Responding to Genre-Based Writing Instruction: An Interpretive Study of L2 Writers' Experiences in Two Graduate Level ESP/EAP Writing Courses
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The Ohio State University / OhioLINK
2010
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1269476493 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu12694764932021-08-03T05:58:47Z Responding to Genre-Based Writing Instruction: An Interpretive Study of L2 Writers' Experiences in Two Graduate Level ESP/EAP Writing Courses Lee, Hyunju Composition Education Literacy ESP EAP Genre based writing instruction Academic writing Genre theory has greatly influenced ESP/EAP writing instruction, but little is known about the perspectives of the students and how they learn in genre-based writing classrooms. This study investigated the learning of four first year international students enrolled in a two-course sequence of ESP/EAP writing to see how learners respond to genre-based writing instruction. The participants were selected according to their level of study (M.A., PhD) and their disciplines (Science, Education). I was the teacher of both courses. In the classroom, the students were first introduced to a typical version of a genre that was introduced in the textbook; then, in groups, they analyzed how this genre was realized in their own disciplines. The students were then required to write three drafts of this genre individually, using contents from their own disciplines. They met with me for a one-on-one tutorial after submitting the first draft and received a letter grade for the third draft. Written feedback was given for all three drafts. Observation notes from the classroom, audio-recordings of the tutorials, and drafts of the students were analyzed using the interpretive participant observational framework proposed by Erickson (1986). The findings demonstrate that each student needed to travel what I call the interpretive distance, the distance between the model version of the genre to the actual application of it into their own disciplines. By completing each assignment and traveling the interpretive distance repeatedly during the two quarters, each student was able to identify specific roadblocks that inhibited themselves from navigating the interpretive journey independently. These roadblocks were different combinations of (1) an understanding of genre, (2) language proficiency, and (3) knowledge of their disciplinary field. The four cases are illustrative of the interpretive distance because for each participant, one aspect of genre writing was invisible to them, and their drafts vividly reflected this. The three possible roadblocks in traveling the interpretive distance that I identify in this study are all aspects of genre that require an unspecified amount of time to master. Thus, it is unrealistic for genre-based writing instruction to promise that the student will master how to write a specific academic genre by the end of the course, or in this case, sequence of courses. Rather, the most important role of genre based instruction is to equip the student with an awareness of what to look out for when traveling the interpretive journey. This study contributes to the existing discussion of how ESP/EAP can address the specific needs of the learners by providing a description of what it looks like to teach “specifically,” and, at the same time, equip the students with academic literacy (of which genre knowledge is a big part). 2010-08-25 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1269476493 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1269476493 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Composition Education Literacy ESP EAP Genre based writing instruction Academic writing |
| spellingShingle |
Composition Education Literacy ESP EAP Genre based writing instruction Academic writing Lee, Hyunju Responding to Genre-Based Writing Instruction: An Interpretive Study of L2 Writers' Experiences in Two Graduate Level ESP/EAP Writing Courses |
| author |
Lee, Hyunju |
| author_facet |
Lee, Hyunju |
| author_sort |
Lee, Hyunju |
| title |
Responding to Genre-Based Writing Instruction: An Interpretive Study of L2 Writers' Experiences in Two Graduate Level ESP/EAP Writing Courses |
| title_short |
Responding to Genre-Based Writing Instruction: An Interpretive Study of L2 Writers' Experiences in Two Graduate Level ESP/EAP Writing Courses |
| title_full |
Responding to Genre-Based Writing Instruction: An Interpretive Study of L2 Writers' Experiences in Two Graduate Level ESP/EAP Writing Courses |
| title_fullStr |
Responding to Genre-Based Writing Instruction: An Interpretive Study of L2 Writers' Experiences in Two Graduate Level ESP/EAP Writing Courses |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Responding to Genre-Based Writing Instruction: An Interpretive Study of L2 Writers' Experiences in Two Graduate Level ESP/EAP Writing Courses |
| title_sort |
responding to genre-based writing instruction: an interpretive study of l2 writers' experiences in two graduate level esp/eap writing courses |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2010 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1269476493 |
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