Christian Harris

EDRE 4860
Professor Pettet

How does personal writing effect language acquisition for ELL’s?

1. Bilton, L., & Sivasubramaniam, S. (2009). An inquiry into expressive writing: A

classroom-

based study. Language Teaching Research, 13(3), 301-320.

http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2126/10.1177/1362168809104702

In this article, the concept of expressive writing being used in ESL courses is explored.

The article references a longitudinal study that followed a university level writing class

that introduced personal writing. Results from the study showed that as more personal

writing was introduced, students responded positively to personal writing and lead to

mastery of the language and more sophisticated thinking.

2. Bailey, R. A. (2011). Revising history: Altering expectations of first-year writing through

second language acquisition theory (Order No. 3485933). Available from

Education Database. (908640972).

This article examines the first-year composition class and how writing instruction can be

used as a process for language acquisition instead of a skill that is learned. It explores how

learning how to create professional writing, although done usually in a students L1, is closer

related to learning a second language. This article also examines three cases where students at

different levels of written language acquisition demonstrates an understanding of how academic

language is acquired over time.

Christian Harris
EDRE 4860
Professor Pettet

3. Derakhshan, A., & Hasanabbasi, S. (2015). Social networks for language learning.Theory

and

Practice in Language Studies, 5(5), 1090-1095. Retrieved from

https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2165/do

cview/1685872545?accountid=7113

This article examines the role of social media in learning English for ELL’s. This article

explains that social media platforms such as facebook, twitter, and email allow ELL’s an

abundance of authentic materials. By using these social media platforms, the students are able to

express themselves and interact with peers using their L2. Not only do these platforms help with

English acquisition, but also with familiarizing the student with technology.

4. Harklau, Linda The role of writing in classroom second language acquisition, Journal of

Second Language Writing, Volume 11, Issue 4, 2002, Pages 329-350, ISSN

1060-3743, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(02)00091-7.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1060374302000917)

Keywords: Writing research; Literacy; Second language instruction; Second

language learning

In the article “The role of writing in classroom second language acquisition”, the author

argues that writing is an effective tool for monitoring and evaluating second language

acquisition. It argues that writing is key to understanding second language acquisition in contexts

such as elementary and secondary classrooms where literacy plays an important role in

communication and transmission of information. It also states that writing is a useful way to

learn vocabulary, express ideas, and avoid the pressures of face-to-face communication.
Christian Harris
EDRE 4860
Professor Pettet

5. Hui-Fang Shang (2007) An exploratory study of e-mail application on FL writing

performance, Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20:1, 79-96, DOI:

10.1080/09588220601118479

This article examines the role of email in improving writing performances in EFL

students. The use of email between students was shown to increase syntactic complexity and

grammatical accuracy. The use of these types of assignments can help increase the overall

writing ability of the students and was an overall positive English learning strategy.

6. Terumi Miyazoe, Terry Anderson, Learning outcomes and students' perceptions of online

writing: Simultaneous implementation of a forum, blog, and wiki in an EFL

blended learning setting, System, Volume 38, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 185-199, ISSN

0346-251X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2010.03.006.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0346251X10000266)

Keywords: Forum; Blog; Wiki; Blended learning; Reflective learning;

Collaborative learning; Text analysis; EFL

This article examines the use of wikis, blogs, and forums and their relative use by EFL

students. In the article, students are assigned tasks that include creating wikis, creating blogs,

and replying to students on forums. When polled, the students favored using the wikis,

followed by the forums and blogs. When using the wikis, students favored them due to

helping with translating and reading English. The article also notes that, after completing two

semesters, students who created the blogs had an increase in their lexical density, and had a

slight decrease after posting on forums.

Christian Harris
EDRE 4860
Professor Pettet

7. Tompkins, G. E., & Jones, P. D. (2019). Teaching writing: Balancing process and

product. Boston: Pearson.

In chapter 5, the textbook talks about personal writing and how it can be accommodated

to EL writers. In the chapter, it talks about how personal writing allows the students to

feel more comfortable when writing due to the informal nature of the assignment and the

relatable topics. It explains that teachers often notice that as more personal writing is

done, EL writers gain more confidence and explore their L2 deeper. It also talks about the

use of reading logs and journals to expand the EL writers comprehension of texts and

communication skills by replying to the teacher.

In chapter 3, the textbook talks about the writers craft and how it allows the writer to

express voice, use specific word choice, gain sentence fluency, and other aspects of

writing. ELL’s can benefit from learning the writers craft by increasing their technical

vocabulary and making their writing more effective. By establishing their voice, ELL’s

are able to express themselves better and convey information and a more effective

manner. ELL’s also become more effective when working with other students after

learning the writers craft.