The Use of Poetry and Sagacious Sayings to Initiate Active Engagement in a University Critical Reading and Writing Course

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-44
Author(s):  
Carmeneta Jones
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Active Engagement ◽  
Critical Reading ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Written Responses ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Academic Year

To gain optimally from their educational pursuit, university students should assume the roles of active participants in the process. As a facilitator of foundation critical reading and writing courses at a Caribbean university for over a decade, I discovered that students, especially those who pursue degrees in the sciences, find it very challenging to generate ideas for their academic writing. This article focuses on an action mixed method research project in which two groups of students from the Faculties of Science and Technology and Medical Sciences composed weekly Quick Writes about their experiences and engagement in their critical reading and writing course during the second semester of the 2016-2017 academic year. The process involved using their personal written responses to "poetic and sagacious sayings" as a means of generating ideas for further writing requirements.

scholarly journals KNOWLEDGE TRANSFORMING IN WRITING: AN ANALYSIS OF READ-TO-WRITE PROCESS

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Hanim Rahmat
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Likert Scale ◽  
Critical Reading ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Academic Reading ◽  
Academic Writer ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Reading Activities

<p>Academic writing depends on critical reading. Writers need to read materials to be used as support and evidence in their writing. The writing process of an academic writer mirrors the knowledge transforming model. The link between reading and writing has been established by past studies. The read-to-write process is the academic writing process that writers go through but focused more on the reading activities to prepare for materials to be included in the essay. This study is done to explore the perception of writers in their reading stage (read-to-write process). 176 undergraduates taking academic writing course were randomly chosen to respond to the instrument. The instrument is a 5 Likert-scale with 34 items on topics pertaining to variables found in the knowledge transforming model. Findings reveal that writers take alternative roles and reader and writer in the writing process. Findings also reveal interesting pedagogical implications in the teaching and learning of both academic reading and writing.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/lit/0136/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p><a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3883649"><img src="https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.3883649.svg" alt="DOI" /></a>

scholarly journals “Beautifying the Beast”: Customising Online Instruction in a Writing Course for Jamaican Tertiary-level Students

2013 ◽  
pp. 157-174
Author(s):  
Michelle Stewart-McKoy
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Online Instruction ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Design Based Research ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Directed Learning

This paper describes an on-going project which uses a design-based research approach in the design and development of customised online instruction for Jamaican tertiary-level students pursuing academic writing courses. The customisation of the academic writing content for online consumption is meant to spark student interest, prolong their online engagement and facilitate self-directed learning. This manuscript provides an overview of the four phases and describes in detail the processes and procedures involved in the completion of phases one and two of the research and the plans for implementation and evaluation of phases three and four.

scholarly journals Using Simulations in Teaching Research Academic Writing Course

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 68-75
Author(s):  
Ye. V. Luganskaya
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Simulation Games ◽  
University Of Maryland ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Teaching Research ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Positive Learning Environment ◽  
Dual Degree

The article focuses on teaching research academic writing to undergraduates taking a Russian-American dual-degree program offered by Baikal International Business School and its partner University of Maryland Global Campus. As the American program is online, writing courses are mandatory. Being the final course in the writing module, research academic writing is challenging not only for students but also for the instructor. This makes the teacher look for new ways to improve the quality of teaching and to motivate undergraduates. The paper describes action research aiming at introducing simulation games in research academic writing course to engage students in classroom activities, vary practical assignments, and make classes more interactive. Using observation, student questionnaires and interviews, the author compares her class atmosphere and student involvement before and after the intervention. As a result of her research, the author comes to the conclusion that simulation activities, besides other advantages, can be successfully used for teaching academic writing since they increase motivation and student engagement creating a positive learning environment. Moreover, pair or group work can minimize difficulties, which helps to better understand the material. Furthermore, simulation activities have a practical value enabling students to develop skills and competences vital for future managers. Also the paper offers simulation activities developed for the course which are given in the appendices

scholarly journals Saudi Arabia EFL university students’ voice on challenges and solution in learning academic writing

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Abdullah Alharbi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Efl Writing ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Writing Improvement ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Before And After

