ENGLISH FOR
SPECIFIC
English for Specific Purposes 25 (2006) 123–129 PURPOSES
www.elsevier.com/locate/esp
Reviews
Alan Hirvela, Connecting Reading and Writing in Second Language Writing
Instruction, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 2004, pp. 210, ISBN 0-
472-08918-8.
Alan HirvelaÕs latest book, Connecting Reading and Writing in Second Language
Writing Instruction, offers a clearly written, comprehensive examination of the inter-
relation of these two skills in the L2 writing classroom. Because reading is a vital
component of writing in virtually every academic and professional setting, helping
students understand and master the skills involved is a prime goal of L2 writing
teachers. Most teachers probably have a sense that reading and writing support each
other and that effective pedagogy needs to integrate both. Many, however, especially
novice EAP/ESP teachers, might have questions about how to do so effectively. Hir-
vela provides clear, practical answers to these questions. His three-pronged focus on
important theories, research findings, and classroom practices provides a broad
overview of the field plus in-depth examinations of its various components.
The introduction argues for a reconceptualization of writing pedagogy to reflect
the idea that reading and writing depend on many of the same processes of compos-
ing. It highlights the difficulties writing teachers face in incorporating reading
instruction into their classes, including concerns about time, traditional attitudes
that see the skills as separate, and writing teachersÕ insecurities about teaching read-
ing. Another problem is the changing nature of literacy itself, as students must func-
tion not only in traditional print settings, but increasingly in electronic contexts as
well. The bookÕs objectives are to make writing teachers aware of current under-
standing of reading–writing relations and to discuss ways to facilitate those relations
most effectively.
Chapter 1 introduces the bookÕs major themes, provides historical background,
and outlines the theoretical framework that defines the field of reading–writing rela-
tions. It traces the changing conceptualization of reading, once seen as ‘‘a passive act
of decoding meaning and information’’ (p. 9), but now widely conceived to be an ac-
tive process of composition. HirvelaÕs presentation of the fieldÕs chronological and
thematic development is straightforward and inclusive. By discussing seminal articles
from the past two decades, he outlines basic concerns that define the discipline: the
interrelationship of reading and writing skills, the social nature of both processes,
intertextuality, the differences between L1 and L2 reading and writing, plagiarism,
and the changing definitions of literacy. The chapter concludes with a set of ‘‘oper-
ating principles’’ that serve as guidelines for understanding both the field and the rest
124 Reviews / English for Specific Purposes 25 (2006) 123–129
of the book. Like every chapter, this one includes questions to guide personal reflec-
tion or classroom discussions of the material.
The middle chapters of the book present three major approaches to reading–writ-
ing connections. Chapter 2 focuses on reader-response theory, an area Hirvela por-
trays as ‘‘underdeveloped’’ in L2 reading–writing studies. Engaging the reader
with pragmatic questions related to classroom practice, the author builds a case that
reading is central to writing and that reader response theory offers a valuable tool for
understanding the composing activities student writers apply to both processes. He
traces the history of reader-response research, primarily in L1 contexts, emphasizing
the shift in focus from author-centered and then text-centered methods of text anal-
ysis toward a view that includes the reader as ‘‘at least an equal partner in a dialogue
among these three parties’’ (p. 46). Such an approach foregrounds the interaction be-
tween the cultural schemata students use to interpret readings and the socially con-
structed, discipline-specific contexts within which they write. Two teaching scenarios,
in high school and college settings, provide helpful illustrations of how reader re-
sponse activities could help teachers understand their students better, while concur-
rently lowering student anxiety, raising awareness of reading strategies, and helping
students claim their own part in the process of composing meaning.
Chapter 3 is one of the most useful portions of the book. It investigates applica-
tions of writing to increase reading ability and comprehension, an area of consider-
able focus in both research and practice. A practical definition of writing to read
emerges from an observation of how an ESL studentÕs written notes on Catcher in
the Rye could provide a ‘‘kind of contact point with the text’’ (p. 75) that brings
half-formed impressions to awareness and guides further interpretation. An investi-
gation of the origins of writing to read includes ‘‘common sense,’’ published critiques
of older reading pedagogies, discussion of the writing-to-learn movement, and a sur-
vey of research literature. The chapter provides a valuable exploration of ways that
writing activities might provide both micro and macro level support for reading,
especially in relation to the nearly universal need of students to write from source
texts. Although the activities presented in this section – including summarizing, syn-
thesizing, responding, prereading, writing response statements, and journaling – are
familiar to most teachers, HirvelaÕs discussion, which combines insights from numer-
ous researchers with practical suggestions for implementing them, casts them in a
new light. Two major teaching approaches, the sequential model and content-based
instruction, give teachers ways to integrate the afore-mentioned activities into read-
ing–writing syllabi.
Chapter 4 shifts the focus to reading to write, investigating the ways that input
might serve to connect the two skills. It draws on research in which reading is seen
as directionally influencing writing and raises questions teachers might have about
what kinds of reading input are most effective. The focus here is not on the content
of student readings, but on ways they might provide information about rhetorical,
organizational, linguistic, lexical, and stylistic features that students could use in
their own writing. The chapter presents two major models of reading for writing,
based on the distinction between learning and acquisition. The direct model, in-
formed by analogies such as ‘‘mining’’ or ‘‘writerly reading,’’ is based on explicit
Reviews / English for Specific Purposes 25 (2006) 123–129 125
instruction of pertinent structures and features. In one application of these princi-
ples, rhetorical reading, students are encouraged to focus on purpose; in another,
they are given sample works that serve as models of target forms. Indirect models
of reading for writing are based on the theory that students acquire knowledge of
writing without explicit instruction. Applications include extensive and free/volun-
tary reading. Practical suggestions and illustrative teaching scenarios enrich the pre-
sentation of both approaches.
