Chapter published in:
Understanding L2 Proficiency: Theoretical and meta-analytic investigations
Edited by Eun Hee Jeon and Yo In'nami
[Bilingual Processing and Acquisition 13] 2022
► pp. 159–211

Chapter 6
L2 writing and its external correlates

A meta-analysis

| Gifu City Women’s University
| Chuo University
| Teikyo University of Science

The present meta-analysis examined the overall average correlation between second/foreign language (L2) writing performance and each of 11 key predictor variables frequently investigated in the research domain, and compared the relative importance of those variables. A series of moderator analyses were also carried out to examine the effects of age, L2 proficiency, first language (L1) and L2 distance, learning context, and measurement characteristics for six high-evidence correlates (L2 grammar, L2 vocabulary, L2 reading, L2 speaking, L1 writing, and motivational constructs). By doing so, we examined various L2 proficiency models, writing models, and hypotheses, particularly the core-periphery model proposed by Hulstijn (2015). To this end, a total of 103 retrieved studies contributed 377 effect sizes based on 112,475 independent participants. The results showed that L2 reading and speaking achievement had strong average correlations with L2 writing performance, whereas L1 writing performance had a medium correlation with it. L2 linguistic knowledge (grammar, vocabulary, transcription, decoding) had more medium to strong effects on L2 writing performance than language-general cognitive skills and motivational constructs, which had only weak effects. The effects of metacognitive knowledge were trivial and insignificant. L2 proficiency, age, and certain measurement characteristics were found to be significant moderators for certain components.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background to the meta-analysis
    • 2.1Review of high-evidence correlates
      • 2.1.1L2 grammar
      • 2.1.2L2 vocabulary
      • 2.1.3L2 reading
      • 2.1.4L2 speaking
      • 2.1.5L1 writing
      • 2.1.6Motivational constructs
    • 2.2Review of low-evidence correlates
      • 2.2.1L2 transcription
      • 2.2.2L2 decoding
      • 2.2.3Language aptitude
      • 2.2.4Working memory
      • 2.2.5Metacognitive knowledge
    • 2.3Review of moderator variables
  • 3.Research questions for the meta-analysis
  • 4.Method
    • 4.1Literature search and inclusion criteria
    • 4.2Acceptable measures of L2 writing performance and external correlates
    • 4.3Coding the primary studies
    • 4.4Research synthesis
  • 5.Results
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1High-evidence correlates
      • 6.1.1L2 grammar knowledge
      • 6.1.2L2 vocabulary knowledge
      • 6.1.3L2 reading
      • 6.1.4L2 speaking
      • 6.1.5L1 writing
      • 6.1.6Motivational constructs
    • 6.2Low-evidence correlates
      • 6.2.1L2 transcription
      • 6.2.2L2 decoding
      • 6.2.3Language aptitude
      • 6.2.4Working memory
      • 6.2.5Metacognitive knowledge
  • 7.Conclusion
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Published online: 04 August 2022
https://doi.org/10.1075/bpa.13.06koj
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