English Continuation Writing in China’s Senior High Schools: A Systematic Review of Empirical Research

Abstract

English continuation writing has gained prominence in China’s senior high school English education as a pedagogical and assessment tool, following its incorporation into the national gaokao. This systematic review addresses the limited understanding of continuation writing by critically examining empirical studies published between 2016 and 2024, focusing on four key dimensions: (1) main focus areas and findings, (2) research designs and methodologies, (3) pedagogical approaches and their impacts, and (4) challenges and limitations faced by students and teachers. A PRISMA-based methodology was employed, reviewing 24 peer-reviewed studies retrieved from Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Findings reveal that cognitive and affective factors, including anxiety, cognitive load, and imagination, significantly influence student engagement and writing performance. Pedagogical strategies such as multimodal composing, blended learning, and production-oriented approaches enhance accuracy, coherence, and engagement but face challenges like uneven cohesion improvement and overemphasis on non-textual elements. Quantitative correlational and quasi-experimental designs dominate the literature, while qualitative insights remain underexplored. Teachers grapple with insufficient training, heavy workloads, and resource constraints, while students face challenges like limited vocabulary knowledge, high cognitive demands, and writing anxiety. This review highlights the need for balanced, context-sensitive instructional strategies and greater institutional support. It underscores the importance of diversifying research methodologies and advocates for longitudinal and qualitative studies to deepen understanding.