Increased specialisation of disciplinary cultures creates barriers for students who may not understand the genre, style and conventions of disciplinary writing. Academic literacies research recognises that literacy is a social practice where writing is inextricably linked to knowledge construction. Learning to write, therefore, requires…

A good research base exists on the benefits of structured writing retreats and similar provision for academic staff and postgraduate researchers, but to date little has been published about the worth of such events for undergraduate students. This is despite the fact that undergraduate student researchers also experience external pressures,…

Teacher trainees are familiarised with various genres during their studies; however, the teaching portfolio and the thesis are the ones in the focus of their university years. The present study aims at investigating student teachers' writing and reflective skills by analysing reflective writings as compulsory documents of teaching portfolios.…

In this study, the role of reflective practice and collaborative learning practice in promoting learner autonomy (LA) and improving reflective thinking skills (RT) and related learner perceptions were explored. A mixed-method design was preferred to investigate the issue, with participants enrolled in an Academic English Skills (EAP) course (N =…

Commencing students in universities today are very diverse with regards to their academic preparation, language, and cultural background. Some of these students are also first in family to attend university. With such diverse student profiles and previous learning experiences, it is possible that some students may not be confident to employ the…

The last teaching-learning stage in the education system is the doctoral programmes, which turn graduate students into researchers. This evolution involves writing a dissertation, but also being able to discuss research. However, training on spoken genres has not received much attention, and the interest has been mainly on monologic prepared…

This case study explores the successes and challenges experienced while creating the Academic Skills Toolkit1 for use by academic staff at London South Bank University (LSBU). Based on similar initiatives at Queen Mary University of London (McConlogue, Mitchell and Peake, 2012), the University of Derby (2021) and the University of Huddersfield…

This article focuses on the impact reflective learning has on a group of EFL preservice teachers' academic writing skills through formative feedback and self-assessment at a university in Bogotá (Colombia). The goal was to determine how the participants' academic writing skills were developed when writing essays for international examinations, and…

This paper presents a case report of the experiences of a hybrid library team from the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol providing academic literacy support to the first cohorts of Trainee Nursing Associates following a new National Health Service (NHS) career pathway. We set out the academic literacy needs of this unique group of…

This study explores the use of a Moodle-based electronic textbook (e-textbook) created for an on-campus intensive academic writing course. The role of the e-textbook in facilitating collaborative writing practice and developing academic digital literacy skills as part of a blended learning approach is investigated. The study involved 83 students…

Electronic peer feedback (e-PF) has offered a number of benefits to English as a foreign language (EFL) students' academic writing competence and reflective thinking. However, little research has been conducted to examine whether e-PF can be incorporated in Confucian heritage culture (CHC) contexts. With a sample of 40 Vietnamese university…

IELTS is used as a screening gatekeeper and plays a crucial role in Omani students to meet job requirements. This paper reports on Omani English-major undergraduate students' reflections on their experience of the reading section of Academic IELTS. The main aim of the study was to elucidate their difficulties and coping strategies to inform…

The concepts of 'graduateness' and graduate attributes became contested terrain before COVID-19 destabilised even the most assured of shared learning constructions. Indeed, for those of us immersed in the delivery of work-based learning (WBL), this has long been the case. Promotion of reductive notions of 'skills' acquisition to comply neatly with…

Language used to report research findings and put forward arguments is at the heart of effective communication with readers. To this end, scholars use a variety of stylistic features. One of these is variety in language, which includes structures, lexis, and organization markers. Although much research has been conducted on these aspects, a…

The current study explores the perceptions of a group of Academic English (AE) lecturers on their views on critical thinking in teaching English for academic purposes and the ways they believe this can be developed, if at all. The findings suggest that the majority of teachers believe in the importance of touching upon critical thinking in their…