The impact of EAP skills on students’ academic study

This study investigated how the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) skills students learnt at an English language centre enhanced their further academic study at an English-medium institution (EMI) university in China and a university in the U.K. Participants included students and teachers from a variety of academic departments at the two universities. Research methods consisted of questionnaires and interviews. The results revealed respondents’ perceptions of students’ strengths and weaknesses in EAP skills in their academic study. The findings suggested that the majority of students perceived that EAP skills are transferable to other modules and helpful to their academic study. However, there are also some differences between the EMI context in China and the university in the U.K., including class pace, communication skills, and use of L1. Areas for further improvement include accent recognition and encouraging students’ western way of thinking in order for better transition to their further academic study.

Collaboration between EAP teachers and content teachers: Insights from the literature for the Chinese context

Partnership with content teachers is sought after by EAP practitioners working in many contexts. However, such a partnership has not been a common phenomenon in EAP practice. In the Chinese context, the traditional institutional structure which maintained compartmentalization of disciplines did not encourage language-content dialogue. A review of the relevant (English-medium) literature would be timely as insights can be derived to inform the praxis in the Chinese context. For this purpose, in this review article, I aim to illuminate some literature-derived themes that seem particularly relevant for the Chinese context. The article will conclude with a consideration of the implications of these insights for the Chinese context.

‘Maybe complicated is a better word’: Second-language English graduate student responses to syntactic complexity in a genre-based academic writing course

This practice-oriented exploratory study reports student perceptions and potential benefits of introducing syntactic complexity-focused activities in an advanced English for Academic Purposes writing course. Syntactic complexity, seen by many as a multidimensional construct and generally defined as the range and sophistication of structures used, is here operationalized through four approaches. The pedagogical site was a six-week mixed-discipline writing course with an emphasis on second-language English research writing. Attention to syntactic complexity was integrated into a previously established corpus- and genre-analysis based pedagogy, and data is comprised of a learner-perception survey and interview and instructor observational journals. Emphasis was placed on reflection on complexity in academic writing, rather than the production of complex structures. The findings suggest benefits for targeted instruction of syntactic complexity in all four categories, with particular benefits to student writer confidence and intentionality resulting from increased awareness of the affordances and appropriateness of complexity overall.

EAP in China: A case study of a paradigm shift in Shanghai College English programmes

Against the backdrop of the internationalization of higher education, Shanghai tertiary institutions in mainland China implemented a paradigm shift from test-driven EGP (English for General Purposes) to EAP (English for Academic Purposes) in 2013. Based on the needs analysis of specialist departments and pedagogical constraints, a hybrid EAP approach was adopted to fend off general criticism of EAP practices and hindrances from policy makers of different levels. To facilitate the shift, we used a top-down approach with Shanghai government support, designed an EAP-focused curriculum, planned EAP teacher-training programmes, organized project-based and publication-oriented student forums and conferences, developed EAP tests, and created a China EAP Association. Some implications for the paradigm shift have finally emerged from the findings.

Towards an EAP without borders: Developing knowledge, practitioners, and communities

This paper presents a proposal for the future development of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) as a global academic field that involves pedagogy, theory, and research. The paper considers the future development of EAP in three areas: its knowledge base, EAP practitioner formation, and EAP communities. It calls for a broadening of understandings of how EAP is conceptualized and consideration of the different areas of knowledge that should contribute to the field. Particular theoretical and research lacunae are identified as potential areas for future study. It is hoped that the ideas presented here may stimulate discussions and motivate scholarship and research in new areas that meet the needs of students in the diverse contexts in which EAP is taught.