Leki (English, U. of Tennessee), Cumming (education, U. of Toronto), and Silva (ESL writing, Purdue U.) present a thematically organized synthesis of 20 years of published research on second language (L2) writing in English, and provide an analytical discussion of the most significant and influential findings of that research. Designed to promote understanding of L2 writing in English and to provide access to research developments in the field, the text is intended for L2 writing researchers worldwide, L2 writing practitioners, graduate students in TESOL methods courses, L1 English writing professionals and practitioners, and graduate students in teacher education courses and writing centers. Coverage includes research on L2 writing in various contexts; pedagogical and assessment issues in courses and institutions; and basic empirical research on L2 writers, composing processes, and texts. Lawrence Erlbaum is an imprint of Taylor & Francis. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

This is the first book-length study of bilingual, international, and immigrant students in English writing courses that attempts to fully embed their writing experiences within the broader frame of their personal histories, the human context of their development, and the disciplinary contexts of their majors. It addresses the questions: How useful are L2 writing courses for the students who are required to take them? What do the students carry with them from these courses to their other disciplinary courses across the curriculum? What happens to these students after they leave ESL, English, or writing classes? Drawing on data from a 5-year longitudinal study of four university students for whom English was not their strongest/primary language, it captures their literacy experiences throughout their undergraduate careers. The intensive case studies answer some questions and raise others about these students' academic development as it entwined with their social experiences and identity formation and with the ideological context of studying at a U.S. university in the 1990s.--Cover, p. [4].