Paul Kei Matsuda

Contrastive rhetoric in context: A dynamic model of L2 writing

Abstract The notion of contrastive rhetoric was first proposed as a pedagogical solution to the problem of L2 organization, and the subsequent development in research has generated, among other valuable insights, three explanations for the organizational structures of L2 texts, including linguistic, cultural, and educational explanations. However, the contribution of contrastive rhetoric to the teaching of ESL writing has been limited because of the underlying assumptions that has guided the early pedagogical approaches. This study identifies a static theory of L2 writing that has been widely used in teaching organizational structures and considers how the pedagogical application of insights from contrastive rhetoric studies have been limited by this theory. To overcome the limitations of the static theory, an alternative model of L2 writing is proposed, and its implications for further research and the teaching of L2 writing are discussed.

Process and post-process: A discursive history

Abstract While the term post-process can be useful as a heuristic for expanding the scope of the field of second language writing, the uncritical adoption of this and other keywords can have serious consequences because they often oversimplify the historical complexity of the intellectual developments they describe. In order to provide a critical understanding of the term post-process in its own historical context, this article examines the history of process and post-process in composition studies, focusing on the ways in which terms such as current-traditional rhetoric , process , and post-process have contributed to the discursive construction of reality. Based on this analysis, I argue that the use of the term post-process in the context of L2 writing needs to be guided by a critical awareness of the discursive construction process. I further argue that the notion of post-process needs to be understood not as the rejection of process but as the recognition of the multiplicity of L2 writing theories and pedagogies.

Changing currents in second language writing research: A colloquium

This article is based on an invited colloquium on second language (L2) writing presented at the 2002 meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics. The colloquium featured five L2 writing researchers who discussed some of the important currents that have, over the last decade, shaped the field of second language writing.

Second language writing research : perspectives on the process of knowledge construction

Contents: Preface. Part I: Research as Situated Knowledge Construction. T. Silva, On the Philosophical Bases of Inquiry in Second Language Writing: Metaphysics, Inquiry Paradigms, and the Intellectual Zeitgeist. C.P. Casanave, Uses of Narrative in L2 Writing Research. P.K. Matsuda, Historical Inquiry in Second Language Writing. Part II: Conceptualizing L2 Writing Research. D. Atkinson, Situated Qualitative Research and Second Language Writing. J. Flowerdew, A Multimethod Approach to Research Into Processes of Scholarly Writing for Publication. M. Sasaki, Hypothesis Generation and Hypothesis Testing: Two Complementary Studies of EFL Writing Processes. R. Weissberg, Talking About Writing: Cross-Modality Research and Second Language Speaking/Writing Connections. R. Haswell, Researching Teacher Evaluation of Second-Language Writing Via Prototype Theory. X. Li, Composing Culture in a Fragmented World: The Issue of Representation in Cross-Cultural Research. Part III: Collecting and Analyzing Data. S. Parks, Qualitative Research as Heuristic: Investigating Documentation Practices in a Medical Setting. L.L. Blanton, Mucking Around in the Lives of Others: Reflections on Qualitative Research. C. Brice, Coding Data in Qualitative Research on L2 Writing: Issues and Implications. K. Hyland, Digging Up Texts and Transcripts: Confessions of a Discourse Analyst. R.M. Manchon, L. Murphy, J.R. de Larios, Using Concurrent Protocols to Explore L2 Writing Processes: Methodological Issues in the Collection and Analysis of Data. S. Hudelson, Taking on English Writing in a Bilingual Program: Revisiting, Reexamining, Reconceptualizing the Data. Part IV: Coda. D. Ferris, Tricks of the Trade: The Nuts and Bolts of L2 Writing Research.

Situating ESL Writing in a Cross-Disciplinary Context:

Although the writing needs of English as a Second Language (ESL) students in U.S. higher education have been increasing as the number of ESL students continues to rise, institutional practices that are responsive to the unique needs of ESL writers are yet to be developed. The relative lack of attention to ESL issues in writing programs may be related to how the field of ESL writing has been defined in relation to its related disciplines: Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) and composition studies. This study attempts to construct a view of the field that meets the needs of ESL writers. For this purpose, I present three models of ESL writing in relation to TESL and composition studies and discuss their implications.

