Students’ voice in L2 English writing: A systematic review of literature

Abstract

The present systematic review assessed the existing and growing literature in metadiscourse and L2 English writing by focusing on using voice in students' writing. Empirical studies in this field were retrieved and coded for their research design, study types, data sources, software tools, corpora characteristics, study context, analytical tests and reporting practices. Prominent adoption of mixed methods and triangulation approaches was found. Hyland's metadiscourse model (2005) was utilised by most reviewed studies, while models proposed by other researchers were also found in this review, which provide more feasible choices for future studies. A shortage of longitudinal studies of voice and L2 English writing was found, and more evidence from diachronic corpora was spotlighted. Most reviewed studies were corpus-based; however, some studies showed that reporting corpora features remained insufficient. Implications and suggestions for further research of voice markers and L2 English writing were provided based on the review.