Academic writing in ESL contexts: Perceptions and Experiences of First Year University Students and Tutors - Softcover

Chokwe, Jack

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3659188514 ISBN 13: 9783659188510

Publisher: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, 2012

Synopsis

The book reports on the study that aimed to explore first year students’ conceptions of writing and the extent to which these conceptions influence their academic writing; explore tutors’ expectations and understandings of student writing and how they respond to it; and suggest guidelines that can inform effective teaching and learning of writing in ESL contexts. The study was underpinned by the academic literacies model. The study adopted a qualitative research methodology and used a case study approach as research design. Participants included ESL first year students and their tutors. Questionnaires, focus group interviews and marked student writing samples were employed as data collection instruments. The findings showed that although students categorised their writing skills as average, tutors had a different perspective. The findings reveal that tutors found that students still struggle with aspects of writing including, grammar, spelling, the structuring of essays, coherence and cohesion in paragraphs as well as arguing a point convincingly.

About this title

About the Author

Jack Chokwe is a lecturer at the Department of English at the University of South Africa. His research interests are academic writing;open and distance learning; online learning; and feedback.He was part of the team that pioneered the Writing Centre at UNISA and taught research and academic writing to both undergraduate and postgraduate students

Edition details

• Publisher: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3659188514
• ISBN 13: 9783659188510
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 196