scholarly journals The Role of a Writing Center in Academic Writing Socialization of Second Language Graduate Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Osman Solmaz
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Center ◽  
Background Field ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Factors Influencing

Abstract Introduction: The present study aims to investigate second language graduate students’ academic writing socialization in relation to their experiences at writing center in North American higher educational context. The study documents how graduate students are socialized to use academic language in order to participate effectively within their academic communities by employing Weidman, Twale, and Stein’s (2001) framework for Graduate and Professional Student Socialization. Methods: The data is collected through semi-structured interviews with five graduate students who had experience visiting writing center to receive support for their academic writing. The data was analyzed based on the tenets of thematic analysis, which followed an iterative process. Results: It was revealed that second language graduate students’ reasons for visiting the Campus Writing Center included their educational background, field of study, and their first language(s). It was also shown that all participants expected revision on their grammatical errors as well as feedback on global areas such as idea development and organization during their visits. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that the participants gained both positive and negative experiences from the tutoring sessions, while it was found that writing center was not the only resource our participants relied on for the development of their academic writing. Discussion: There are various factors influencing and contributing to second language graduate students’ development of writing socialization within academic community. It is a challenging task for students from other educational and cultural backgrounds to adapt and socialize into new environments, especially in the academic community of higher education. Therefore, the support from writing service and writing development programs/workshops that are tailored to the specific needs of second language graduate students would be one helpful resource to help them go smoothly through the process of second language academic writing socialization. Given that second language graduate students generally benefited from a strong supervision and supportive feedback, and appreciated them as reported in the literature, it is also important to survey international students’ academic enculturation experiences periodically in terms of areas such as writing, speaking and participation in scholarly activities, faculty mentorship and offer feedback-support to overcome issues reported by students. Limitations: The number of participants and the lack of students’ academic text investigation were noted as limitations of the study. It is suggested that further research incorporates various sources of data collection such as tutor’s perspectives and the analysis of participants’ texts. Conclusions: It was concluded that writing center played an important role in academic writing socialization experiences of the participants, and there were various factors influencing and contributing to their academic writing socialization. Overall, it was concluded that the developmental processes into academic writing in second language were non-linear, dynamic, and multimodal.

Creating a Support Structure for Academic Writing and Publication Support

2015 ◽  
pp. 21-37
Author(s):  
Tonette S. Rocco ◽  
Lori Ann Gionti ◽  
Cynthia M. Januszka ◽  
Sunny L. Munn ◽  
Joshua C. Collins
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Center ◽  
Writing Centers ◽  
Scholarly Writing ◽  
Support Structure ◽  
Writing For Publication ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
The Way

Although research and writing for publication are seen as important responsibilities for most graduate students and faculty, many struggle to understand the process and how to succeed. Unfortunately, writing centers at most universities do not cater to these kinds of needs but rather to course-specific needs of undergraduate students. This chapter presents and explains the principles underlying Florida International University's establishment of The Office of Academic Writing and Publication Support, an office specifically designed to aid the scholarly writing efforts of graduate students and faculty. In doing so, this chapter aims to describe strategies and programs for the improvement of scholarly writing, provide insight into the kind of learning that can take place in a university writing center, and reflect on successes and missteps along the way. This chapter may be especially helpful to educators who seek to create similar offices or services at their own institutions.

scholarly journals Entering a Community of Writers: The Writing Center, Doctoral Students, and Going Public with Scholarly Writing

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Fry ◽  
Melissa Keith ◽  
Jennifer Gardner ◽  
Amanda Bremner Gilbert ◽  
Amanda Carmona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Center ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Going Public ◽  
Doctoral Level ◽  
Systematic Effort

In addition to taking advanced courses, graduate students navigate a potentially challenging transition of learning to write for publication. We, the authors, explored solutions to this transition with a study designed to explore the research questions: How does a systematic effort to help doctoral students enter a community of writers via writing center collaboration influence doctoral students’: (1) proficiency with academic writing, (2) writing apprehension, (3) self-efficacy as writers, and (4) comfort with “going public” with their writing? We used a collaborative, multi-layered self-study research approach because it allowed us to focus on critical examination of teaching practices that are of interest to the practitioner/researcher and to the greater educational community. Authors/participants include the co-director of a university Writing Center; two professors of a doctoral-level qualitative research methods course; four doctoral students who participated in a series of writing center collaborations; and one master’s student who served as a writing center consultant. These four perspectives provide unique insights into how writing center collaborations supported graduate students in developing their writing proficiency and efficacy, helping to initiate them into a community of writers who “go public” with their scholarship.

