Simultaneous Effects of Linguistic Knowledge and Topic Familiarity on L2 Writing of Vietnamese Upper-Secondary School Students: A Simple SEM Model

This study seeks to investigate the impact of linguistic knowledge and topic familiarity on upper secondary school students’ L2 writing performance in the Vietnamese context. A structural equation modeling (SEM) model was employed to analyse quantitative data collected from 131 students from Binh Duong province. Results revealed that linguistic knowledge positively influenced L2 writing performance, with mid-to-low-frequency vocabulary knowledge having the greatest impact. High-frequency vocabulary knowledge and grammar knowledge were also significant but to a lesser extent. Furthermore, self-reported familiarity with the topic did not account for variances in L2 writing performance when students were given the same topic. The study provides implications for research and teaching of L2 writing, suggesting that linguists, teachers and researchers should consider both linguistic knowledge and topic familiarity in designing and implementing effective L2 writing instructions in Vietnamese public secondary schools.