Student-produced library research paper genre: one genre label but different requirements and expectations
Awad AlhassanDepartment of Language & Linguistics
University of Essex
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In this presentation:
Student academic writing Review of the literature (research gap) Focus & context of the study Significance of the study Research questions Methodology Data analysis Results & discussion Implications & insights for the EAP Conclusion & suggestions for further research
April 21, 2023
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Overview: student academic writing
Student coursework assignment genre in tertiary education seems to have been relatively under- researched in the literature of genre theory and EAP.
The investigation, therefore, of this kind of student genre and thus demystifying its surrounding requirements and expectations is important to students writers so as to successfully produce this genre in the university settings.
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Review of the literature (research gap) (1)
Most of the studies on student writing in university settings (e.g., Canseco & Byrd, 1989; Cooper & Bikowski, 2007; Hale et al 1996; Horowitz, 1986) adopted survey methodologies.
Those studies used course syllabuses and lecturers’ handouts in order to analyse and classify the types of different writing tasks faculty assign to students in the university settings.
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Among the classifications of the types of writing assigned to student in university settings is the library research paper.
Library research paper: a paper that incorporates and synthesises information from multiple bibliographic sources.
For the purpose of my study, I will only focus on this type of writing and I will elaborate on that later.
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Review of the literature (research gap) (2)
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Moving beyond mere labeling of the genre
Previous studies mapped the types of writing students are required to produce in university settings.
However, more research is needed to move beyond the mere labeling of the student genres and further uncover the different socio-contextual factors surrounding the production of these genres.
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Review of the literature (research gap) (3)
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Focus and context of the study
Three compulsory courses in an Accounting and Finance postgraduate programme taught in the academic year 2007-2008 in the Essex School of Accounting, Finance and Management.
The courses are:
- Issues in Financial Reporting
- Management Accounting
- Corporate Finance
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Significance of the study
Business studies as subject area seems to be the most attractive area for international students compared to the other subject areas.
International students enrolled in these programmes in US and UK
constitutes more than 20 % of the total body of International students in each of these countries (Davis, 1998; HESA, 2007).
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Research questions
What types of writing students are asked to produce on the Accounting & Finance programme?
In what ways are these types of writing similar and in what ways do they differ?
What requirements and expectations Accounting & Finance programme faculty place on student writers to produce these types of writing?
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Methodology (1)
Participants
The main study comprised both student and lecturer participants but in this paper I will only report on the lecturer participants part of the study.
Three lecturers from the Accounting and Finance programme participated in the study.
They allowed tape recorded face-to-face interviews.
They are the same lecturers who were teaching the Accounting and Finance programme three compulsory courses.
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Methodology (2)
Interviews
The interviews took the form of discourse-based interviews where interviewees were given prompt cards and questions, follow-up questions and probes are evolved around the texts on the prompt cards (Odell et al, 1983; Lillis, 2001).
To fully obtain the insider’s ‘emic’ perspective into the investigation and thereby reducing the outsider researcher’s ‘etic’ presupposed dominant judgment on the genre under research (Cohen et al, 2000).
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Methodology (3)
Textual sources for the discourse-based interviews
Cooper and Bikowski’s (2007) taxonomy on writing in tertiary contexts.
Lecturers’ feedback on the students’ actual writing.
The assignment question’ sheets.
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Data analysis
My analysis of data will be based on the data obtained from:
the type of writing in the three compulsory courses
lecturers’ demands, requirements and expectations
the similarities and differences found between writing for the three compulsory courses
To anonymise the identity of the participants, the following codes are used: L1, L2 and L3.
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Results and discussion (1)
The type of writing assigned on the Accounting and Finance programme is library research paper
Where student writers incorporate and synthesise from various sources in the literature to respond to the questions assigned.
I’ve set a library research paper, that is I’ve chosen a question that cannot necessarily be easily answered from one paper, they [student writers] have to go to a number of sources in order to answer the question. (L1)
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This finding confirms those of the previous studies adopting survey methodologies in that library research paper is one of the types of the writing tasks students are expected to produce in university settings.
However, these studies did not:
- provide sufficient information on different other aspects.
- inform us about the requirements and expectations the production
of this library research- paper- type places on student writers.
- differentiate between different disciplines of business courses
for each of which writing might significantly vary (Zhu, 2004).
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Results and discussion (2)
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Writing for the Accounting and Finance programme features some variations and similarities
Although these courses belong to one discipline which is accounting and finance, the
writing tasks feature some variations and similarities.
Whilst writing for Issues in Financial Reporting and Management Accounting is critical, theoretical, subjective in nature, writing for
Corporate Finance is statistical, mathematical and objective in nature.
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Results and discussion (3)
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It’s basically been mathematical and statistical methods that this paper [Corporate Finance] is following. Because essentially this paper that I ask them to write is mostly quantitative in nature, it’s not qualitative. Figures and statistics and data, econometrics, etc. (L2)
Management Accounting lecturer agreed with this point:In corporate finance, it’s more mathematical. But in 901 [Issues in Financial Reporting] and 903 [Management Accounting], no, it’s more of theory than practical problems. So, we tend to tell students to write critically and analytically. (L3)
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Results and discussion (4)
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Crossing disciplines in writing for Issues in Financial Reporting and Management Accounting
Writing for both Issues in Financial Reporting and Management Accounting requires students to import theories from other discipline and use them in their responding to the assignment questions.
For 901 [Issues in Financial Reporting] and 903 [Management Accounting] we normally use theory to illuminate our problem, our solution. We use what we call sociological theories, anthropological theories, and philosophical theories. You see 901 [Issues in Financial Reporting] and 903 [Management Accounting] tend to be interdisciplinary courses. (L3)
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Results and discussion (5)
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This finding confirms Samraj’s (2002), Thaiss et al’s (2006) findings on that student writing in university settings is surrounded by a multilayered context in which the discipline layer has different influences on the writing of the students.
