Integrating Scaffolding Strategies into Genre- based L2 Writing Pedagogy

Abstract

Recent research on the teaching and learning of writing skills has shown that writing strategies play an important role in the construct of academic texts and have a substantial impact on language learners' writing performance (e.g., Bailey & Judd, 2018; Cer, 2019). However, little is known about how second language (L2) learners use writing strategies in building their academic texts. As part of a larger scale research project focused on L2 writing pedagogy, the present study extends this line of research by investigating the strategies Vietnamese EFL pre-service teachers use in academic writing. Data were collected from 17 academictexts in the form of final assignment papers (one paper per teacher), followed by subsequent semi-structured interviews with ten teachers to obtain insights into how they used the strategies. The study adopted a content-based analysis to qualitative data with reference to a comprehensive research-based taxonomy for L2 academic writing strategies, including rhetorical, metacognitive, cognitive, and social affective strategies. The results show that rhetorical, metacognitive, and cognitive strategies were most frequently used by the pre-service teachers. The results further show that self-efficacy and self-regulation determined the participants' use of strategies during the writing process. Implications for academic writing pedagogy in the L2 classroom and instructional practices focused on academic writing strategies to enhance L2 learners' writing quality will be discussed.