scholarly journals Writing Goes Back to School: Exploring the “Institutional Practice of Mystery” in a Graduate Education Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosamund K Stooke ◽  
Kathryn Hibbert
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Graduate Education ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Academic Literacies ◽  
Extreme Stress ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Writing Pedagogies ◽  
Pedagogical Framework

Drawing on a qualitative case study of writing practices and pedagogies in one Canadian graduate Education program, this article discusses roles and responsibilities of course instructors for teaching and supporting academic writing at the master’s level. Data were collected through individual, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 14 graduate students and eight professors and they were analyzed thematically. The discussion is framed by the academic literacies pedagogical framework (ACLITS). The data suggest that academic writing expectations can be sources of extreme stress for graduate students. The students and instructors lacked a common language to discuss student texts. In the absence of explicit academic writing pedagogies, students and instructors sometimes turned to simplistic advice received at school. The paper also discusses pedagogical challenges associated with the teaching of disciplinary writing genres in multi-perspectival fields such as Curriculum Studies. Dans cet article, basé sur une étude de cas qualitative de pratiques et de pédagogies de rédaction menée dans un programme universitaire d’éducation de cycle supérieur dans une université canadienne, il est question des rôles et des responsabilités des instructeurs concernant l’enseignement et les travaux de rédaction universitaire de soutien au niveau de la maîtrise. Les données ont été recueillies à partir d’entrevues individuelles approfondies, semi structurées, auprès de 14 étudiants de cycle supérieur et de huit professeurs. Les entrevues ont ensuite été analysées de manière thématique. La discussion se place dans le cadre pédagogique des littéracies universitaires (ACLITS - Academic Literacies Pedagogical Framework). Les données suggèrent que les attentes en matière de travaux de rédaction universitaire peuvent être des sources de stress extrême pour les étudiants de cycle supérieur. Les étudiants et les instructeurs n’ont pas de langue commune pour discuter les textes produits par les étudiants. En l’absence de pédagogies explicites en matière de travaux de rédaction universitaire, les étudiants et les instructeurs se tournent parfois vers des avis simplistes obtenus à l’école. Cet article présente également les défis pédagogiques associés à l’enseignement des genres disciplinaires de travaux de rédaction dans des domaines qui présentent des perspectives multiples tels que les études du curriculum.

scholarly journals International Graduate Students’ Academic Writing Practices in Malaysia: Challenges and Solutions

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manjet Kaur Mehar Singh
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
Academic Literacies ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
Instructional Settings

This article focuses on the challenges faced by non-native English speaking international graduate students in their academic writing practices while they studied at a university in Malaysia as well as the solutions they employed when faced with the challenges. Academic Literacies Questionnaire was used to collect data. Based on 131 participants, the findings indicate that non-native English speaking international graduate students faced challenges in their academic writing practices in the instructional settings where English was used as a medium. In addition, the results revealed that some challenges those students face were mainly attributable to the fact that English in Malaysia is not the native or first language. This study suggests policies and programmes to meet the unique academic writing background needs of these students and ensure their academic success.

scholarly journals Writing the Literature Review: Graduate Student Experiences

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori Walter ◽  
Jordan Stouck
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Research University ◽  
Graduate Program ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Academic Literacies ◽  
Graduate Degrees

Difficulties with academic writing tasks, such as the literature review, impact students’ timely completion of graduate degrees. A better understanding of graduate students’ perceptions of writing the literature review could enable supervisors, administrators, service providers, and graduate students themselves to overcome these difficulties. This paper presents a case study of graduate students at a secondary campus of a Canadian research university. It describes survey data and results from focus groups conducted between 2014 and 2015 by communications faculty, writing centre staff, and librarians. The focus group participants were Master’s and Doctoral students, including students situated within one discipline and those in interdisciplinary programs. The questions focused on the students’ experiences of writing the literature review as well as the supports both accessed and desired. Data analysis revealed four themes: (a) literature review as a new and fundamental genre; (b) literature review for multiple purposes, in multiple forms, and during multiple stages of a graduate program; (c) difficulties with managing large amounts of information; and (d) various approaches and tools are used for research and writing. Using an academic literacies approach, the paper addresses implications for campus program development and writing centre interventions and furthers research into graduate students’ experiences of writing literature reviews.