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Results and discussion (6)
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Evaluation is an important requirement in the Accounting and Finance programme students’ writing.
Lecturers seem to focus on the evaluation in the critical evaluation requirement in the tasks assigned.
Student writers should not just confine themselves to the discussion of the pros and cons of the topic; they should be capable of stating their own reasoned opinion at the end.
The key thing is the ‘evaluate’. To critically evaluate is to say you are taking a more neutral view and it’s something beyond just analysis. It’s not just the advantages and the disadvantages. But saying why they [students] are important and come to their own opinion in the end. I always say to my students that descriptive essays can only secure pass mark. (L1)
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Results and discussion (7)
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Bridging the gap between writing outside and inside the discipline
Teaching academic writing for accounting and finance students should be geared towards the requirements and expectations in the discipline (Hyland, 2002).
EAP teachers could raise student writers’ generic and rhetorical awareness of the writing expected of them inside the discipline (Paltridge, 2004; Samraj, 2002, 2004).
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Implications & insights for EAP (1)
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EAP teachers could use successful previous student papers and expert papers in the field.
EAP teachers could also make some contacts with the Accounting and Finance programme subject specialists.
Interview subject specialist on the specific requirements and expectations the writing on their own courses places on students.
Help EAP teachers gear their teaching in a way that matches with what is required by the faculty.
EAP teachers would be able to effectively raise students’ rhetorical awareness and expectations of what it is like to write inside the discipline.
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Implications & insights for EAP (2)
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Teaching the Accounting and Finance programme students to write critically and not descriptively
Necessitate that those students should know how to write critically and avoid merely descriptive writing.
EAP instructors:- should show students how to write critically. - could compare and contrast samples for descriptive writing, analytical writing and analytical and evaluative writing. - should show students that writing in the Accounting and Finance programme is not just to write about the pros and cons, they should rather know how to evaluate things in writing and to come up with their own opinion at the end. April 21, 2023
Implications & insights for EAP (3)
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Student writing in university settings in general and in business studies in particular turned out to be less-researched in the literature of genre theory and EAP.
Student writing assignments in university contexts cannot be fully uncovered through the sole use of survey methodologies.
There are many rhetorical requirements and faculty expectations underlying the effective production of these genres.
Conclusion and suggestions for further research (1)
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Limitations of the present study
Involvement of the EAP teachers into my investigation.
- Future studies on student writing in university contexts, could make up for that by the involvement of the EAP teachers of such investigations.
Research questions in relation to this point could, for instance, be on:- the awareness EAP teachers/instructors hold about the generic variations found in writing on the Accounting and Finance programme.-Whether the textbooks and the ways those teachers teach the Accounting and Finance programme students academic writing acknowledge these variations.
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Conclusion and suggestions for further research (2)
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Caution!!!
The School of Accounting, Management and Finance is one of the Essex biggest schools:- More than 120 postgraduate students enrolled in various schemes.- More than 40 staff members teaching on these programmes.-Due to time and space constraints, the study was limited to only one graduate programme.- Only eight informants (students and staff) participated in the investigation.
So, caution should be taken when the findings of this study are interpreted.
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Conclusion and suggestions for further research (3)
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References (1)
Canseco, G., & Byrd, P. (1989). Writing Required in Graduate Courses in Business Administration. TESOL Quarterly, 23 (2). Pages: 305–316.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., Morrison, K. (2000). (5th ed). Research Methods in Education. London: Routledge.
Cooper, A & Bikowski, D. (2007). Writing at the graduate level: What tasks do professors actually require? Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 6(3). Pages: 206-221.
Davis, T.M. (1998). Open doors 1997/98: report on international educational exchange. New York: Institute of International Education.
Hale, G., Taylor, C., Bridgeman, B., Carson, J., Kroll, B., & Kantor, R. (1996). A study of writing tasks assigned in academic degree programmes. Educational Testing Service Research Report 54. Princeton: Educational Testing Service.
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References (2)
HESA: Higher Education Statistics Agency. It is the central source for the collection and dissemination of statistics about the publicly funded higher education institutions in UK. It provides information on all higher education students in UK by the level, mode and the subject of study. http://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/dataTables/studentsAndQualifiers/download/subject0607.xls Accessed 5 August 2008.
Horowitz, D.M. (1986). What professors actually require: Academic tasks for the ESL classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 20(3 ). Pages: 445-460.
Hyland, K. (2002). Specificity revisited: how far should we go now? English for Specific Purposes, 21(4). Pages: 385-395.
Lillis, T.M. (2001). Student Writing: Access, Regulation, Desire. London: Routledge.
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Odell, L., Goswami, D., & Herrington, A. (1983). The discourse-based interview: A procedure for exploring the tacit knowledge of writers in nonacademic settings. In. P. Mosenthal, L. Tamor, & S.A. Walmsley (Eds.). Research on Writing: Principles and Methods. New York: Longman.
Paltridge, B. (2004). Academic writing: Review article. Language Teaching, 37 (2). Pages: 87-105.
Samraj, B. (2002). Texts and Contextual Layers: Academic Writing in Content Courses. In. A.M Johns (Eds.). Genre in the Classroom: Multiple Perspectives. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Samraj, B. (2004). Discourse features of the student-produced academic research paper: variations across disciplinary courses. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 3(1). Pages: 5-22.
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References (3)
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Thaiss, C. & Zawacki, T.M. (2006). Engaged writers and dynamic disciplines: research on the academic writing life. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.
Zhu, W. (2004). Writing in business courses: an analysis of assignment types, their characteristics, and required skills. English for Specific Purposes, 23(2). Pages: 111-135.
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References (4)
