Teaching English Language

Teaching English Language

Three Perspectives on the Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Second Language Writing and Future Orientations for Practice And Research

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia
Abstract
In response to the need to turn the spotlight on second language (L2) writing teachers, this article surveys the extant literature to proffer conceptualisations of L2 teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge of writing (PCKW) from three distinct perspectives. A categorical perspective has its focus on interconnected knowledge categories and elucidates the functions these categories fulfil in writing instruction. Rather than construing PCKW as a static entity, a contextually situative perspective advocates for understanding PCKW as an integrated entirety and as a socially situated phenomenon encompassing knowledge of and in practice, given its contextually conditioned mutability. A participatory perspective posits PCKW as emerging in and through teachers’ active, agentive, and iterative participation in critical experiences where problems of practice are addressed to enable the generation of novel knowledge and adaptive expertise. Based on the contextually situative and participatory perspectives, the paper emphasises the importance of a social constructivist approach to exploring the dynamics of PCKW and its manifestations in particular L2 contexts. Also discussed are critical recommendations for L2 writing teacher education, epistemological implications for the study of L2 writing teacher knowledge, and potentially significant agendas for future research into this lightly travelled area of inquiry.
Keywords

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Volume 18, Issue 2
July 2024
Pages 127-156

  • Receive Date 13 June 2024
  • Accept Date 06 August 2024