| Conceived within the frameworks of cultural-historical activity theory, systemic functional linguistics, and situated literacy, this study investigates the form and function of writing conferences in a university foreign-language class, focusing on the relationship among the teacher-student discourse in conferences, students' subsequent text revisions, and other factors affecting their modes of engagement with the writing activity.; The study involved 9 students who, over the course of 1 semester, composed texts on 3 different topics as part of classroom activities. Then in conferences with the teacher, they discussed their first drafts, produced second drafts, and, in interviews, reflected on the processes involved. The main sources of data consisted of audio-recordings of the conferences, the students' written products, both first and final drafts, audio-recordings of 3 retrospective interviews, and a questionnaire concerning their ethnolinguistic background. The triangulated sources of data were analyzed through the combined use of quantitative and qualitative methods.; Overall, the analyses pointed to the positive effects of the tripartite writing activity. The students as a whole utilized the majority of specific pointers offered during the conferences to revise their first drafts. They also reported the metalinguistic and metacognitive value to them of engaging in the process. Quantitative analyses of the conference discourse and of the relationship between the discourse and the students' revisions showed that the manner in which the students engaged in the writing-related activities was strongly influenced by the revision goals they set themselves, the topics selected for discussion in the conferences, and their target language proficiency. Additionally, qualitative analyses of 5 mini-case studies revealed that, in accounting for the students' differential performance, other factors, which appeared to cut across the proficiency differences, interacted with their target language proficiency in an intricate yet dynamic way.; The study suggests the importance of: (a) exploring teacher-student interaction in terms of discourse theory; (b) examining overall patterns of intertextual relationships between students' text revisions and talk around their texts; and (c) taking account of the multiple contexts that shape and are shaped by the writing activity. Methodological and pedagogical implications are also discussed. |
