Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 265-282). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

This dissertation examines the multimodal discourse of academic posters from three disciplines, namely, Chemistry, Speech & Hearing Sciences and Linguistics, in an attempt to unravel how writers from different disciplinary communities build their communicative purposes into the verbal and visual modes in their posters. The analytical framework adopted for this study builds upon the one proposed by D’Angelo(2010), which incorporates Hyland’s metadiscourse model (2005) and Kress and van Leeuwen’s visual grammar paradigm (2006) for the verbal and visual analyses respectively, and supplements it with multimodal content analysis adapted from Jones’s (2007) model. Follow-up interviews with members of the discourse communities were also conducted to enhance the validity of the results. The findings reveal that there exist a wide range of differences in the use of metadiscourse markers (e.g. hedges, boosters, evidentials, code glosses) across the three group texts pertaining to disciplinary influences. There is also evidence that academics in different subjects value some of the same qualities in the texts necessitated either by the peculiar context of poster presentations (e.g. frame markers, engagement markers) or a need to maintain scientific formality (e.g. self-mentions). Visually, the concern for the context and ‘scientificness’ continue to exert great influences, rendering a myriad of visual manifestations (e.g. framing, modality) that are commonly shared across the data, whereas the cross-discipline discrepancy mainly narrows down to the image usage(functions and types). / published_or_final_version / Applied English Studies / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

Research studies in English linguistics and education have long been seeking ways in which NNSs (non-native speakers) can improve the quality of their writing in order to communicate effectively within Higher Education in English speaking countries. While most ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers and scholars consider coherence as one of the key indicators of good writing, NNS university students are often criticised for producing incoherent writing often due to their misuse of cohesive conventions such as English logical connectors (e.g., conjunctive adverbials and subordinating conjunctions). Scholars in various fields of EAP (English for Academic Purposes), ESL, and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) have suggested that NNSs’ lack of success in the appropriate use of logical connectors is due to a) the complex semantic and syntactic nature of these elements and b) shortcomings in pedagogical approaches. Therefore, there is an urgent need for investigating an alternative pedagogical approach which provides further information on the ESL learners’ conceptual and grammatical difficulties associated with logical connectors from learner perspectives and supports learner understanding of the syntactic and semantic values of logical connectors. This study aims to incorporate a scaffolding technique embedded in a social constructivist approach referred to as Learning Conversations and to investigate the extent to which this approach supports learner development of understanding. This qualitative study was carried out with 9 students studying English academic skills at a language centre based in a UK university. The study has made use of various methods of data collection, namely think-aloud protocols, a diagnostic test, Reflective Learning Evaluation, and Learning Conversations. The constituent tools evolved into a dual-focussed process-oriented model. The data suggest the ESL learners’ developed an increasing understanding of logical connectors they had previously found problematic and difficult to use through the application of this model.