scholarly journals Avianomics: The Beginning at the End

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-78
Author(s):  
Mary Komp ◽  
◽  
Rebecca Bowie ◽  
Jean-Rémi Teyssier ◽  
Brooke C. Bodle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
High Order ◽  
Writing Style ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Inquiry Skills ◽  
Thesis Writing ◽  
Independent Thinking

The research-teaching nexus is the pinnacle of academic activity. As a scientist and educator, my overall objective is to give students access to cutting-edge research and help them develop high order inquiry skills. In addition, as research and thesis writing frequently involves the development of new complex reading skills associated with comprehension and synthesis of a tremendous volume of information, along with in-depth critical analysis, evaluation, and elegant academic writing style, I decided to assign this editorial to my 2020-Biochemical Nutrition graduate students. As my students have diverse educational and cultural backgrounds and have been exposed to a variety of tech-based learning, we decided to summarize here recent advances in omics research in avian species to facilitate the discussion by asking new questions, which may help open new vistas for future investigations. By following the “scaffolded” approach, my students highlighted progress in Transcriptomics (Komp M and Bowie R), Proteomics (Tabler T and Lee T), Kinomics (Hernandez RM and Zuo B), Epigenomics (Ferver A), Metabolomics (Maynard C and Mullenix G), and Microbiomics (Teyssier JR and Bodle B). I would like to thank my students for their motivation, dedication, determination, perseverance, connection, consistency, and support. I would also like to thank AFTNS-OJ for inviting me to write this editorial and I hope by getting my students involved would promote their curiosity, help them understand complex questions, explore more sources, stimulate their independent thinking, and create research- and question-mindsets.

Paraphrasing in English Academic Writing by Thai Graduate Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 48-54
Author(s):  
Buaboun Pinjaroenpan ◽  
Uthaivan Danvivath
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Coding Scheme ◽  
English Academic Writing

Objective - The primary objective of this study is to investigate the use of paraphrasing in writing, as practiced by graduate students who are majoring in English Language at a university in Thailand. Methodology/Technique - The research data was collected from multiple sources including a questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews, and students' written assignments. The participants were graduate students majoring in English at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, at Khon Kaen University. Students' paraphrased texts were analysed using a coding scheme adapted from Campbell (1987), Keck (2006), and Shi (2004). The coding scheme focuses on textual transformation, which has been further analysed for retaining the original meaning of the paraphrased text. Findings - The results reveal that, generally, students had a sound appreciation and understanding of paraphrasing and plagiarism at a conceptual level. However, the students made clear errors when required to paraphrase. In many cases, their lack of skill and knowledge led to instances of plagiarism in a significant number of respondents. In conclusion, greater attention should be given to educating graduate students how to paraphrase, to reduce plagiarism as well as to improve the standard of academic writing. The findings of this study provide beneficial knowledge concerning the practice of paraphrasing by graduate students' in Thailand; this understanding may foster improved paraphrasing standards among students. Novelty – This study is specifically concerned with the examination of perception, knowledge, and paraphrasing typology of students' English within a foreign language context. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Academic Writing; English as a Foreign Language; Graduate Students; Paraphrasing; Plagiarism. JEL Classification: I20, I21.

scholarly journals A Comparison Between Iranian L3 French and German Learners’ Perception of Factors Influencing Willingness to Speak English in Language Classrooms: A Mixed Methods Study

2020 ◽  
pp. 41-61
Author(s):  
Mohammad Bavali ◽  
Asma Siyahi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract The present study sought to investigate the effect of learning a third language on learners' willingness to communicate in their second language. The main purpose of the study, however, was to consider the difference between Iranian English/French learners and Iranian English/German learners in their willingness to communicate (WTC) in the second language and to examine the factors influencing their willingness to speak in English. The study benefited from a mixed methodology design comprising both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. The participants of the study were 20 bilingual learners and 40 trilingual learners, including 20 German learners and 20 French learners. They were selected as the sample population based on their performance on the standard test of OPT (Oxford Placement Test). It was an applied research in which a descriptive survey method had been adopted. A (WTC) questionnaire was used for collecting data. The results indicated a significant difference between bilingual and trilingual learners in their willingness to communicate in English. However, no significant difference was detected between trilingual learners. To verify the quantitative findings and to assess the accuracy of their results, interviews were used. Accordingly, a group of German and French learners was invited for interviews. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve L3 learners to examine the factors influencing willingness to communicate in both groups. The qualitative data derived from interviews were analyzed using NVivo software. No significant difference in the factors affecting willingness to communicate was seen between trilingual groups, which was confirmed by the findings of both quantitative and qualitative methods. Keywords: mixed methods, willingness to communicate, bilingualism, trilingualism

scholarly journals Developing an Understanding of The Sources of Some Graduate Students’ Perceptions of Academic Writing

