L2 writing remains scarce, and there is a notable absence of instruments to measure, diagnose and track its development among L2 student writers. Heeding the call for developing psychometrically validated scales tailored to specific domains or disciplines, this study aims to develop and validate the L2 Writing-Student AI Literacy Scale (L2W-SAILS) for teachers and students to operationalise and assess student AI literacy in L2 writing. Building on relevant seminal works, this study proposed a four-dimension AI literacy framework, including ‘understanding’, ‘use’, ‘evaluation’, and ‘ethics’. Guided by this framework, a 22-item self-reported questionnaire on student AI literacy was developed and validated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis involving respectively 435 and 350 Chinese university students. The results confirm that the L2W-SAILS is a reliable measurement scale for assessing student AI literacy in L2 writing, and the proposed four-dimension model is a robust representation of student AI literacy. The findings also contribute to a pedagogical framework that informs AI-assisted teaching and learning of L2 writing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Second Language Writing","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101227"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144306427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Promoting second language writing autonomy through digital multimodal composing 通过数字多模态写作促进第二语言写作自主

IF 5 1区文学

Journal of Second Language Writing Pub Date : 2025-06-10 DOI: 10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101225

Lanxuan XIE , Lianjiang JIANG

{"title":"Promoting second language writing autonomy through digital multimodal composing","authors":"Lanxuan XIE , Lianjiang JIANG","doi":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101225","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101225","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous studies have examined students’ autonomous language learning behaviors in digital multimodal composing (DMC). However, whether second language (L2) writing autonomy can be promoted through DMC remains underexplored. This study, conducted at a medical university in China, investigated changes in three second-year medical students’ L2 writing autonomy during a year-long DMC project. L2 writing autonomy is a pivotal factor in the students’ becoming strategic and effective L2 writers with a sense of social responsibility. Data were collected from observation, interviews, reflective journals, and student-authored DMC projects. Changes in the students’ L2 writing autonomy were identified by comparing their L2 writing purposes, feelings, and behaviors before and after the DMC projects. The factors mediating these changes were synthesized through thematic and multimodal analysis. The analysis revealed that the affordances provided by the authentic writing task, collaborative form, and multimodal remixing in DMC promoted the students’ willingness to engage, ability to compose, and freedom to experiment in L2 writing. These factors ultimately shaped changes in three domains of L2 writing autonomy: <em>autonomy as L2 writing learners</em>, <em>autonomy as L2 writing users</em>, and <em>autonomy as L2 writers.</em> The study provides an evidence-based pedagogical model of DMC aimed at promoting students’ L2 writing autonomy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Second Language Writing","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101225"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144252910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

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Tracking the development in second language writers’ use of academic vocabulary in discipline-specific assignments 追踪第二语言作者在特定学科作业中使用学术词汇的发展

IF 5 1区文学

Journal of Second Language Writing Pub Date : 2025-06-09 DOI: 10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101217

Thi Ngoc Yen Dang, Huahui Zhao, Natalie Finlayson

{"title":"Tracking the development in second language writers’ use of academic vocabulary in discipline-specific assignments","authors":"Thi Ngoc Yen Dang, Huahui Zhao, Natalie Finlayson","doi":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101217","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101217","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Few longitudinal studies have examined the development of second language (L2) writers’ use of academic vocabulary in discipline-specific assignments. This study tracked the use of expert vocabulary and proficient novice vocabulary in assignments written by 230 L2 writers across two semesters of postgraduate study in Education and Engineering programs. Gardner and Davies’s (2014) Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) and Malmström et al.’s (2018) Productive Academic Vocabulary List (PAVL) were used to represent each kind of academic vocabulary respectively. Linear mixed-effects model analyses found that Education students used significantly more AVL words in Semester 2 than in Semester 1, but no significant differences were found in the case of Engineering. This indicates that Education students tend to use more expert vocabulary as they progress further in their academic study, but Engineering students did not. Students’ use of proficient novice vocabulary does not appear to change across semesters in either discipline. Analysis of the writing of individual students largely supports the findings of the group analysis, but also revealed that lexical development patterns varied depending on individuals. Together these findings demonstrate the complex nature of vocabulary development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Second Language Writing","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101217"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144240111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

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The effects of task complexity on second language writing processes and products in computer-assisted collaborative writing 计算机辅助协作写作中任务复杂性对第二语言写作过程和成果的影响

IF 5 1区文学

Journal of Second Language Writing Pub Date : 2025-06-07 DOI: 10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101216

Xin Rong, Andrea Révész

{"title":"The effects of task complexity on second language writing processes and products in computer-assisted collaborative writing","authors":"Xin Rong, Andrea Révész","doi":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101216","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101216","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we investigated the extent to which task complexity impacted writing behaviors, associated cognitive activities, and resulting texts of second language (L2) users completing integrated tasks in collaborative writing contexts. The participants were 56 Chinese users of L2 English, with Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) B2 and C1 proficiency. They were organized into 28 randomly assigned pairs. Each pair completed two reading-to-write tasks which varied in cognitive complexity. The simple task version required participants to summarize a single text, while the complex task version asked participants to write a summary by integrating information presented in three texts. Participants’ typing behaviors were recorded via keystroke logging software. Eight pairs were invited to stimulated recall interviews after the second task. A series of linear mixed-effects models found that the simple task version elicited higher speed fluency, longer and more frequent pauses, and improved linguistic complexity and functional adequacy. These findings, together with the stimulated recall comments, suggest that the simple task version reduced cognitive burden on text organization, freeing up resources for linguistic encoding.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47934,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Second Language Writing","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101216"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144240114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

IF 5 1区文学

Journal of Second Language Writing Pub Date : 2025-06-05 DOI: 10.1016/j.jslw.2025.101215

Wanyue Peng, Yingli Yang

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