Abstract：The results of research comparing the use of this by native versus non-native English speak‐ ers have thus far been contradictory. To gain a better and clearer understanding of the results, we conducted a meta-analysis to quantitatively synthesize a total of 3586 samples of demonstrative this from 12 studies published between 2000 and 2020 using overall effect analysis, subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses. The overall effect analysis showed that non-natives use significantly more attended this than English natives do (d = 0.2). Subgroup analyses showed that this overall effect is moderated by non-natives’ English proficiency (d = 0.6), first language (d = 0.4), and genre (d = 0.6). Sensitivity analyses revealed that the educational system L2 learners underwent and the amount of L2 exposure might also moderate the overall effect. Our findings may provide valuable information for research on the development of localized English for research publication purposes in China and implications for pedagogy.
Key words: (un)attended this; meta-analysis; second language writing; English proficiency level; academic writing
