Directions for future methodologies to capture the processing dimension of L2 writing and written corrective feedback

The field of second language (L2) writing research has seen an increased interest in exploring the behaviors in which L2 writers engage (features of the writing and feedback process that are directly observable) and the cognitive processes involved in L2 writing and feedback processing. In this chapter, we provide an overview of theoretical ideas underlying cognitively-oriented writing and corrective feedback research, and discuss the methodological options available to investigate L2 writing and L2 feedback processing. We also highlight and demonstrate how employing novel data collection tools and data analysis procedures and combining them in innovative ways can help reach a more valid and fuller understanding of the L2 writing and feedback process. We also recommend designs for four future empirical studies which aim, via the use of innovative methods, to help raise our understanding about (1) the detailed processes involved in L2 text production, (2) the ways in which L2 writing processes and associated processes change over time, (3) how feedback processing relates to the quality of revised texts, and (4) the behaviors and cognitive processes in which learners engage when they process written feedback.