Exploring motivational and reflective dimensions of dialogue journal writing: learner beliefs about academic and general L2 writing

In higher education English as a foreign language classrooms, writing is often underemphasised outside specialised courses for language majors, leaving students with limited opportunities to practice. This study investigates dialogue journal writing—an interactive written exchange between two interlocutors—as a means of addressing this pedagogical need. Forty-nine first-year undergraduates at a technical university in Taiwan engaged in both general and academic dialogue journals over two semesters. Learners’ reflections were analysed using a combined concept-driven and data-driven coding framework, which identified seven main themes (knowledge, learning, self-efficacy, goal orientation, interest, outcome attribution, and teacher) and 14 subthemes. While most themes aligned with previous research, new subthemes (e.g. teacher commitment) also emerged. Participants reported benefits from both journal types, though teacher involvement required careful management. These findings demonstrate the potential of dialogue journals to enhance second language writing development while highlighting the need to balance teacher support with opportunities for peer interaction.