The present study aims to investigate the difficulties faced by 74 English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduate students in developing a well-written paragraph in academic writing by designing a writing course based on the students’ voices. The self-report survey (5-point Likert scale) was used as the pre- and post-questionnaire, and pre- and the post-tests task was used to track students’ writing improvement before and after taking a writing course. Pre-questionnaire and pre-tests showed that participants had difficulties in using the mechanics of writing (punctuation, spelling, grammar, topic sentences, and supporting sentences). The majority of the students’ responses in the post-survey shows that they believed their writing improved and encountered fewer difficulties in writing as compared to their views in the pre-questionnaire. The result of the post-tests indicates improvements in students’ writing samples. The study concludes that EFL writing courses should be designed on the basis of challenges faced by the students in order to get the best outcome from the course.

scholarly journals A longitudinal study of multi-word constructions in L2 academic writing: the effects of frequency and dispersion

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duygu Candarli
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
First Year ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Academic Reading ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Academic Year

AbstractThis study examined the trajectories of the multi-word constructions (MWCs) in 98 advanced second language (L2) learners during their first-year at an English-medium university in a non-English-speaking country, using linear mixed-effects modelling, over one academic year. In addition, this study traced the academic reading input that L2 learners received at university, and it was investigated whether the frequency and dispersion of the MWCs in the input corpus would predict the frequencies of MWCs in L2 writers’ essays. The findings revealed variations in the frequencies of different functional and structural categories of MWCs over time. This study provides empirical evidence for the effects of both frequency and dispersion of MWCs in the input corpus on the frequency of MWCs in L2 writers’ essays, underscoring the importance of both frequency and dispersion in learning MWCs and the reciprocity of academic reading and writing. The findings have significant implications for usage-based approaches to language learning, modelling MWCs in L2 academic writing, and L2 materials design for teaching academic writing.

scholarly journals Exploring Academic Writing Needs of Indonesian EFL Undergraduate Students

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ratnawati ◽  
Didih Faridah ◽  
Syafiul Anam ◽  
Pratiwi Retnaningdyah
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Private University ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Need Analysis ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
General Skills ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
The University

Academic writing is noteworthy competence to be accomplished for English as a foreign language (EFL) students to fulfill their academic needs at the university. To do so, Indonesian tertiary universities accommodate and foster this competence using academic writing course. The study, therefore, sought to look into: 1. what undergraduate EFL students’ perceptions of the importance of academic writing to their current study and future career, 2. what the students’ perceptions of the difficulties of academic writing, 3. what the students’ attitudes towards their previous and future academic writing courses. The present study investigates students’ needs emerging in academic writing during classroom practices to gain insightful and profound perspectives for forthcoming needs of the course. Data were collected through a five scaled questionnaire of need analysis distributed to thirty-four EFL students from a private university, and a focus group interview involving nine participants. Results indicate 61% (Mdifficulties=3.05) of students faced difficulties in both general skills and language problems of academic writing and a new course was expected to provide moves/steps for writing the sections in a research article. The present study then suggests that e-database resources are needed for academic papers models and references hence its efficiency and flexibility in prospective academic writing.

scholarly journals THE IMPROVEMENT OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC WRITING THROUGH READING ABILITY USING COOPERATIVE INTEGRATED READING AND COMPOSITION (CIRC) MODEL

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Rumiri Aruan
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Learning Improvement ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Academic Reading ◽  
Good Score

This learning improvement study aims to improve teaching and learning outcomes in academic writing through reading ability by applying CIRC model. This research was conducted based on the problems that occur when students taking Academic Reading and Writing courses. Among the problems found is that students still find difficulties in writing a summary of the specified article. The research subjects were students in the fourth semester of the academic year 2018/2019. Before applying this method, the writer conducted a pre-test. The pre-test results showed that the students' writing summary skills were still low. The pre-test result was 2.77% of students scored very well, 19.43% got a good score, 27.77% of students scored moderately, 47.22% scored less, and 2.77% in the category of failure. The Classroom Action Research method is carried out in the application of the CIRC model which consists of two cycles, where each cycle took place in two meetings, and each cycle applied different learning activities. The results of the first cycle have shown changes in several assessment criteria, but the research was still being carried out into the second cycle. This was done to further strengthen learning by using the CIRC model. The percentage of student scores in the second cycle shows that 36.03% got a very good score, 33.33% got a good score, 30.55% got a sufficient score, and no more students scored less, and failed. From the above results can be concluded that the application of the CIRC model by the distribution of different discussion groups in each cycle affected learning outcomes. Thus the CIRC model can be considered to use in learning academic writing through reading ability in Academic Reading and Writing courses.

