L2 writing as a site for L2 learning: A missing piece in the SLA puzzle

The inquiry into writing as a site for language learning, a newcomer to second language acquisition (SLA) studies, attempts to illuminate the ways in which the processes involved in writing –planning, composing, reflection, monitoring, retrieving knowledge, and processing feedback- can promote L2 acquisition. Despite its short history, theoretical and empirical work on learning through writing is developing into a vibrant strand with a rich scholarly output that includes both theoretical accounts of and an expanding body of empirical work on the language learning potential of L2 writing and written corrective feedback. In this talk I will start by outlining why the study of the connection between L2 writing and L2 learning represents a "missing piece in the SLA puzzle", as mentioned in the second part of the title. This will be followed by a synthesis of key initiatives and empirically-based developments that translated into the impetus for SLA-oriented L2 writing research agendas. I will next discuss major theoretical issues and directions in empirical strands (including the work conducted by our own research team) in an attempt to (i) reflect current progress; (ii) link advances in contemporary research agendas with relevant SLA disciplinary debates; and (iii) assess the resulting insights from L2 writing to cognitively-oriented SLA. I will close with some reflections on necessary substantive and methodological initiatives aimed at fostering further development.