Student perceptions of embedded writing programs taught by disciplinary academics

Abstract

Support for developing writing within a disciplinary context has led to widespread embedding of academic literacy in the curriculum. Yet when embedding does take place it is often left to delivery from writing specialists working collaboratively with the discipline academic. Despite the widely held opinion that it is “the tutor’s role as expert speaker of a specialized discourse” (Northedge, 2003) to give students access to that discourse, programs that embed writing practices into academic content teaching taught by disciplinary academics remain largely under-researched. This paper explores student perceptions of three different embedded writing programs taught by tutors who had attended professional development sessions with ALL staff. The paper briefly outlines the three different programs and presents the results of surveys of and interviews with students who participated in embedded writing programs of different class size, intensity and epistemological content. One of the key issues arising from students’ responses relates to tutors’ academic identity, in particular whether the disciplinary staff saw themselves as able and willing to deliver the program.