Background: As a complex cognitive task, integrated writing (IW) requires not only different language modalities but also persistent cognitive effort. In practice, varied language modalities are taught together with IW tasks. However, little research has been done to investigate independent and integrated language tasks simultaneously. In…

Leaning on a holistic supervising doctoral writing framework, this study sets out to conceptualise and unpack the dialogic feedback experiences sustained within a PhD candidate's research article writing process. A juxtaposition of multiple data sources uncovers that effective employment of supervision approaches to feedback essentially varies…

Situated in Hong Kong's considerably limited discourse on sexuality, this paper aims to examine how introducing the topic of masturbation into our college's gender-and sexuality-related course created pedagogical conundrums (in the words of Kathleen Quinlivan). We discuss how attempts to confront these conundrums enabled us to begin the journey of…

The abstract nature of grammar makes metalinguistic thinking a challenge for both teachers and students. However, it is suggested writing conferences in which students are encouraged to reflect on grammatical choices and their impact on meaning may be an effective means to develop metalinguistic awareness. This paper draws on cognitive linguistics…

This research aims to investigate the effects of two teaching sequences -- interleaving and blocking -- on the participants' use of three types of cohesive devices (conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs and prepositions [thereafter CCPs]) in their argumentative essays. The participants included 50 native Cantonese-speaking university students taking…

While extensive quantitative research has shed light on the cognitive mechanisms of dyslexia, few mixed-methods studies have been conducted to examine the perceptions of and attitudes towards learning in children with dyslexia, especially in Hong Kong, a bilingual context. In addition, the validity of the metaphor elicitation technique, which was…

The process of responding to supervisory feedback requires student writers to position themselves toward both the provider and content of that feedback, indicating their stance in the interaction and their evolving disciplinary competence. How positionings are discursively shaped, developed, and enacted to influence thesis revisions, however, has…

Digital multimodal composing (DMC) allows students to mobilize a wide range of multimodal resources to make meaning. While studies in DMC tended to focus on language-learning contexts, few of them examine its use in content-based courses whereby students are proficient L2 users expected to demonstrate understanding of abstract concepts using DMC.…

This mixed methods study explores EFL students' experiences and perceptions as they learn to write a composition with ChatGPT's support in a classroom instructional context. Students' perceptions are explored in terms of their motivation to learn about ChatGPT, cognitive load and satisfaction with the learning process. In a workshop format,…

Appropriate use of cohesive devices is an important writing skill. Recently, there has been growing research on cohesiveness in ESL students' texts at university level. However, research into secondary school students' writing and learners' perceptions of cohesive devices has remained underexplored. This case study investigated the use of…

This study examines the use of lexical bundles in reports produced by university-level L2 English writers in civil and environmental engineering (CEE). The corpus consists of 119 reports, and the study compares the use of different types of lexical bundles (3-word, 4-word, and 5-word) in high-scoring and low-scoring papers. The results show that…

Academic writing is a substantial component of tertiary education, yet it poses challenges for second/foreign language students, particularly first-year undergraduates with limited pre-university exposure to English-medium instruction (EMI) settings. In this context, English for academic purposes (EAP) teachers play a crucial role in supporting…

English as a foreign language (EFL) students' use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that generate human-like text may enhance students' written work. However, the extent to which students use AI-generated text to complete a written composition and how AI-generated text influences the overall writing quality remain uncertain. 23 Hong Kong…

As an intimidating school subject for students globally, writing requires a high level of motivation, especially for second language (L2) learners. Despite abundant research on motivation in both first language (L1) writing and L2 learning, L2 writing motivation warrants more attention. To bridge the gap, the study intends to present an overall…

Publicly available Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools are said to liberate students from the instrumental use of English and empower them to write creative texts to communicate with different communities. This paper reports on an undergraduate language-related service-learning subject in a Hong Kong tertiary institution. In the…