Assessing learning transfer and constraining issues in EAP writing practices

The aim of this study was to investigate what learners carry over from a general academic writing course to disciplinary writing settings and the variables constraining the quality of the outcome. Seven EFL university writing teachers and 58 students were selected using purposive and stratified sampling techniques. Data were generated using in-depth interview and document analysis. Thematic analysis and non-parametric statistical tools were employed to analyze the data. The findings showed that the students made limited learning transfer from the writing course to their writing settings across academic discourses. While surface level knowledge of grammatical features show better transfer, skills of discourse level writing processes, thinking strategies and vocabulary showed very poor transfer. A number of reasons are identified for the failure of learning transfer in the study setting. Among others, EAP teachers’ failure to bridge the EFL writing and content area writing practice contributed to this problem. The other variable causing this problem is students’ failure to make significant moves to adapt skills of writing processes and thinking strategies to new situations. Based on these evidences, alternative ways of improving the carryover impact of such courses have been put forward.

Using Digital Tools to Teach Writing in K-12 Classrooms

The purpose of this chapter is to provide four examples from K-12 classrooms that use a variety of current, research-based online tools for teaching the following writing pedagogies: (1) process writing, (2) cultural studies, (3) content area writing, and (4) collaborative writing. Each classroom example includes supporting research, a teacher story, variations and barriers of technology tools, and additional website resources. These examples adapt five of Leu’s (2002) new literacies principles: (1) change is a defining element of the new literacies, (2) literacies build on and complement previous literacies, (3) new literacies require new forms of strategic knowledge, (4) new literacies are socially constructed, and (5) the teacher's role becomes even more important within the new literacies. The chapter concludes with future research directions for using digital tools to teach writing.

Using Digital Tools to Teach Writing in K-12 Classrooms

The purpose of this chapter is to provide four examples from K-12 classrooms that use a variety of current, research-based online tools for teaching the following writing pedagogies: (1) process writing, (2) cultural studies, (3) content area writing, and (4) collaborative writing. Each classroom example includes supporting research, a teacher story, variations and barriers of technology tools, and additional website resources. These examples adapt five of Leu’s (2002) new literacies principles: (1) change is a defining element of the new literacies, (2) literacies build on and complement previous literacies, (3) new literacies require new forms of strategic knowledge, (4) new literacies are socially constructed, and (5) the teacher’s role becomes even more important within the new literacies. The chapter concludes with future research directions for using digital tools to teach writing.