“Writing is re- writing”: Developing language awareness through a process- oriented approach in an EFL academic writing course

To illustrate some of the benefits and challenges of process-oriented writing instruction in EFL classrooms at universities, this chapter examines the learning experiences and perspectives of second-year English Language Education majors at a Hong Kong university who enrolled for a compulsory academic writing course that aimed to raise awareness of academic writing strategies and promote deep-learning (Lam, 2015b, 2019; Seow, 2002). 15 students with an upper intermediate level of proficiency enrolled in this 13-week, crediting-bearing course, which covered three writing genres: critiques, argumentative essays, and reflections. Throughout the semester, academic writing skills were taught in interactive lessons. To track their progress, the students were required to organize and retain all their work in a writing portfolio. To understand students’ expectations and concerns about the course, they were asked to complete a pre-course questionnaire. Their evaluations of their learning and views about the course were collected by way of reflective essays and a post-course questionnaire. The chapter aims to provide directions for teachers who wish to implement a process-oriented approach to academic writing instruction, particularly peer reviews in EFL writing classrooms. © 2025 Taylor & Francis.