The proof of the pudding … analysing student written texts for evidence of a successful literacy intervention

Authors

  • Linda Devereux University of New South Wales, Canberra
  • Kate Wilson University of Canberra
  • Anne Kiley University of New South Wales, Canberra
  • Maya Gunawardena Faculty of Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics, University of Canberra

Keywords:

academic writing, embedding, higher education, management, literacy

Abstract

In recent decades, the contextualisation of academic literacy practices through in-discipline initiatives has become more common in Australian universities (Harris & Ashton, 2011), and such approaches are encouraged by the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations’ Good Practice Principles for English Language (DEEWR, 2009). Although this approach makes sense to those of us who work in academic language and literacy (ALL) contexts, it can be difficult to demonstrate the effectiveness of the interventions, and studies so far have often relied on student satisfaction or analysis of course pass rates. This paper reports on a study which took a different approach. We analysed students’ written texts for evidence of the effectiveness of an in-discipline literacy intervention in a first year management course. A convenience sample of nine student essays was de-identified and examined for evidence of how effectively students applied the academic writing skills and conventions highlighted through an in-discipline intervention. Each of the essays was qualitatively analysed using a discourse analysis framework which reflected the intended learning outcomes of the ALL intervention. Although the student essays bear the hallmarks of novice writers, and in particular we found that the students struggled to use complex management theory effectively to build an argument, the students all demonstrated their ability to emulate the genre required in a management essay. Our analysis suggests that the students in this study did indeed benefit from the intervention, and contributes another perspective to the already strong body of research supporting in-discipline embedding of academic literacy development.

Author Biographies

Linda Devereux, University of New South Wales, Canberra

Honorary Senior Lecturer

Kate Wilson, University of Canberra

Adjunct Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics

Anne Kiley, University of New South Wales, Canberra

Lecturer, Learning Teaching Group

Maya Gunawardena, Faculty of Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics, University of Canberra

Lecturer in Education

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Published

2018-03-03

How to Cite

Devereux, L., Wilson, K., Kiley, A., & Gunawardena, M. (2018). The proof of the pudding … analysing student written texts for evidence of a successful literacy intervention. Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 12(1), A239-A253. Retrieved from https://journal.aall.org.au/index.php/jall/article/view/525