scholarly journals UNIVERSITY STUDENTS� NEEDS OF WRITING COURSE MATERIALS: A CASE OF INDONESIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Ilham Ilham ◽  
Bachrudin Musthafa ◽  
Fazri Nur Yusuf
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Private University ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Teaching Writing ◽  
English Department ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Grammar Knowledge

The aim of this study is to explore the target needs (i.e. necessities, lacks and wants) of the students to inform academic writing courses materials. A case study design was employed as this design to provide in-depth data information. To collect the data, questionnaire and interviews were used. Twenty-three undergraduate students of English department at a private university in Mataram West Nusa Tenggara who take academic writing course in the 2019-2020 academic year participated in the study. The result of the study showed that the students need to learn the types of writing texts, vocabulary and construct sentences into paragraph, have good skills in writing different genres since they are lack of grammar knowledge and vocabularies, and improvement on the aspect of teaching writing. This finding may promise implications for updating the current curriculum and materials as practiced for tertiary level English department students in an attempt to keep up with the latest changes in the methodologies of English language teaching. This study recommends that lecturers and universities should conduct a need analysis regularly and updated the curriculum with such insightful needs.

scholarly journals A Pre-Experimental Study on a Process-Genre Approach for Teaching Essay Writing

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 44-54
Author(s):  
Wagdi Rashad Ali Bin-Hady ◽  
Aref Nassi Abdu Nasser Nasser ◽  
Abdu T. Al-Kadi
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
College Of Education ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
Signed Rank ◽  
Signed Rank Test ◽  
English Program ◽  
Academic Year

This study explored the feasibility of using a process-genre approach (PGA) for teaching academic writing from the perspective of EFL undergraduates. The sample consisted of 15 students enrolled in a four-year English program at the College of Education in Socotra, Yemen during the academic year 2018-2019. The study followed a pre-experimental design in which a pretest was given to the sample, and an extensive 30-hours program was pursued using the PGA. Additionally, ten informants were singled out for interviews to explore their opinions about the PGA-based teaching they experienced during the experiment. A Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used to calculate the degree of significance in students’ improvement on opinion essay writing (Z=3.408, p < 0.05) between the pretest and posttest in favor of the latter. The findings also revealed that students had positive perceptions towards the PGA that was applied by their instructors. The findings suggest that applying such an approach in writing courses could engage learners in writing practices that they view positively.  

scholarly journals Process genre approach to L2 academic writing: An intervention study

XLinguae ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 30-51
Author(s):  
Svetlana Hanusova ◽  
Olga Dontcheva-Navratilova ◽  
Marie Lahodova Valisova ◽  
Marketa Matulova
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Academic Texts ◽  
Writing Course

The paper presents the research study of academic writing of Czech university students in an English Language Teacher Education study program. The authors apply an interdisciplinary approach integrating the perspectives of linguistics and language pedagogy in the evaluation of the design of the Academic Writing course and its impact on the development of students’ academic writing skills. Adopting a process genre approach (Badger, White, 2000) to writing instruction as a key design principle, our study combines the genre analysis framework (Swales, 1990) and the intercultural rhetoric perspective (Connor, 2004) to design an innovated academic writing course for graduate students focusing on developing critical thinking skills and context-aware writing. The course, informed by an analysis of the academic writing needs of the students, aimed at familiarizing them with the rhetorical structure of academic texts with a focus on the genre of the Master’s thesis and at introducing them to the academic writing conventions in the area of soft sciences. Piloted in 2019, the course was implemented as a blended course, where the contact sessions were complemented by online support in VLE Moodle. Apart from analyses of written texts, classroom writing, and homework tasks, it also included discourse editing tasks and peerreviewing with peer-reviewer feedback and teacher feedback. We believe that our research findings will shed light on the potential of academic writing courses based on the process-genre approach to contribute to the enhancement of the quality of English academic texts by non-native academic writers, and specifically Czech graduate students.

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