Second Language Writer Development in Writing Centers

A Case Study of Tutorsʼ and Tuteesʼ Experiences

Abstract

　In recent years, there has been a growing interest in writing centers as a new form of extra-curricular writing support for second language（L2） students. The purpose of this study is to explore how tutors in writing centers support L2 writers, how the support is perceived by the L2 writers, and what kind of learning and awareness L2 writers gain through the dialogue with tutors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with experienced tutors（n = 3） and L2 graduate students（n = 3） who repeatedly visited the writing center. The verbatim transcripts were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. The findings show that from the tutorsʼ perspective, the concepts of “building trust,” “waiting attitude,” and “facilitating noticing” are the keys to successful tutoring. The study also demonstrated that through the dialogue with tutors, L2 writers gained “awareness of their own thoughts” and “awareness of what they do think but do not yet write.” The results suggest that the novel writing support at the writing center, that is, process-oriented and interaction-based approaches to producing better writers, not better writing, could allow L2 writers to unlearn their familiar learning method, while helping them become better writers.