Reconceptualizing the impact of feedback in second language writing: A multidimensional perspective

While the published literature has revealed the cognitive and sociocultural nature of feedback and feedback has been reconceptualized as a socially mediated activity that occurs in particular cultural, institutional, and interpersonal contexts, existing research on the impact and effective-ness of feedback in L2 writing has primarily focused on "text revisions" and "writing quality" and pays considerable attention to linguistic/textual aspects of student writing. The current over-emphasis on what feedback practices could elicit positive text revisions ignores or at best mar-ginalizes the complexity of feedback in shaping the overall landscape of writing learning and even personal development of L2 writers. Informed by theoretical and empirical feedback research in L2 writing and higher education, this paper proposes a multidimensional framework regarding the impact of L2 writing feedback distributing among three dimensions: writing, writing process, and writers. This conceptual framework captures and integrates the multiplexity of feedback impact in L2 writing. This paper calls for a more dynamic understanding of L2 writing feedback and its multifarious impact, and provides some implications for pedagogical applications and future research in writing assessment.