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses play an increasingly important role in supporting non English speaking background students in their academic studies. Such courses have traditionally prioritised writing as the most significant literacy requirement (Johns, 1981). This prioritisation of writing reflects the perception that expertise in writing is an indication that students have acquired the cognitive skills demanded for university work (Weigle, 2002). It also reflects the fact that the majority of assessment tasks, which tend to drive student learning (Schwartz & Webb, 2002), require some form of writing. For EAP courses to be effective, curriculum design needs to be informed by knowledge of current academic discourse demands and writing requirements in relevant discipline areas. Analysis of previous studies indicates that written assessment tasks vary between discipline areas. Findings also suggest that the most frequent assessment types vary over time as theoretical approaches to assessment change. This suggests the need to investigate the discipline-specific demands faced by different student cohorts enrolled on EAP courses. Some studies have identified the need for students to develop the skills involved in interpreting task instructions, as well as addressing the relevant topic and meeting the specific assessment requirements (Gravatt et al., 1997 and Carson, 2001). A key impetus for this study relates to this finding and was the fact that students enrolled on EAP courses were having difficulties interpreting instructions and marking criteria provided for some assessments in discipline-specific papers. The aims of this study were three-fold. The first was to investigate and analyse the type and form of written assessment tasks and related requirements, in three undergraduate courses. The second was to investigate lecturers' perceptions and intentions in producing these tasks. Thirdly, the study aimed to investigate and describe students' understandings and experiences of the same tasks. The study therefore involved a triangulated methodology in terms of data collection. The three methods employed were analysis of assessment documents, semi-structured interviews with the lecturers concerned, and questionnaire surveys of students enrolled on the three papers. The results of the study reinforce the findings of earlier studies in that there are considerable differences between discipline areas in assessment types and in the levels of associated cognitive demands. Although the study identifies what appears to be a new assessment type at undergraduate level - the 'literature review' assignment - lecturers' expectations for this assessment appear to vary between discipline areas. The differences identified appear to be influenced by lecturers' perceptions of the role of assessment, which in this case seem to be limited to the concept of assessment as the certification of learning, and as being predominantly summative in function. Furthermore the study shows that a significant proportion of student respondents found the majority of assessment instructions difficult to understand, and that only one of the papers provided assessment criteria. The findings suggest that the absence of explicit marking criteria appears to disadvantage non-English speaking background students in particular. The conclusions of the thesis focus primarily on the dual, 'critical pragmatic', role of EAP practitioners in seeking to inform curriculum design and also to influence assessment practice; the implications of the study for the university's assessment and academic literacy policies and their implementation; the implications of the findings for EAP curriculum design, and suggestions for future research.

Thesis (MA--Applied Language Studies) -- AUT University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (viii, 134 leaves ; 30 cm.) in the Archive at the City Campus (T 808.4 KAL)

ABSTRACT Scholars in the field of assessment recognize its key role in teaching and learning (Knight 1998, Brown and Knight 1996, Gipps 1994, Glaser 1990, Van Rooyen and Prinsloo 2003). According to Knight, assessment is ‘the most significant prompt for learning’ (1998:37). This study aimed to understand the role and the nature of assessment in academic literacy modules offered in two very different teaching and learning contexts. The focus of the research is ‘Foundation in English Language’ at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and ‘Writing English I’ at the National University of Rwanda (NUR). To conduct the investigation, three lecturers teaching on the Foundation module at Wits and, two lecturers teaching Writing English I at the NUR were interviewed individually and six students from each lecturer’s group participated in a focus group interview. In addition to the interviews, all the assignment and examination tasks, as well as students’ marked assignments and examination scripts were analysed. Although the study reveals many differences in both attitudes and practices in the two institutions, it also shows some similarities, especially in relation to students’ negative response to participation in one on one consultation with a lecturer. The most important difference noticed is in the role of assessment in the two modules. It was found that in the Writing English I module at NUR, assessment is considered separate from the teaching and learning process, whereas at Wits it is an integral part of the process. This difference in orientation to assessment influenced much of the planning and assessment of the two modules. In the Foundation module at Wits, assessment was planned into the course. Consequently, assignments were carefully scaffolded to promote students’ learning in regard to academic writing, with feedback given on essay drafts. At NUR where assessment was not planned into the course there was no clear focus on some important aspects of academic writing such as referencing and writing from sources without plagiarizing and there was no scaffolding of the assignments or feedback on drafts. The study concludes with some recommendations to lecturers and students and also to the leadership of the institutions, given that some of the recommendations have resource implications.

D. Phil. / Presently, in the context of South African higher education, many black students who had previously studied at historically disadvantaged institutions, enter the post-graduate academic context without the necessary language and academic literacy skills required by institutions where the language of learning and teaching is English or Afrikaans. Consequently they do not access their discourse communities optimally and also do not develop into scholars who are able to participate in the conversations of their discipline competently and confidently. In this context, this inquiry focused on the impact of the M. Ed. Community Education programme on students' academic writing proficiency. This programme is presented as a distance education programme in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the Rand Afrikaans University.

Abstract not available

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toledo, 2008. / Typescript. "Submitted as partial fulfillments of the requirements for The Master of Arts in English." "A thesis entitled"--at head of title. Bibliography: leaves 54-56.

Thesis (D.Phil. Linguistics(Unit for Academic Literacy))-University of Pretoria, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.