Writing Research Theory And Applications

Presents a collection of essays discussing the theories and models of writing research.

This book illustrates the use of ethnography as an analytical approach to investigate academic writing, and provides critical insights into how academic writing research can benefit from the use of ethnographic methods. Throughout its six theoretical and practice-oriented studies, together with the introductory chapter, foreword and afterword, ethnography-related concepts like thick description, deep theorizing, participatory research, research reflexivity or ethics are discussed against the affordances of ethnography for the study of academic writing. The book is key reading for scholars, researchers and instructors in the areas of applied linguistics, academic writing, academic literacies and genre studies. It will also be useful to those lecturers and postgraduate students working in English for Academic Purposes and disciplinary writing. The volume provides ethnographically-oriented researchers with clear pointers about how to incorporate the telling of the inside story into their traditional main role as observers.

Conceived as the successor to Gregg and Steinberg's Cognitive Processes in Writing, this book takes a multidisciplinary approach to writing research. The authors describe their current thinking and data in such a way that readers in psychology, English, education, and linguistics will find it readable and stimulating. It should serve as a resource book of theory, tools and techniques, and applications that should stimulate and guide the field for the next decade. The chapters showcase approaches taken by active researchers in eight countries. Some of these researchers have published widely in their native language but little of their work has appeared in English-language publications.

The authors report research that considers writing in all levels of schooling, in science, in the public sphere, and in the workplace, as well as the relationship among these various places of writing. The authors also consider the cultures of writing—among them national cultures, gender cultures, schooling cultures, scientific cultures, and cultures of the workplace.

This book undertakes a general framework within which to consider the complex nature of the writing task in English, both as a first, and as a second language. The volume explores varieties of writing, different purposes for learning to write extended text, and cross-cultural variation among second-language writers. The volume overviews textlinguistic research, explores process approaches to writing, discusses writing for professional purposes, and contrastive rhetoric. It proposes a model for text construction as well as a framework for a more general theory of writing. Later chapters, organised around seventy-five themes for writing instruction are devoted to the teaching of writing at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Writing assessment and other means for responding to writing are also discussed. William Grabe and Robert Kaplan summarise various theoretical strands that have been recently explored by applied linguists and other writing researchers, and draw these strands together into a coherent overview of the nature of written text. Finally they suggest methods for the teaching of writing consistent with the nature, processes and social context of writing.

This reference handbook surveys research on the central issue associated with the teaching of unprepared writers. Though basic writing has only been recognized as a distinct area of teaching and research since 1975, the existing bibliographic texts already seem limited due to their age or lack of annotation. This volume provides current and extensive bibliographic essays and will help to define this new field of study for teachers and researchers. Following an introduction that summarizes the origins and significant texts in basic writing, the book is divided into three sections, Social Science Perspectives, Linguistic Perspectives, and Pedagogical Perspectives. The first section, which contains three essays, views the field through the lens of social, psychological, and political issues. The second section, also containing three essays, examines contributions made from studies of grammar, dialects, and second-language acquisition. The third section, in its four essays, focuses on the design, development, administration, and evaluation of basic writing courses, the use of computers in basic writing classrooms, the role of the writing lab, and the preparation of basic writing teachers. An appendix that reviews current textbooks for basic writing courses is also included, as well as an index. This book will be a valuable resource for teachers of basic writing, in education courses and workshops that train teachers and tutors, and in fields such as linguistics, technical writing, and Teaching English as a Second Language. It will also be an important addition to public and university libraries and many education programs.

'Calling all lecturers: your jobs depend on books like this. You know that international students are a vital source of money for UK universities. Many of your masters courses - the ones you really enjoy teaching - would collapse tomorrow without students from around the world. This book is about how to help these students succeed.' - Times Higher Education 'A superb book which contains a wealth of ideas and strategies for use in the EAP classroom or for self-study. It should be compulsory reading for any student seeking to enter Higher Education in an English-language speaking country' - Alison Standring, EAP Co-ordinator, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) 'Read, Research, Write definitely fills a gap... It is comprehensive, accessible and expertly researched and written, covering many essential aspects of academic competence. Equally useful as a course book, a resource book in a class library or as a reference book for students, every EAP teacher will want a class copy, every ESL student starting higher education should keep it on their desk!' - Dr Roger Nunn, Senior Associate Editor, the Asian EFL Journal, Associate Professor in Communication, Petroleum Institute, Dubai 'Read, Research, Write takes a novel approach to combining language and content so as to balance discipline-specific and generic language development. Valuable and engaging input on learning strategies and research skills for higher education is also included. I would recommend this book for teachers of EAP in a range of contexts' - David Palfreyman, Zayed University, Dubai This book is for students who have learnt English as a second (or third, or fourth) language, and are studying at an institution where English is the medium of instruction. Each of its 10 chapters focuses on a reproduced academic article on an aspect of English for academic purposes - students can therefore learn about language skills from the articles themselves as well as developing those skills in the activities and tasks which follow. Each chapter develops six strands of academic skills essential for successful study: reading; learning language/vocabulary; writing; researching; studying' and applying to your own subject. The detailed and focused activities and tasks will help you to: Make reasonable knowledge claims Become more aware of university culture and expectations Write according to academic standards Think critically and reflectively Respond to ideas in academic articles Document your work appropriately and avoid plagiarism. Click on the RESOURCES TAB for extra downloadable materials include a collection of articles from a variety of different sources related to the topics in each of the book's 10 articles. SAGE Study Skills are essential study guides for students of all levels. From how to write great essays and succeeding at university, to writing your undergraduate dissertation and doing postgraduate research, SAGE Study Skills help you get the best from your time at university. Visit the SAGE Study Skills website for tips, quizzes and videos on study success!