Abstract:

This article presents a case study that analyzes the academic literacy practices of a Mexican undergraduate student of applied linguistics. The study was conducted in an eight-month period during which the participant wrote a thesis and other related academic texts, in English and Spanish. Previous research has examined the difficulties of writing a thesis. However, the process through which writers create other disciplinary texts from the thesis has received scarce attention. This qualitative study focused on what the writer did with texts and what the writing activities meant to her as she tried to enter a disciplinary community. Data examined included the texts created by the participant, semi-structured interviews, researcher field notes, and messages from an editor and a reviewer. The article interprets the difficulties the young scholar experienced as a legitimate peripheral participant and suggests the role that a tutor may play in addressing those difficulties.



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Abstract:

This article uses Wharton’s (1995) call for professionalization in ELT as a frame to look at research report writing in ELT at undergraduate level in Mexico. The study analyzes the evaluative language (White, 2001) used by undergraduate student writers in a Mexican university in the introductions of their final research reports (tesis or trabajo recepcional). The analysis shows limited understanding of the dialogue that successful writers establish with their ideal readers in the wider ELT context and we argue that these undergraduate research reports target the local discourse community but not the wider community. We conclude that teacher educators in BA programs in Mexico are responsible for initiating their students into the ways the wider discourse community knows, does, thinks and acts.



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Abstract:

The present article reports the results of a multimodal analysis that examines the manner in which classroom participants (teachers and learners) utilize distinct literacies in order to navigate through the diverse situations encountered in an EFL classroom lesson. It seeks to explain classroom culture and the multiple literacies required to successfully participate within this often ritualized environment (Prabhu, 1992). Through a detailed analysis of interactional patterns, the different roles and identities that are enacted within the classroom context are explored, providing insights into how the classroom as a culture and its multimodal interactions provide differentiated opportunities for learning (Gee & Green, 1998). The Study utilizes ethnographic methods (Geertz, 1973) in order to provide an insider perspective into the daily workings of a classroom lesson. Particular attention is given to the manner in which classroom artifacts, especially the EFL textbook, influence classroom practices as well as how classroom participants strategically utilize these artifacts in order to accomplish their particular goals within the classroom culture (Green & Weade, 1990). The analysis reveals that the classroom is an asymmetrical cultural context where power struggles are continually being played out and negotiated (Canagarajah, 1999).



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Abstract:

This paper discusses theoretical models of reading comprehension, the pedagogical practices related to them, and the empirical evidence available in connection with each model-pedagogy pair in order to evaluate the models and practices and make informed recommendations for EFL reading teachers. According to Grabe (2009) and Han and D’Angelo (2007), current-traditional EFL reading pedagogy and teacher training are based on a top-down model of the reading process, Goodman's (1967) psycholinguistic guessing game (PGG) and its pedagogical offshoot, the Whole Language approach. The pedagogical practices of the Whole Language approach emphasize building background knowledge and vocabulary and de-emphasize deep engagement with discourse. Based on our review of the research, we argue that PGG and the Whole Language approach are not supported by empirical research. We then review the literature to a) show that empirical research supports interactive models where both top-down and bottom-up processes are involved (Kintsch, 1998; Stanovich, 2000; Bernhardt, 2011), b) show that good L2 readers derive meaning primarily from deep processing of a text's language (a bottom-up process) rather than from the application of prior knowledge or information guessing techniques (Alptekin, 2004; McNeill, 2011; Perales, 2011). We then argue that EFL pedagogy and teacher training need to turn away from the Whole Language model and be more informed by traditions emphasizing bottom-up processing of texts. We also make a theoretical proposal regarding the placement of discourse-processing strategies in current models of L2 comprehension.



