A Discussion on the Possibility of Using Infographics for L2 Writing Pedagogy and Research

The purpose of this article aims to draw the attention of L2 writing practitioners and researchers to infographics, a medium of communication with text and image. The fundamental purpose of writing is to communicate information and thoughts, as is that of infographics. Infographics have emerged and evolved as one prevailing type of communication due to societal change and technology development. Given the current trend of communication, this article explores infographics for L2 writing within the following points. First, it explores the definition of an infographic, which is complex and interactive. Then, it presents pedagogical practices and research examples in L2 writing and different disciplines, demonstrating the needs of infographic-based practices and research in L2 writing. Finally, it presents specific pedagogical and research implications. The pedagogical implications include infographic-writing tools, general L2 writing and disciplinary-specific courses, and one concrete instructional example with an online resource. The research implications involve the features of infographics, learning transfer, and metacognition. This article suggests that L2 writing instructors need to develop infographic-based writing tasks for students to acquire skills to actively engage in public, disciplinary, and professional discourse since infographics are prevailing as popular genres of writing in the discourse contexts.