| The Writing Center provides an alternative space for learning English writing in an academic context. For ESL writers who have particular concerns with the English language, the one-on-one writing consultation in the Writing Center provides potential opportunities for the L2 writers to resolve their linguistic uncertainty in their L2 writing.;This study examines five cases with multiple consulting sessions in the Writing Center. Based on the theoretical framework of sociocultural perspective and the analyses of Language-related episodes (LREs) in the collaborative dialogues in writing consultations. This study illustrates how L2 learners are engaged in the conversation and scaffolded for language learning during writing consulting.;The results support the concept of collaborative dialogues as language learning occasions (Swain & Lapkin, 1995, 1998, 2002) and highlight the importance of recognizing L2 learners' individual difference in L2 writing development, which affects the effectiveness of interaction and feedback (Aljaafreh & Lantolf, 1994). A model of writing center consultation is created to illustrate the scaffolding processes with different writers and in various contexts based on writing center pedagogy.;For teaching practices in the Writing Center, the findings raise questions about how writing center pedagogy can empower L2 writers on their language control when the writing consultants have the ultimate control in language and the L2 learners have the inherent uncertainty. While writing center work draws on the advantages of collaborative dialogues and effects better language control for ESL writers based on a sociocultural learning perspective, writing center pedagogy needs to continue reconsidering the needs and beliefs of ESL writers (Blau & Hall, 2002; Powers, 1993). The language issue in ESL writing is not a lower order concern in the writing, but more likely a primary concern for the writer. As also found in this study, when the broader contextual factors such as the focus of writing and writers' beliefs are taken into account, language knowledge and control are not just about linguistic correctness to ESL writer development. In striving to create better writers but not just better writing for any writers, it is crucial for writing centers to continue rethinking their staff training on the topic of language issues with their diverse multilingual clientele who speaks English as a second language. |
