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L2 Undergraduate Writers' Experiences in a First Year Writing Course

Lin, Hsing-Yin Cynthia
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu150314311403158

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, EDU Teaching and Learning.
This dissertation explores seven second language (L2) undergraduates' learning experiences in a First-Year Writing (FYW) course at an American university. While the FYW course is designed from the perspective of first-language (L1) composition scholarship and focuses, broadly speaking, on analytical writing and the related development of critical thinking skills, the English as a Second Language (ESL) writing courses most of the participants had taken are designed from the perspective of second language (L2) writing scholarship and the development of more fundamental writing skills. Thus, employing a qualitative case-study approach, the present study was especially interested in the L2 students' transition from ESL to FYW, as this kind of study is not common in writing scholarship, though many L2 writers participate in both types of courses, thus generating a need for such an investigation. Driven by the theoretical frameworks of knowledge telling versus knowledge transforming, writing to learn, as well as transfer of learning, data was collected through interviews, journals, think-aloud protocols, classroom observations, field notes, and text-based artifacts. Participants included seven L2 undergraduates from Honduras, Bangladesh, and China recruited from three different sections of FYW; two FYW instructors; and the director of the First-Year Writing Program. Five of the L2 students (those from China) had taken one or two ESL writing courses at the university before they took the FYW course, and their experiences were of particular interest during the study. By following the participants throughout a 15-week semester as they engaged the various FYW course assignments, the study produced an in-depth look at their task representations of what they were asked to do and how they responded to the course activities and expectations. The findings reveal, first, that the seven L2 undergraduates used their first languages (L1) in various situations when they were completing the writing tasks. The study also uncovered a mixed picture regarding the notion of transfer of learning, that is, applications of what was learned in FYW (and ESL) to other writing-related situations outside of the FYW course. Although the L2 students were aware of those applications, they believed that they could use them only for certain circumstances, such as coping with similar writing tasks in General Education Courses, but not in their own disciplines, which require more specific writing practices as opposed to the general writing skills taught in FYW. Additionally, the findings reveal that the L2 students' participation in peer-review activities changed during the semester. On the one hand, they benefited from written and oral feedback from their native English speaking peers. On the other hand, they were reluctant to offer their feedback due to a sense of self-perceived inferiority as L2 speakers. The findings generated several implications for FYW and ESL researchers and practitioners with respect to how writing courses focusing on teaching English for academic purposes can develop the academic literacy skills necessary for L2 students to meet the writing-related demands at American universities.
Alan Hirvela (Advisor)
DeWitt Scott (Committee Member)
Halasek Kay (Committee Member)
Selfe Cynthia (Committee Member)
409 p.
Composition; Curriculum Development; Education; English As A Second Language; Higher Education; Literacy
second language writing; first-year composition; transfer of learning; knowledge telling; knowledge transforming; writing across the curriculum; teaching English for academic purposes

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Lin, H.-Y. C. (2017). L2 Undergraduate Writers' Experiences in a First Year Writing Course [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu150314311403158

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Lin, Hsing-Yin. L2 Undergraduate Writers' Experiences in a First Year Writing Course. 2017. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu150314311403158.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Lin, Hsing-Yin. "L2 Undergraduate Writers' Experiences in a First Year Writing Course." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu150314311403158

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu150314311403158
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.