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 International EFL/ESL Master Students’ Adaptation Strategies for Academic Writing Practices at Tertiary Level

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 620-643
Author(s):  
Manjet Kaur Mehar Singh
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
Group Interviews

The present research provides insights into the different forms of adaptation strategies employed by international graduate students to overcome the challenges faced in the academic writing practices and gain access to their disciplinary communities of practice at Master’s level. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured in-depth focus group interviews. Respondents were 70 international graduate students enrolled in various Master-level programs. Semi-structured focus group interviews allowed the international graduate students to share their own experiences in the employment of suitable adaptation strategies to overcome the challenges faced in their academic writing practices in the Master programs. The adaptation strategies employed include enhancing their English language proficiency, referring to non-formal advisory services, and improving their academic writing style.

Advocating for Transgender and Non-Binary Affirmative Spaces in Graduate Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Knutson ◽  
Em Matsuno ◽  
Chloe Goldbach ◽  
Halleh Hashtpari ◽  
Nathan Grant Smith
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Graduate Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Educational Success ◽  
Post Secondary Education ◽  
Identity Exploration ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Social Ecological

Nearly 50% of graduate students report experiencing emotional or psychological distress during their enrollment in graduate school. Levels of distress are particularly high for transgender and non-binary graduate students who experience daily discrimination and marginalization. Universities and colleges have yet to address and accommodate the needs and experiences of transgender and non-binary graduate students. Given the multitude of challenges these students may face, educational settings should not present additional barriers to educational success and well-being. In an effort to improve graduate education for transgender and non-binary students, we add to the existing scholarship on affirming work with transgender undergraduate students by addressing the unique concerns of graduate students. We utilize a social-ecological model to identify sources of discrimination in post-secondary education and to provide transgender- and non-binary-affirming recommendations at structural, interpersonal, and individual levels. For practitioners who wish to do personal work, we provide guidance for multicultural identity exploration. A table of recommendations and discussion of ways to implement our recommendations are provided.

Seeking transformation: how students in nursing view their academic writing context – a qualitative systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim M. Mitchell ◽  
Laurie Blanchard ◽  
Tara Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Education ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Professional Identity Development ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
Qualitative Systematic Review ◽  
Transformative Writing

AbstractWriting practices in nursing education programs are situated in a tension-filled context resulting from competing medical-technical and relational nursing discourses. The goal of this qualitative meta-study is to understand, from the student perspective, how the context for writing in nursing is constructed and the benefits of writing to nursing knowledge development. A literature search using the CINHAL, Medline, ERIC, and Academic Search complete databases, using systematic methods identified 21 papers and dissertations which gathered qualitative interview or survey data from students in nursing at the pre-registration, continuing education, and graduate levels. The studies provided evidence that writing assignments promote professional identity development but overemphasis on writing mechanics when grading have a deleterious effect on learning and student engagement with writing. Relationship building with faculty should extend beyond what is needed to maximize grades. Suggestions for writing pedagogical reform are identified to facilitate a change in focus from mechanical-technical to transformative writing.

scholarly journals Hidden features in global knowledge production: (re)positioning theory and practice in academic writing

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 355-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Windle
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Positioning Theory ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Academic Literacies ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Colonial Theory ◽  
Global North

ABSTRACT A key challenge for applied linguistics is how to deal with the historical power imbalance in knowledge production between the global north and south. A central objective of critical applied linguistics has been to provide new epistemological foundations that address this problem, through the lenses of post-colonial theory, for example. This article shows how the structure of academic writing, even within critical traditions, can reinforce unequal transnational relations of knowledge. Analysis of Brazilian theses and publications that draw on the multiliteracies framework identifies a series of discursive moves that constitute “hidden features” (STREET, 2009), positioning “northern” theory as universal and “southern” empirical applications as locally bounded. The article offers a set of questions for critical reflection during the writing process, contributing to the literature on academic literacies.

Exploration in the Curriculum and Teaching Based Cultivation of Innovation Capabilities for Graduate Students

2013 ◽  
Vol 655-657 ◽  
pp. 2132-2135
Author(s):  
Xiao Gui Zhang ◽  
Yan Ping Du
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Graduate Education ◽  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Training And Education ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Teaching Curriculum ◽  
And Training ◽  
Fundamental Objective

Cultivation of innovation capabilities not only is the top priority in the training and education of graduate students, but also a fundamental objective of the teaching curriculum for graduate students. Based on the practice of graduate education and training as a starting point, and combined with the author’s own teaching experience and understanding, this paper conducts a preliminary analysis and exploration on the ways and means of cultivation of innovation capabilities for graduate students.

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