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad I. Alhojailan
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Perceived Effects ◽  
Negative Perceptions

An increasing number of Saudi students in American universities has generated a need to explore the Saudi students’ perceptions of academic writing and the sources of such perceptions. Further research can enable writing researchers and instructors to help Saudi students to be better writers in American contexts. This study, therefore, explored the sources of 12 Saudi graduate students' perceptions of academic writing. The findings collected from 12 semi-structured interviews revealed the sources of the participants’ perceptions of academic writing. These sources are the perceived effects of the participants’ professors, the perceived effects of their fields of study/occupations, the perceived effects of their peers, and the perceived effects of the Saudi culture. The findings suggest the creation of opportunities for writing practices that can help identify the origins of difficulties in academic writing and then help students overcome those difficulties and change the negative perceptions students have about academic writing. The findings also show that those sources are interrelated. A more in-depth study of student perceptions and their sources is needed because we need a broader picture of how such sources might interact with each other.

scholarly journals Reflective Journal Writing: Writing Processes applied by Skilful and Less Skilful EFL Graduate Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Arifin
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Journal Writing ◽  
Reflective Writing ◽  
Educational Setting ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Reflective Journal ◽  
Learning Journals ◽  
The Right

Journal writing is the process of recording personal insights, reflections, and questions on assigned topics. It is extensively applied in educational setting as an individual activity with diverse terms and these include journal dialogue, learning journals, and reflective writing (RW). Reflective writing (RW) is one of the most common writing activities applied by higher education students. However, some still struggle with this writing technique. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the right processes/ sub-processes used by skilful and less skilful EFL graduate students in conducting Reflective writing. Data were collected from two (2) female graduate students through think-aloud, observation, retrospective, and semi-structured interviews. The result showed the significance of integrating a focus on an effective writing process/sub-process in academic writing and encouraging students to practice Reflective writing in multiple contexts by reading extensively when writing reflection. 

Creating Support for Graduate Students' Writing and Publication Endeavors

2018 ◽  
pp. 360-376
Author(s):  
Tonette S. Rocco ◽  
Lori Ann Gionti ◽  
Maria S. Plakhotnik ◽  
Sunny L. Munn ◽  
Joshua C. Collins
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Center ◽  
Writing Centers ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Writing For Publication ◽  
Students First ◽  
History Of ◽  
Florida International University

Although research and writing for publication are seen as important responsibilities for most graduate students and faculty, many struggle to understand the process and to succeed. Unfortunately, writing centers at most universities do not cater to these kinds of needs, but rather to course-specific needs of undergraduate students. This chapter describes a writing center, The Office of Academic Writing and Publication Support, at Florida International University, USA that was specifically designed to aid the scholarly writing endeavors of graduate students. First, the authors review literature on how individual instructors and programs assist graduate students in improving their writing skills. Then they provide a history of university writing centers and examine the evolution of their purpose. In the second half of the chapter, the authors share their experiences envisioning and building this writing center and creating, implementing, and improving its services. In doing so, they also reflect on successes and missteps along the way. The authors hope this chapter may be especially helpful to educators who seek to create similar centers or services at their own institutions.

scholarly journals A Narrative Inquiry of English Graduate Students’ Experiences in Writing for Publication

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 2281-2292
Author(s):  
Pradhita Ramadhani ◽  
Endang Fauziati ◽  
Suparno Suparno
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Education ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Writing For Publication ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Education Major

Academic writing in higher education mainly focuses on writing for publication. The success of writing for publication depends on the learners’ ability to access, understand the relevant references, evaluate, and synthesise the ideas, opinions, and sentences to make their academic pattern. Viewed from prior studies, it seems that many EFL learners have faced various problems in writing their academic papers, specifically writing for publication. To respond to this issue, this narrative inquiry aims to investigate (1) how learners acquire their knowledge in writing for publication, (2) the difficulties they face in writing for publication, and (3) how they face those difficulties. This present study intended to dig up the experiences of two graduate students of English Education major in writing for publication. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Then, the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. This study shows that the participants acquired knowledge and experiences from various sources that were useful for writing their academic papers. Surprisingly, the various difficulties they faced motivated them to learn more and improve their writing skills for publication. Pedagogical and future research implications are further discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document