scholarly journals The Language Ecology of Graduate Students: An Exploration through Vocabulary Contribution

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-82
Author(s):  
Daron Benjamin Loo
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
Language Ecology ◽  
Source Type ◽  
Learning Ecology ◽  
Support Students ◽  
University Setting ◽  
Excel File

This study explores the language ecology of graduate students through vocabulary contribution. Understanding students’ learning ecology may be done through the identification of pertinent sociomaterial networks with which students engage to initiate or complement learning. This study was set in an academic writing module taught by the researcher. An open invitation was extended to his students to contribute any vocabulary they encountered outside of his classroom. Along with the vocabulary contribution, students also had to provide the excerpt where the word occurred and the source-type. Contributions were made on an online Excel file. There was a total of 277 contributions made, of which 259 were unique (229 words and 30 unique strings of words). Students’ contributions of strings of words were not anticipated. A majority of these contributions came from academic sources, such as research articles or book chapters, which may be a pertinent aspect of the graduate students’ language ecology. Through the findings, it is recommended that English for academic purposes (EAP) or English for specific purposes (ESP) instructors identify language ecologies found in the broader university setting to glean relevant pedagogical materials that can support students’ language development.

scholarly journals Challenges of Integrating Academic Sources in Assessed Assignments: A Case of Arab EFL Learners

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Samia Naqvi
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Academic Literacies ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Student Focus ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Support Students ◽  
Linguistic Backgrounds

Integration of academic sources is an essential component of academic writing. It adds authenticity to the work, indicates that the student has read extensively, and upholds academic integrity of the written piece. However, according to the author’s experience of teaching undergraduate level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students, using academic sources and citing references effectively is one of the most daunting features of academic writing. Therefore, this study investigates the challenges faced by students in citing academic sources while composing research based reports and, by the same token, the reasons behind them. It also considers teachers’ observations about these challenges and the strategies that can be adopted to support students. A mixed method approach was used where data were collected through student questionnaires, student focus groups, interviews with faculty members, and students’ assignment reports. The participants included 97 undergraduate-level Engineering students enrolled in three sessions of an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course called Communication Skills. The paper reports on the details of the research-based assignment and the measures used by the author to support students in integrating sources in the report. It was observed that the students found integration of academic sources as the most problematic requirements and features of the assignment. The data revealed that these challenges are direct consequences of students’ linguistic backgrounds; lack of appropriate writing skills; difficulty in comprehending articles due to the technical jargon used; and high word count of the academic papers. In response to that, the author strongly recommends the incorporation of academic literacies in the curricula of specialist courses as well as prompt, closer collaboration between language instructors and subject specialists. Though this study was limited to the students of a specific course, it is hoped that the findings will help other EFL and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instructors apprehend the crux of the issue and devise effective strategies to overcome the above-mentioned challenge.

Register in English for Academic Purposes and English for Specific Purposes

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 168-198
Author(s):  
Susan Conrad
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
Student Writing ◽  
Workplace Writing ◽  
Writing Project ◽  
Register Variation ◽  
English Grammar

Abstract Susan Conrad, Professor of Applied Linguistics at Portland State University (USA), contributes this article on the applications of register research to English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Her research focuses on topics including academic register variation, discipline-specific language, student and workplace writing, and grammar and writing pedagogy. Since the 1990s, her work has advocated for and exemplified the ways in which register-based descriptions can facilitate language teaching, including building awareness of register variation in learners and novice writers themselves. This focus is illustrated in her book Real Grammar: A Corpus-Based Approach to English (Conrad & Biber 2009, Pearson Longman), which takes many of the major register-based patterns of variation in English grammar (described in the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English, Biber et al. 1999) and translates them into practical grammar lessons for language learners, making explicit how grammar use is mediated by register. Her applied focus is also evident in her work as Principal Investigator for the Civil Engineering Writing Project <http://www.cewriting.org/>. The project, funded by the National Science Foundation, addresses the writing needs of Civil Engineering students through corpus-based register comparisons (of university student writing, practitioner workplace writing, and published academic writing), applying the results to the development and evaluation of pedagogical materials that improve students’ preparation for writing in the workplace.

scholarly journals Genre-Based Approach to the Analysis of Introductions in Doctoral Seminars of the Department of English, Unizik, Awka

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Chinwe Ezeifeka
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Academic Culture ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
University Of Southern California ◽  
Generic Structure ◽  
Research Article ◽  
Language And Literature ◽  
The University

This paper analyses selected research article introductions of doctoral seminars in the Department of English Language and Literature, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, to determine how these academic writings follow specific formats characteristic of such genres. Specifically the work looks at the staged cognitive organisation of the selected samples in line with the requisite schematic or generic structure postulated in Bhatia (1993) and adopted by the University of Southern California (USC). Every genre is characterized by culture-bound unique structuring and communicative purposes that give it generic coherence. Research article introduction is an academic sub-genre with specified conventions characterising genres from the academic culture/community. A total of eighteen samples of research introductions were analysed, the aim being to determine whether the cognitive move structures in the samples conform with, or depart from, the conventionalized patterns of this academic sub-genre and how the pattern used in the samples enabled or militated against the writers’ achievement of the desired communicative purposes. A critical reading of doctoral seminars in the Department shows lack of knowledge of the unique formatting of introductions, making this work to be anchored on English for Specific Purposes (ESP) with particular emphasis on English for Academic Purposes (EAP). The baseline of the findings is to discover the present proficiency of these group of learners, enlighten budding academics on the move structure of article introductions in order to achieve generic coherence as well as target proficiency in that sub-genre of academic writing.

