Ha Thi Phuong Pham, FPT University, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Pham, H. T. P. (2024). Book review: Teaching and learning writing in ESL/EFL, foreign language teaching and research press, 2021. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 15(3), 560–563. https://doi.org/10.37237/150312
Abstract
This article reviews the volume Teaching and Learning Writing in ESL/EFL by Rachael Ruegg, edited by Peter Yongqi Gu and Guoxing Yu, and published in 2021 by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, Beijing. The book provides a comprehensive overview of writing instruction, particularly within the EFL context, and addresses topics that practically-minded readers would expect, such as writing pedagogies, feedback, and assessment. This review explores these aspects in detail and reflects on the book’s strengths and weaknesses, offering suggestions on how the book could be utilised effectively.
Keywords: ESL/EFL writing, learner autonomy, book review, self-access
Teaching and Learning Writing in ESL/EFL adopts a comprehensive approach to writing, making it useful for a range of audiences, such as ESL/EFL writing instructors, teachers-in-preparation, language learners, and writing center staff. As an introductory text, it provides a solid foundation in ESL/EFL writing thanks to the author’s accessible writing style. According to the author, the book will benefit learners, “regardless of whether there is a separate writing skills class, or whether writing is taught as part of an integrated-skills approach to language learning” (p. iii). As such, the book serves as a stand-alone resource and has great potential to support self-access learning and learner autonomy. Moreover, the book addresses a critical gap in the L2 writing literature, as most existing literature focuses on L1 student writers or advanced ESL writers, according to series editors Peter Yongqi Gu and Guoxing Yu.
Organised into eight chapters, the volume provides readers with a broad overview of ESL/EFL writing instruction. In Chapter 1, the four most common approaches to teaching writing are presented: the product, process, genre, and post-process approaches. By presenting these approaches chronologically, the author equips readers with a historical context of the field. Practical teaching aspects are discussed in the following chapters, starting with Chapter 2, which outlines the progression of writing instruction from character to word, sentence, paragraph, short essay, full-length essay, and ultimately extended academic writing. This chapter also introduces ten rhetorical modes that L2 writing learners encounter, including description, exposition, definition, process analysis, classification, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, critique, and argument.
Chapter 3 explores issues related to writing topics, such as whether learners should be allowed to select their own topics, and if so, how much freedom they should have. It also addresses types of topics and strategies for assigning writing tasks. Drawing on Ryan and Deci (2000)’s self-determination theory, Ruegg (2021) argued that allowing learners to choose what they want to write about is essential to fostering learner autonomy and motivation. The chapter provides evidence that self-selected topics lead to more positive perceptions and richer vocabulary use. However, the author also contends that in certain situations, it is more appropriate for teachers to select the topics, especially when learners are attending a course with a specific purpose, such as writing for academic purposes. In such cases, teacher-selected topics can better meet learners’ needs.
Chapters 4, 5, and 6 explore the various types of support teachers can offer to ESL/EFL writing learners. Chapter 4 focuses on supporting learners’ content knowledge and language skills, suggesting supplementary activities such as reading or listening related to the topic, as well as partial writing exercises like gap-filling, replication writing, and collaborative writing. Chapter 5 delves into the writing process for both essays and research papers. While essays involve expressing personal thoughts, research papers require exploring and learning about a specific topic. The chapter provides strategies for both writing types, including analysing essay and research questions, generating and organizing ideas for essays, and conducting research and note-taking for research papers. Chapter 6 shifts to the topic of feedback, addressing key issues such as when and who should provide feedback, whether it should be oral, written, or both, what types of feedback are most effective, and how to guide learners in using the feedback they receive.
Chapter 7, which covers writing assessment, begins with a brief history of writing tests before examining common assessment practices in the classroom. The author emphasizes that teachers should not be the sole assessors of writing tasks; peers and the student writers themselves should also be involved in the assessment process. Ruegg argues that both language skills (e.g., grammar and vocabulary) and writing skills (e.g., logic and critical thinking) should be assessed. Furthermore, assessment should not focus solely on the final product but also include the writing process, including peer feedback. The chapter concludes with a useful example of an analytic rubric for essay writing. Chapter 8 provides a summary of the topics covered in the previous seven chapters and offers key principles for teaching approaches, learner support, and feedback focus.
With its comprehensive coverage of ESL/EFL writing, Teaching and Learning Writing in ESL/EFL provides readers with a broad overview of the field. As such, the book will appeal to a variety of audiences. For novice groups, such as teacher trainees, less experienced educators, and learners, it serves as an accessible, self-guided introduction. A discussion forum could be formed to explore topics of interest, and learning journals could be used for reflection, documenting personal learning and teaching experiences, or brainstorming ideas for classroom application based on the book’s concepts. ESL/EFL learners may find Chapters 2 and 5 particularly helpful, as these chapters introduce various writing modes and processes that are essential for completing university-level writing assignments. For more experienced readers, the book can function as a reference guide on specific topics, as the author suggests. Additionally, writing centre staff and writing advisors may find the chapters on supporting student writers—particularly Chapters 4, 5, and 6—especially useful.
As a writing instructor myself, I find this book invaluable because it covers fundamental topics in ESL/EFL writing that would benefit anyone looking to deepen their understanding of this area. While many aspects of the book are drawn from the author’s teaching experiences, a comprehensive reference list is included at the end for those seeking to explore the subject further. However, a limitation of the book is its omission of more recent approaches, such as Multiliteracies (Kim et al., 2020) or Multimodalities (Hussin & Aziz, 2022), which emphasise integrating other modalities—like images and sound—into writing instruction. Furthermore, the book’s focus is predominantly on the teaching side, and it could benefit from a broader discussion of the learning side. That being said, Ruegg’s extensive teaching and research experience across countries such as New Zealand, Germany, China, and Japan lends the book significant value as an addition to the ESL/EFL writing literature. It also has great potential to serve as an independent, self-access resource for learners and educators alike.
Publication Information
Title: Teaching and Learning Writing in ESL/EFL
Author: Rachael Ruegg
Publisher: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press
ISBN 978–7–5213–2455–6
Date of publication: 7 April 2021
Price: CN¥28
Format: Softcover
Notes on the Contributor
Ha Thi Phuong Pham holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She studies student peer feedback, revision, collaborative writing, and writing assessment in Second Language Writing. Her research has been published in JoSch–Journal für Schreibwissenschaft, The Asia TEFL Journal, and Computer Assisted Language Learning.
References
Hussin, S. N. L., & Aziz, A. A. (2022). Rethinking the teaching approaches of ESL/EFL writing skills. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v11-i1/12174
Kim, S., Ramos, K. A., Chung, H., & Choi, S. (2020). Integrating critical multiliteracies pedagogy in ESL/EFL teaching. Journal of English Learner Education. 11(1). 54–82. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/jele/vol11/iss1/4
Ruegg, R. (2021). Teaching and learning writing in ESL/EFL. Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68
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