Goals for Academic Writing
ESL students and their instructors
Published on 10. August 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
204 pages
978-90-272-1971-8 (ISBN)
Description
This book documents the results of a multi-year project that investigated the goals for writing improvement among 45 students and their instructors in intensive courses of English as a Second Language (ESL) then, a year later, in academic programs at two Canadian universities. The researchers present a detailed framework to describe these goals from the perspectives of the students as well as their instructors. The goals are analyzed for groups of students from particular backgrounds internationally, for changes over time, and in relation to the ESL and academic courses. The authors use activity theory, goal theory, various sociolinguistic concepts, and multiple data sources (interviews, observations, stimulated recalls, questionnaires, and text analyses) to provide a contextually-grounded perspective on learning, teaching, writing, second-language development, and curriculum policy. The book will interest researchers, educators, and administrators of ESL, university, college, and literacy programs around the world.
Reviews / Votes
Cumming et al. have developed an important descriptive framework for the interpretation of writing goals in academic settings, and they offer a range of insights on goal setting for L2 writers as well as writing in university settings more generally. -- William Grabe, Northern Arizona UniversityMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 160 mm
Weight
430 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-272-1971-8 (9789027219718)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Content
1. Foreword (by Grabe, William); 2. 1. Introduction, purpose, and conceptual foundations (by Cumming, Alister); 3. Section I. The Main Study; 4. 2. Context and design of the research (by Cumming, Alister); 5. 3. Students' Goals for ESL and University Courses (by Zhou, Ally); 6. 4. A Study of contrasts: ESL and university instructors' goals for writing improvement (by Cummings, Jill); 7. Section II. Case Studies; 8. 5. Nine Chinese students writing in university courses (by Yang, Luxin); 9. 6. Students' and instructors' assessments of the attainment of writing goals (by Barkaoui, Khaled); 10. 7. The language of intentions for writing improvement: A systemic functional linguistic analysis (by Busch, Michael); 11. 8. Goals, motivations, and identities of three students writing in English (by Kim, Tae-Young); 12. 9. Variation in goals and activities for multilingual writing (by Gentil, Guillaume); 13. Section III. Implications; 14. 10. Implications for pedagogy, policy, and research (by Cumming, Alister); 15. References; 16. Appendices; 17. Subject Index; 18. Contributors