Academic Literacy of Efl Arab Postgraduate Student at The National University of Malaysia

The study identifies the language learning strategies used by Arab postgraduate student at University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in order to master the English language required for postgraduate study. The study attempted to provide a deeper understanding of how an EFL learner employs strategies and practices to overcome the challenges of English language learning in nonnative context for academic purposes. The findings of the study give insight to the challenges of learning English in nonnative environments and ways in which individuals overcome the limitations of successfully acquiring the language. The study traces the English language development of the case study from his initial introduction to the target language to the current status and level of his English proficiency. The research paradigm method used is a case study method which allows for an in depth explication of the selected case. The strategy inventory of language learning SILL Oxford's (1990) was used as an instrument in addition to the interview with the case study. The research results revealed that the case study used all 6 types of language learning strategies which are categorized by Oxford (1990) most of the time. These strategies are; Memorization, Cognitive, Compensation, Metacognitive, Affective, and Social strategies. These strategies seems to have a direct relationship with the progress made in the level of English proficiency by the case study. Most significantly, the study implies that Arab students need to develop academic literacy skills in reading English texts to learn English and to involve socially in academic and social contexts. That is the case study however shown that it is possible to learn English through reading in English and also by social involvement.

Step Up to Masters

The article in question introduces research conducted by the Learning Development Team at the University of Leeds on the academic literacy skills development needs and expectations of taught postgraduate students, and the subsequent creation of an innovative new online resource, Step Up to Masters. As well as focusing on key topics highlighted by the research, the resource encourages students to reflect on their individual development priorities and to select the most relevant support options for their successful transition to taught postgraduate (PGT) study. The rationale behind this reflect and select approach has been informed by a synthesis of (a) the outcomes of key studies on the diverse needs and challenges faced by PGT students when making the transition to Masters study, and (b) the team’s own research findings on PGT students’ academic development priorities and preferences. Step Up to Masters received the Digital Award for Information Literacy 2020, and was central to the online PGT induction programme initiated at Leeds for 2020/21 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Academic Reading and Pacific Students: Profiling Texts, Tasks & Readers in the First Year of University in New Zealand

<p>Central to tertiary study in the literate world is the storage, transmission and retrieval of knowledge via the written word through the complex, multi-faceted and largely invisible process of academic reading. With New Zealand's changing demographics and increasing participation in tertiary education by students of Pacific descent, it cannot be assumed that there is a sufficient degree of match between the cultures of academic literacy of the institution and those of the linguistic /ethnic minority student readers; and this is an issue that requires in-depth investigation. This thesis focuses on student readers of Pacific descent undertaking their first year of study in selected 100-level Humanities and Commerce courses in a NZ university. By drawing together the composite skills, cognitive and socio-cultural traditions of reading research, this study conceptualizes academic reading as the dynamic interplay between Text-Task-Reader within any given socio-cultural context. This three-part understanding of academic reading enables a rich profiling of Readers, Texts, and Tasks within their contexts. It permits the systematic discovery and documentation of the nature of the challenge inherent in the academic texts and tasks of the first year of university, and enables the characteristics of the prototypical 'good reader' in a specific discipline to be established. By identifying and holding the core first year academic reading Task of 'reading to understand and remember' constant, the complex interactions between the Reader and Text were able to be observed, thus providing insights into the ways in which these Pacific readers made meaning from Text. Then, through the holistic profiling of cognitive, affective, skills, and socio-culturally based reader features, the Pacific student readers' academic reading personae were constructed. Combined, the readers' profiles reveal group trends, and individually, the complete holistic profiles of two case study readers were able to be woven together from the various profiling 'strands', thus highlighting the usefulness of the profiling system and the uniqueness of the individual readers. Finally, a comparison between the 'good reader' and the 'real' student readers affords an understanding of the degree of 'fit' between the readers' characteristics and the expectations of the institution. It is argued that this type of holistic profiling is of considerable value to institutions, enabling them to respond in informed, strategic ways to the academic literacy development requirements of their Pacific (and other) students, on both an individual and group scale.</p>

Academic Reading and Pacific Students: Profiling Texts, Tasks & Readers in the First Year of University in New Zealand

<p>Central to tertiary study in the literate world is the storage, transmission and retrieval of knowledge via the written word through the complex, multi-faceted and largely invisible process of academic reading. With New Zealand's changing demographics and increasing participation in tertiary education by students of Pacific descent, it cannot be assumed that there is a sufficient degree of match between the cultures of academic literacy of the institution and those of the linguistic /ethnic minority student readers; and this is an issue that requires in-depth investigation. This thesis focuses on student readers of Pacific descent undertaking their first year of study in selected 100-level Humanities and Commerce courses in a NZ university. By drawing together the composite skills, cognitive and socio-cultural traditions of reading research, this study conceptualizes academic reading as the dynamic interplay between Text-Task-Reader within any given socio-cultural context. This three-part understanding of academic reading enables a rich profiling of Readers, Texts, and Tasks within their contexts. It permits the systematic discovery and documentation of the nature of the challenge inherent in the academic texts and tasks of the first year of university, and enables the characteristics of the prototypical 'good reader' in a specific discipline to be established. By identifying and holding the core first year academic reading Task of 'reading to understand and remember' constant, the complex interactions between the Reader and Text were able to be observed, thus providing insights into the ways in which these Pacific readers made meaning from Text. Then, through the holistic profiling of cognitive, affective, skills, and socio-culturally based reader features, the Pacific student readers' academic reading personae were constructed. Combined, the readers' profiles reveal group trends, and individually, the complete holistic profiles of two case study readers were able to be woven together from the various profiling 'strands', thus highlighting the usefulness of the profiling system and the uniqueness of the individual readers. Finally, a comparison between the 'good reader' and the 'real' student readers affords an understanding of the degree of 'fit' between the readers' characteristics and the expectations of the institution. It is argued that this type of holistic profiling is of considerable value to institutions, enabling them to respond in informed, strategic ways to the academic literacy development requirements of their Pacific (and other) students, on both an individual and group scale.</p>

An A to W of Academic Literacy: Key Concepts and Practices for Graduate Students. Mary Jane Curry, Fangzhi He, Weijia Li, Ting Zhang, Yanhoung Zuo, Mahmoud Altalouli, & Jihan Ayesh. University of Michigan Press, 2021.

In the 2018-2019 academic year, the number of international students registered at Canadian universities rose to over 318,000 (Government of Canada, 2020). Hailing from diverse linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds, these students face unique challenges when starting academic studies in Canada. But it is not just international students, and not just graduate students, who can benefit from Mary Jane Curry’s An A to W of Academic Literacy: Key Concepts and Practices for Graduate Students. Any first-generation academics, undergraduates in writing-heavy programs, and instructors will find this text useful, too.