Mapping new territory: Toward an understanding of adolescent L2 writers and writing in US contexts

In this introduction to the special issue on adolescent L2 Writing in the US contexts, we explore how adolescents and their secondary school contexts are distinct from the college-age student writers and settings traditionally studied in the field of second language writing. The article begins by exploring the limited scholarship that has been conducted on this population to date, arguing for a more sustained level of inquiry and discussion into the writing practices and contexts of these young people. We then offer a conceptual model, depicting three vantage points for research on this population: identity negotiation/social interaction; national policies and curricula; and students’ in-school and post-secondary school trajectories. Within this model, we identify interdependent contextual factors, consider the implications of these factors for research, and argue for a recursive and dialogic understanding of these contextual factors at the secondary level. Finally, we introduce the featured articles in the volume and discuss the contribution of this special issue to the field.