Reflection for learning in doctoral training: writing groups, academic writing proficiency and reflective practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basil Khalifa Costas Derek Cahusac de Caux ◽  
Cho Kwong Charlie Lam ◽  
Ricky Lau ◽  
Cuong Huu Hoang ◽  
Lynette Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Doctoral Training ◽  
Writing Groups ◽  
Writing Proficiency

scholarly journals Get a Room! How Writing Groups Aid the Development of Junior Academics’ Writing Practice and Writer Identity

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-74
Author(s):  
Jenny Mattsson ◽  
Emma-Karin Brandin ◽  
Ann-Kristin Hult
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Writing Groups ◽  
Writer Identity ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Writing Group ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
The University ◽  
Writing Practice

The present study revisits writing retreat participants who have spontaneously formed writing groups before or after attending a retreat hosted by the Unit for Academic Language at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. All in all, 11 doctoral students and 1 post doc were interviewed using a semi-structured interview model. The answers were thematically analysed based on Murray’s (2014) concept of coherence in writing groups as well as parts of Aitchison and Lee’s (2006) key characteristics of writing groups. The two main research questions posed concern (i) whether the informants have changed their writing practice and/or the way they think and feel about writing since joining a writing group, and (ii) whether possible changes have aided the development of their identity as academic writers. Results show that the informants have indeed changed central aspects of their writing practice and that this in turn has positively influenced how they now think and feel about writing. This has to some extent contributed to the informants’ development of their writer identity; however, the present study also sheds light on the fact that more needs to be done at departmental levels across the university to make academic writing visible.

scholarly journals Academic Writing Groups in Higher Education: History and State of Play

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Catherine E. Déri ◽  
Émilie Tremblay-Wragg ◽  
Sara Mathieu-C.
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Education History ◽  
Writing Groups ◽  
Graduate Studies ◽  
Master's Programs ◽  
Documentary Sources ◽  
Scholarly Publications ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
And Gender

Over the past twenty years, graduate studies have seen significant growth, with student numbers more than doubling worldwide. Unfortunately, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development continues to report dropout rates averaging 50% for PhD and 40% for master’s programs, in all disciplines combined. Among the reasons quoted for abandoning study programs are deficient academic writing competencies that could not only hinder how graduate students progress through their academic journey, but also how they integrate with the scientific community as novice scholars. Accordingly, this article will present an overview of studies related to academic writing groups, which have been identified as one of the strategies to benefit graduate studies. Based on a systematic literature review, we present a chronological account of key issues and concepts that have influenced the phenomenon throughout history. Thereafter, we explain the various characteristics of academic writing groups in order to delineate this phenomenon through the description of its inherent elements and propose an all-encompassing definition. The analysis of 72 documentary sources also allows the observation of trends through the examination of geographical, disciplinary, and methodological factors drawn from scholarly publications. Finally, we highlight considerations for future exploration of academic writing groups used as a pedagogical strategy in the context of higher education, from disciplinary, sociocultural, and gender perspectives.

scholarly journals Investigating Cohesion and Coherence Discourse Strategies of Chinese Students with Varied Lengths of Residence in Canada

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista Leo
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
First Language ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Generation 1.5 ◽  
First Year ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Cohesive Devices ◽  
Discourse Strategies

This study examines how three age-on-arrival (AOA) groups of Chinese-background ESL students use two types of cohesive devices on a standardized essay exam. A discourse analysis of 90 first-year students’ expository writing samples was conducted to ascertain how factors such as first language (L1) and length of residence (LOR) in Canada influence a student’s ability to create cohesive and coherent writing. The study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore how Canadian-born Chinese (CBC) students use lexical and referential discourse markers. Twelve essay features of this group of Generation 1.5 students are compared with those of two other cohorts of Chinese students with a shorter LOR. Key writing variables that measure academic writing proficiency were quantitatively analyzed to compare the expository writings of the CBC cohort with those of the later AOAs. Results indicate that synonymy and content words distinguish the writings of the CBC students from those of their later-arriving peers. A qualitative analysis of one CBC essay reveals that a more flexible and contextualized approach to evaluating writing by longterm Generation 1.5 students is required to acknowledge fully the productive lexical and discoursal strengths of these students.

scholarly journals SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE PREPARATION: METHODOLOGY DESCRIPTION

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincentas Lamanauskas
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
Scientific Article ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Continuous Activity

Scientific (academic) writing is continuous activity of every scientist (researcher), and therefore needs to be regularly advanced. Thus, it should be wrong to assume that writing proficiency is achieved once and for all. The skills of academic writing are essential for the independent acquisition of scientific knowledge and for disseminating the acquired information, i.e. sharing knowledge with others. On these grounds, it is worth remembering that a fully completed research paper, the clear results of the conducted research and specific and valid conclusions act as prerequisites for writing a good scientific article etc. Another trivial but important point is that writing an article (or other research paper) is barely a study itself, but only the presentation, dissemination and publicity of the findings. Consequently, even properly carried out research (exploration, examination etc.) and the obtained significant results may fail to be appropriately presented, and the importance of the produced results may simply ‘disappear’ in a poor description.

scholarly journals Journal Writing: Effects on Students’ Writing Proficiency and Student and Teacher Attitudes

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-48
Author(s):  
Aynur Yurekli ◽  
Anita Afacan
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Journal Writing ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Natural Activity ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Student Focus ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Academic Topic

In today’s world, writing is no longer a natural activity, especially for the younger generation. They look upon this activity as too complex, overwhelming and sometimes irrelevant. These attitudes are amplified when having to write in a second language. In EFL tertiary education, the expectations of academic achievement have become far greater than actual student capabilities. This study examined the possibility of using journal writing, both with and without an audience, as a way to address this issue. It is believed that by engaging students in the act of writing without the burden of an academic topic, it will indirectly impact students’ academic performance. Seventy-six undergraduate students in three groups (one control and two experimental) were involved. Data was collected in the form of pre-test and post-test writing, student focus group meetings and an interview with the instructor. From the study, it was found that dialogue journal writing with an audience contributed to an increase in the proficiency level of students, especially in terms of their organizational skills. In addition, students who undertook journal writing expressed gains in self-confidence, and were aware of the role of journal writing in this. Finally, journal writing was found to offer insight to the instructor with regard to what is happening under the surface of a class, and thus better address students’ needs. Keywords: EFL, academic writing, writing proficiency, journal writing

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