Negotiation of Identity and Power in a Japanese Online Discourse Community

Abstract The study of electronic discourse in the computers and composition field has thus far focused mostly on the English language while electronic discourse practices in non-European languages have received relatively little attention. This article examines the discursive construction of identity and power in a Japanese online discourse community by focusing on an email list for Japanese professionals in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Through the analysis of Japanese linguistic features—including formal verb endings, address terms, and honorifics—as well as metaphors for characterizing relationships, this study shows how social relations among the list members were transformed as the emphasis shifted from conventional criteria for establishing social relations (age, gender, and social status) to other criteria available online, that is, the amount of knowledge one demonstrated through discourse. Based on this analysis, I argue that online discourse communities do not diminish hierarchical social relations found in offline discourses but may allow the negotiation of criteria for hierarchical relations, thus, providing an alternative site for the negotiation of identity and power.

Identity in written discourse

ABSTRACT This article provides an overview of theoretical and research issues in the study of writer identity in written discourse. First, a historical overview explores how identity has been conceived, studied, and taught, followed by a discussion of how writer identity has been conceptualized. Next, three major orientations toward writer identity show how the focus of analysis has shifted from the individual to the social conventions and how it has been moving toward an equilibrium, in which the negotiation of individual and social perspectives is recognized. The next two sections discuss two of the key developments—identity in academic writing and the assessment of writer identity. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the implications and future directions for teaching and researching identity in written discourse.

Voice in Student Essays

Voice in written language — a metaphorical concept capturing the sense of author identity that comes through when readers interact with texts — has intrigued many writing teachers and researchers. While some teachers regard voice to be an essential feature of good writing, others consider it to be unnecessary, if not distracting, especially in the context of academic and professional writing. One of the most obvious reasons for this discrepancy is the varied conception of voice. In the early years, voice was conceptualized in individualistic terms, focusing on the expression of authentic self (Elbow, 1968; Stewart, 1969, 1972). This perspective has often been at odds with social-constructionist views of voice that emphasize the normative aspects of language use (Cope and Kalantzis, 1993; Hyland, 2008). There are more recent, social-constructivist conceptions of voice that see individual and social voice to be mutually constitutive and inevitable (Ivanic, 1998; Ivanic and Camps, 2001; Matsuda, 2001; Prior, 2001). Studies using a social-constructivist definition of voice (Matsuda, 2001) have shown that voice plays an important role in advanced academic literacy (Matsuda and Tardy, 2007; Tardy and Matsuda, 2009). Yet, as Tardy (this volume) has pointed out, the debate over the notion of voice has tended to be caught in a simplistic individual—social dichotomy.

Integrating process and genre into the second language writing classroom: Research into practice

The field of second language (L2) writing has moved beyond the false dichotomies between process- and genre-based pedagogies perpetuated in the 1980s and 1990s, but there has still been little research on how the two are actually reconciled in the classroom. Consequently, L2 writing instructors are left with an incomplete picture, unsure how to incorporate such research into their own classrooms. This paper describes how one teacher, Juval, encountered the research on process- and genre-based pedagogies and negotiated his understanding of this research into his practice. Alongside Juvals voice is the voice of a teacher educator, Paul, setting these frameworks in the context of larger developments in the field of L2 writing. Their discussion takes Juval from his initial view of writing as a grammar-elicitation task to his resort to research for answers to the complex needs of his students. With further support from colleagues, Juval reaches a place where the two pedagogies are not only reconciled but work together to prepare his students for their writing tasks. His narrative chimes with the experience of many L2 writing teachers and should inspire novice and experienced teachers to reflect on their relationship with theory and research.

Globalizing Writing Studies: The Case of U.S. Technical Communication Textbooks:

In an increasingly globalized world, writing courses, situated as they are in local institutional and rhetorical contexts, need to prepare writers for global writing situations. Taking introductory technical communication in the United States as a case study, this article describes how and to what extent global perspectives are incorporated into writing. Based on an analysis of eight textbooks and a closer analysis of four of them, we illustrate the representation of technical communication and communicators as well as multiculturalism and multilingualism in these textbooks and point out the limitations vis-à-vis the cultural and linguistic complexity of global technical communication in today’s world. We conclude by considering implications for U.S. college composition as it continues to contribute to the international discourse of writing studies.