Writing and Writing Instruction in Different Academic Contexts
IMPACT OF MASTERS' THESES ON EFL TEACHERS´ ENGLISH WRITING DEVELOPMENT
Julio Cesar Gomez
Universidad Externado de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
Most EFL master’s teacher education programs in Colombia and in many other countries require students to conduct an empirical study and write a thesis in English. The writing and research processes are difficult for most students, especially those who do not have linguistic tools or research backgrounds required for academic writing in English. The purpose of this study was to explore the process, and the perceptions and attitudes of students, graduates and teacher educators from several of these programs to understand the actual demands on students and supervisors. A mixedmethods approach was used in this study. Indepth interviews, focus groups, document analysis, and online surveys comprise the data sources. In the first part of the paper, the presenter will discuss the main findings through the lenses of sociocultural theory and situated learning and explain the implications for teacher education programs. These findings show how students’ development of academic writing skills is grounded on their initial general writing skills and is realized through the appropriation of the thesis genre. This development follows different paths according to students’ writing ability. Factors that contribute to this development at the personal, supervision, and program levels are explored as well as the impact on the individual, their teaching, and academic communities. At the end of the presentation, strategies and suggestions will be offered to structure the work with writing in a more comprehensive and progressive way in teacher education programs and other programs preparing EFL students to write academically.
References
Hyland, K 2003, Second language writing, New York, Cambridge University Press.
Johns, A. M. 1997, Text, role and context: Developing academic literacies, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Lantolf, J., & Thorne, S 2006, Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. 1991, Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation , Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.