Chapter 5 brings the theoretical and practical considerations of the previous chap-
ters together with a focus on pedagogical applications. It presents several major
models of reading–writing connection, relates these to the approaches presented in
Chapters 2–4, and includes helpful suggestions of texts and activities to facilitate
classroom implementation. The Computer-Mediated Model focuses on the rapid
changes in literacy brought on by technological advances and outlines important dif-
ferences between traditional and electronic literacies. The Literature/Response Mod-
el builds on the principles discussed in Chapter 2, describing experiential, sequential,
and collaborative approaches that use student responses to texts as the basis for on-
line or in-class discussions. The Collaborative Model involves students in composing
together. Writing groups, peer review, and other processes of intellectual negotiation
build classroom communities of readers and writers and prepare students to partic-
ipate in broader academic and professional discourse communities. Finally, the Con-
tent-Based Model, comprising theme-based, sheltered, and adjunct approaches, links
writing classes with tasks that students need to complete for other courses.
This book fulfills its objectives well. Not only does it build a compelling argument
for linking reading and writing pedagogy in L2 writing classes, but it also gives real-
istic, practical advice for teachers seeking to do so. Readers will gain a clear under-
standing of the connections between theory, research, and practice in this field.
Teachers could easily use the discussion questions and pedagogical suggestions in-
cluded in each chapter as a springboard for further brainstorming on applications
to specific classroom settings. Although the bookÕs graphic layout might be a bit
understated, HirvelaÕs prose is informative and engaging. He writes with the author-
ity of a scholar who has made significant contributions to the field; readers benefit as
he uses his experience to guide them toward an informed perspective relating theories
and research findings to actual practice. Chapter 3 is especially rich, so that Chapter
4, in contrast, might seem a bit underdeveloped – a reflection not on the author, but
on the fact that reading to write has not received the attention it deserves from
researchers. Although Hirvela is even-handed in his presentation of arguments for
both implicit and explicit instruction, some readers may balk at the idea that L2
writing students could develop adequate awareness of form solely through implicit
means. Chapter 5 tended to reiterate many points from one section to the next, a
degree of repetitiveness that may strike some as unnecessary. In practice, however,
the repetitions may fuel reflection that helps readers draw connections between
theories and research presented earlier. These are minor points. Overall, this book
is an important addition to the field and an excellent resource for L1 and L2 writing
teachers, teacher trainers, and TESOL graduate students seeking a balanced, practi-
cal understanding of reading–writing connections.
126 Reviews / English for Specific Purposes 25 (2006) 123–129
J.R. Stowe
Georgia State University
PO Box 4099, Atlanta, GA
30302-4099, United States
E-mail address: [email protected]
doi:10.1016/j.esp.2005.05.004
V.K. Bhatia, Worlds of Written Discourse: A Genre-Based View Cornwall, UK
Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd p. 288, Paperback £25.00; hardcover
£75.00, ISBN 0826454461
V.K. BhatiaÕs purpose in this book is to address the relation, or rather thegap, be-
tween the real and the ideal – the actuality of written discourse in academic, profes-
sional and institutional contexts, with its idealistic representation in genre analysis. It
is intended for linguists interested in discourse and genre research, as well as practi-
tioners teaching a course on genre analysis. The book is divided into five sections,
most of which contain at least two chapters. Its first section, the ÔOverviewÕ, provides
a survey of the historical development of discourse analysis, a review of the different
approaches to inquiry into written discourse (as text, as genre, as professional prac-
tice, as social practice), and a description of the various stages of analysis (textual-
ization, organization, contextualization).
The next section, ÔThe world of realityÕ, explores the function of disciplinary
knowledge with a view to a deeper awareness of genre-based variation in aca-
demic and professional discourse, contemplating genres within and across specific
domains. Bhatia elucidates the terms genre, register, and discipline, demonstrating
their complex, and at times overlapping as well as contrasting, relationships. Tak-
ing as examples the genres of textbooks, lectures and cases, he points out that
although they all serve a common purpose in academic contexts across disci-
plines, they also display idiosyncratic disciplinary characteristics which are contin-
gent on the discursive practices of the discipline, the disciplinary methodologies,
and the pedagogic tasks and activities deemed productive for the particular
discipline.
In this section, domain-specific genres are subcategorized as comprising genre
sets, systems of genres, and disciplinary genres, and the concept of a genre colony
is introduced as a collection of genres within and across disciplines with a common
communicative purpose and also as ‘‘a process whereby generic resources are
exploited and appropriated to create hybrid (both mixed and embedded) forms’’
(p. 58).
According to what he terms Ôgeneric valuesÕ (rhetorical acts through which the com-
municative purposes of genres are realized, e.g., description, evaluation, information,
explanation), Bhatia differentiates between primary and secondary members of genre
colonies, observing that the mixing of private intentions with socially recognized
