Innovative Methods and Practices of Academic Writing and Writing Instruction
NOVICE STUDENTS’ APPOACHES TO READING IN AN INTRODUCTORY ACADEMIC WRITING COURSE READING FOR AN ENGLISH ACADEMIC WRITING COURSE: WHAT NOVICE STUDENTS DO
Jessica Berggren¹, Lisa McGrath², Špela Mežek³
¹Centre for Academic English, Department of English, Stockholm University, Sweden ²Centre for Academic English, Department of English, Stockholm University, Sweden ³Centre for Academic English, Department of English, Stockholm University, Sweden
Academic reading research tends to fall into three categories: largescale quantitative surveys investigating trends in students’ reading habits, SLA experimental studies, and qualitative studies exploring metacognitive strategies used by small numbers of graduate students who are already enculturated into the discipline. Less is known about students’ reading when they first arrive at university, the difficulties they face, and how they can best be supported. Our project begins to address this gap by following 30 L2 with high general English proficiency, training to be English teachers. The programme begins with a 5week academic writing course which incorporates learning activities such as genre analysis, discussions and peer review. Students read three research articles as a basis for writing an argumentative essay on the theme of academic vocabulary learning. Students’ reading behaviours during the course were captured in a natural setting via an intervalcontingent diary method (Bolger, Davis & Rafaeli 2003). Findings reveal that students rarely engaged with a text repeatedly, and that reading was hindered rather than supported by the use of technology. Furthermore, while some students adjusted their reading according to perceived task, the method selected was often unsuccessful. The study provides empirical evidence for the need to support new university students with academic reading, and highlights some specific difficulties that could be addressed through a planned intervention strategy.
References
Bolger, N, Davis, A, & Rafaeli, E 2003, ‘Diary methods: capturing life as it is lived’, Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 54, pp. 579616.