A study compared the influences of rhetorical and sentence-level features on holistic essay scores assigned by raters who are experienced writing instructors but not trained in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. In scoring six university-level essays, these raters placed emphasis on ESL sentence-level errors far more than on essays'…

A comparison of three popular computer programs for text analysis examined their effectiveness in analyzing texts written by students of English as a Second Language (ESL). Results indicate occasional incorrect advice and emphasis on relatively trivial issues, raising doubts about their effectiveness as a stand-alone revision aid for ESL writers.…

A study investigated the relationship between university students' individual writing process skill and product quality in Japanese and either English or Chinese. Results show no clear relationship between process and product but show similarity in writing process across languages and correlation between general Japanese language skill and written…

Three widely accepted assumptions about literacy education are discussed: (1) literacy is a social practice; (2) there exists a plurality of literacies; and (3) literacy educators must address issues of power. Implications for defining second-language composition ideology, research, and pedagogy are examined. (54 references) (Author/MSE)

In a response to an article on second-language (L2) composition instruction, it is argued that the disciplines of first-language (L1) and L2 writing instruction are different, the students come with different backgrounds, the teachers are products of disparate disciplines, and each can and should learn from the other. (25 references) (MSE)

The author of an article on the relationship between first-language (L1) and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing instruction comments on a response to that article. Focus is on the integration of L1 and ESL instruction at the university level and on the conditions under which college writing teachers work. (MSE)

The bibliography provides 19 annotated citations of research reports, journal articles, and dissertations concerning second-language writing instruction that have become available April 1-July 31, 1992. Topics include knowledge transfer and loss across languages, rhetoric, translation vs. direct composition, revision processes and patterns,…