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Abstract:

This literature review addresses some of the issues central to analyzing and understanding literacy programs in Mexico. The discussion is related to Social Justice concerns and focuses particularly on indigenous communities in Mexico and their educational opportunities both in the country as a whole as well as in university settings. A broad discussion of Mexican education (particularly literacy education) is presented as well as discussions of social justice and indigenous educational programs. These areas are discussed both historically and in modernity. Literacy is not viewed as a mark of intelligence or accomplishment but rather as a tool that can help one to attain such attributes. Further, literacy is seen as a tool which can be given to communities and which can allow them to achieve social justice in certain areas. Through literacy, communities can begin to support themselves, react to and interact with the government and the dominant (Spanish-speaking) culture in a productive way. This in turn allows for positive change for individuals, their families, and their communities in the face of historical repression.



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Abstract:

One of the principal reasons for developing academic literacy in higher education is to participate in the wider professional community. This participation takes the form of research and the publication of those results in national and international journals. For most academic disciplines publication of research is one of the central benchmarks of professional development. Professional identity, recognition, promotion, various forms of remuneration, job advancement, personal reward, and numerous other benefits come to higher education staff members when they have high levels of academic research production. This review of the literature on academic research production sought to find what the literature has identified as variables associated with high levels of research productivity. These variables generally fall into three broad areas: environmental factors, personal factors, and the processes associated with feedback and processes. The literature associated with these variables is explored in this article.



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Abstract:

Writing research has generally focused on teachers’ diverse notions of writing that justify their teaching and assessing practices. Following Leki’s 1996 article Good writing: I know it when I see it, the purpose of this naturalistic research was to understand three newly arrived international students’ conceptions of argumentative writing in order to attempt to unpack the complex factors leading to those conceptions. The findings of this study provide an idea of the struggle and complexity of the writing process, especially as it relates to academic argumentative writing. Additionally, the findings support a model of researching literacy (Lea & Street, 2006) that goes beyond skills and socialization, but that allows the analysis of negotiation of agency, identity, and authority in an integrative view of writing. Exploring students’ notions of writing can better inform second language theory on how students learn, what aspects are relevant to them, what elements from one class are transferred to another – at least conceptually, and how students build autonomy/agency in determining whether the quality of their academic writing is sufficient, especially for content classes.



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Abstract:

In recent years researchers and educators have engaged in serious discussions on how to improve college access and graduation rates among underrepresented groups in the United States. For language minority students an evident challenge is the socialization into academic discourses which requires the acquisition of literacy practices of mainstream students. Understanding academic discourse socialization as a complex process that involves negotiation of power and identity, this study sought to answer the following questions: (1) What are the study participant Hispanic students’ perspectives on academic language? (2) Based on their understanding of academic language, how do the students negotiate self-representation in writing within the constraints posed by academic language conventions? Five Hispanic undergraduate students participated in this study which relied on the following data sources: a language history survey; a focus group interview; analysis of students’ written reflections; an individual interview. Using the academic literacies model (Lea & Street, 2006) and Gee’s (1996) discourse theory as framework to make sense of data, three main categories emerged: Students’ perspectives on academic language, academic discourse socialization and reward, and struggling to socialize. Each category is separately analyzed and discussed. Implications for teaching and further research are addressed in the conclusion section.



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Abstract:

This study investigated errors in a corpus of 17 English essays written by 17 Turkish students. The steps followed in the study were the ones suggested by Corder (1974): sample collection, error identification, error description, error explanation, and error evaluation. After analyzing participants’ English essays, the researcher identified errors in lexicon, grammar, and syntax. Errors in lexicon were by far the most problematic errors, the errors that caused many of the participants’ statements to sound incomprehensible. The errors were described as local and global errors (Burt & Kiparsky, as cited in Hendrickson, 1976). Participants’ local errors could have been avoided had they been aware of the differences between English (L2) and Turkish (L1), or the causes of interference from L1. In reference to errors in lexicon, most were identified as global errors. A variety of vocabulary strategies could have been introduced to participants throughout the years that they studied English to help them to manage the vast amount of vocabulary that they should have learned by the intermediate level of English fluency. Nevertheless, as long as instructors understand what type of errors and why students make such errors, it is never too late to help students to remediate the problem.



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Supplementary file: Appendix