Facilitating and Assessing Academic Writing to Graduate Students in a Pilot English for Academic Purposes Course: An Activity Theoretical Perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 105678792110434
Author(s):  
Jianli Wang ◽  
Limin Tony Qin
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Writing Program ◽  
Student Interests ◽  
Writing Competence

This paper reports on a pilot course responding to facilitating academic writing for an academic writing program implemented at a provincial key university in China. Taken from an activity theoretical perspective, it discusses the practical experience collected during a pilot process of designing, implementing, and assessing a genre-based approach to facilitating graduate students’ academic writing and assessing their academic writing competence. It argues that it is essential to take varied student interests into account in the structuring, delivery, and assessment to ensure academic success and that EAP programs are fruitful places for nurturing academic writing.

scholarly journals The Inappropriateness of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) with Learner’s Goals: A Need Analysis on Communication and Islamic Broadcasting Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
St. Hartina ◽  
Syahrir Syahrir
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Short Duration ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
Learning Method ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Need Analysis ◽  
Repetitive Learning

The course of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is supposed to prepare students for the professional sector, yet the course at IAIN Palopo in Indonesi is designed in general English without any professional input or assessment of the learner's needs. This research is motivated by the Communication and Islamic Broadcasting program students’ complaints of unsatisfaction with the course since it does not meet their needs. This research aims to examine the English needs of students studying in the communication and Islamic broadcasting program. The researchers used a mixed-methods strategy that incorporates both quantitative and qualitative research. The participants in this study were 60 undergraduates and 30 graduate students. Data was gathered through questionnaires and interviews. The data was then analyzed using the comprehensive concept of need analysis proposed by Dudley-Evans & St. John (1998). The results revealed that the majority of students learn English to help them advance in their careers. Their top priority in ESP is to improve their speaking skills, followed by listening, reading, and writing. Due to the repetitive learning method, inappropriate textbook, and short duration, according to the interview results, the students were also unsatisfied with the present ESP course.

scholarly journals Writing Gravity: International Female Graduate Students’ Academic Writing Experiences

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abir Aly Eldaba ◽  
Janet Kesterson Isbell
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
Ways Of Knowing ◽  
Critical Study ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Language Writing

In a critical study, researchers explored academic writing experiences of three international female graduate students at a southern U.S. university in order to understand their perspectives of themselves as writers across cultures, their experiences with academic writing, and their coping strategies for academic writing assignments. Findings revealed participants’ challenges and self-doubts about second-language writing abilities. Participants both challenged disconfirmation of their writing and at times were submissive as they negotiated a graduate degree program. The study demonstrates need for universities to recognize marginalized groups’ knowledge and ways of knowing and to create spaces to discuss new possibilities for academic writing experiences among international students.

scholarly journals What we talk about when we talk about writing: exploring how English for Academic Purposes teachers and learning developers conceptualise academic writing

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon McCulloch ◽  
Tania Horak
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Academic Literacies ◽  
Professional Identities ◽  
High Ranking ◽  
Academic Writer ◽  
Sense Of Identity

Two main groups of staff currently provide writing support to students in British universities. These staff typically enter their roles from a range of professional backgrounds and, consequently, may hold different professional identities and understandings of what academic writing is. Although there is a body of research on teacher identity and on lecturers’ conceptualisations of writing, few studies have compared the views and identities of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teachers and learning developers. The current study set out to investigate whether these two groups perceive academic writing in similar or different ways, and why. We undertook a small-scale study, interviewing eight participants at two universities, half from a post-1992 institution and the others from a research-intensive, high-ranking university. While participants varied in their definitions of writing, common themes emerged, lying on a spectrum from an autonomous, text-based, to an academic literacies perspective on writing. To establish the influences on these perspectives, we investigated the participants’ sense of identity as an academic writer, how they learned writing themselves and any influences on them from theory. Neither the EAP teachers nor the learning developers identified strongly as academic writers, despite all holding postgraduate qualifications and some having published their writing. Most reported little to no training in how to write academically themselves, and few mentioned any theoretical stance in their approach to helping students. Although some clustering around particular conceptualisations of writing was observed, we did not find strong evidence that the participants belong to two different ‘tribes’.

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