The book describes one teacher's study of student journal writing in college-level English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction and explores the potential of student journals in second language teaching. It first introduces the research questions and methods guiding the study, then reviews the literature that informed the investigation of mental processes involved in journal writing and describes the physical context of the research. Five detailed case studies follow: (1) Roberto: a Colombian student who used the journal to reflect on his own experiences in light of his reading; (2) Cliff: an Ethiopian student, a prolific and reflective writer who used the journal to explore personal issues and answered questions about his personal history as a reader and writer of English; (3) Maribel: a student from the Dominican Republic who summarized readings unreflectively in her journal; (4) Lan: a Chinese woman; and (5) Kiyoko: a Japanese woman. The last two had much in common but had very different reactions to journal writing. The final chapter discusses the implications of the case studies, particularly how they often belie common assumptions about writing and culture. (Contains 128 references.) (MSE)