Teaching Strategies
that Help EAP Learners
Paula Wilder
Assistant Professor
English as a Foreign Language
Guilford Technical Community College
Research Problem
• EAP learners face
challenges in essay
writing
• EAP learners deal with
different grammar,
sentence structure
• EAP learners often
have to change way of
thinking as they
compose/organize
essays.
http://anessaywriting.com/phd-dissertation-proposal/report-writing-service.htmlText
THESIS
Specific teaching strategies exist which will not
invalidate other cultures but will demonstrate the
dissimilarities and ways that pre-writing, revising,
and providing feedback will help EAP students
overcome cultural writing barriers.
Purpose
The objective is to explain cultural writing
differences and present specific strategies to
English instructors to help EAP learners with
academic writing and general organizational
guidelines.
Justification
http://www.susps.org/overview/numbers.html
North Carolina is now ranked fifth in the nation
for growth in immigrant population, so the
number of EAP learners will only increase;
therefore, teachers need to be equipped with
specific strategies to help EAP learners write in
a new cultural context.
Key Terms
•
EAP learners
•
ESL
•
Immigrant
•
L1
• L2
http://www.globalpositions.com/knowgis9.html
•
Native speaker
•
Non-native speaker
Literature Review
Cultural Differences
Specific Strategies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literature
Cultural Differences
•
Chinese and many African countries are
discouraged from including their own ideas (Leki,
1994).
•
Speed is encouraged and often necessary in
American writing, but not in many cultures (Bell,
1997).
•
Spanish cultures often encourage elaborate and
extensive explanations and description (D. Lorca,
personal communication, July 13, 2012).
•
Cultural norms are not wrong -- just not the
expectations for Standard Written English (Leki &
Carson, 1997).
Teaching Strategies
• Pre-writing
• Revision
• Feedback
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5OYvu9cmHW0/0.jpg
(Bell, 1995; Ferris and Hedgcock, 2005; Leki, 1995; Leki & Carson, 1997)
Methodology
Effective Strategies to
Help the EAP Learner
http://suite101.com/article/persuasive-essay-topics-for-academic-writing-a190343e
Value of Feedback for EAP Learners
1.Students greatly appreciate and value teacher feedback, considering teacher
commentary extremely important and helpful to their writing development.
2.Students see value in teacher feedback on a variety of issues, not just
language errors.
3.Students are frustrated by teacher feedback when it is illegible, cryptic
(e.g., consisting of symbols, circles, single-word questions, comments), or
confusing (e.g., consisting of questions that are unclear, suggestions that are
difficult to incorporate into emergent drafts).
4.Students value a mix of encouragement and constructive criticism and are
generally not offended or hurt by thoughtful suggestions for improvement.
5.Feedback is most effective when provided at intermediate stages of the
writing process.
6.Teachers should provide both encouragement and constructive criticism
through their feedback. A 50/50 prescriptive guideline of positive and negative
comments should be followed (p. 188-192).
Ferris, D., & Hedgcock, J. (2005). Teaching ESL composition: Purpose, process, and practice (2nd ed.). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.
References
•
Bell, J. (1995). The relationship between L1 and L2 literacy: Some complicating
factors. TESOL
Journal, 29(4), 687-704. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3588170
•
Carpenter, C., & Hunter, J. (1981). Functional exercises: Improving overall
coherence in ESL
writing. TESOL Quarterly, 15(4), 425-434. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3586483
•
Ferris, D., & Hedgcock, J. (2005). Teaching ESL composition: Purpose, process,
and practice (2nd ed.). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.
•
Leki, I. (1995). Coping strategies of ESL students in writing tasks across the
curriculum. TESOL Journal, 29(2), 235-260. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3587624
•
Leki, I., & Carson, J. (1994). Students' perceptions of EAP writing instruction and
writing needs across the disciplines. TESOL Journal, 28(1), 81-101. Retrieved from
http:// www.jstor.org/stable/3587199
Questions
and
Discussion
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