Two decades of research sheds light on the complexities of Chinese integrated writing

Integrated writing (IW) requires learners to synthesize multiple sources of information for a written response. It has become a key component of language education and assessment globally. A new integrative review synthesizing two decades of research reveals that Chinese IW is a complex construct influenced by individual psychological factors and shows strong associations between the first- and second-language skills, offering valuable insights for teaching and assessment.

Integrated writing (IW) has become increasingly important in academic and real-world communication, valued for its authenticity and fairness. Despite its prevalence, key questions about its underlying construct, influencing factors, and connections across languages remain underexplored, especially in Chinese L1 contexts. A research team from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has systematically reviewed approximately 40 studies to address these questions.

In a review published online on July 2, 2025, in the ECNU Review of Education, a research team led by Professor Xinhua Zhu from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University analyzed findings from two decades of funded research projects. They used diverse methods, including questionnaire surveys, interviews, and eye-tracking experiments, to clarify the framework of Chinese IW, its influencing factors, and the strong connections between L1 and L2 language IW skills.

“Our review moves beyond a simplistic view of IW as just combining reading and writing,” explained Zhu et al.

The review indicated that students’ IW performance is linked to some motivational factors, emotional states, and behaviors like seeking feedback. Notably, strong associations were found between students’ L1 and L2 IW skills in general performance, underlying abilities, and psychological traits, suggesting significant cross-linguistic transfer. However, the research also pointed to challenges, including teachers’ misconceptions about IW instruction and students’ difficulties in effectively integrating source information into their writing.

The findings have informed the development of assessment standards for Chinese public examinations in Hong Kong SAR, China. “To foster effective IW skills, we need to move beyond exam-focused teaching, design tasks that reflect real-world communication, and leverage the connections between students’ L1 and L2 writing resources,” Zhu et al. concluded.