1. Investigating Pre-sessional Students’ Perceptions and Learning Transfer of EAP Study Skills
TALIF Research Project – University of Essex
BALEAP PIM at Edinburgh
18th March 2017
Dr Sandra Huang Josephine Kingsford
University of Liverpool University of Essex

2. Background Pre-sessional teaching In-sessional Support classes
Pre-sessional Materials Design
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3. Pre-sessional Perceptions
EAP tutors’ perceptions
Subject teachers’ perceptions
Pre-sessional students’ perceptions
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4. Subject Lecturer’s perceptions EAP teacher’s observation
no preparation; not doing set reading
lack of English
lack of participation in seminars and tutorials, i.e. students being passive = ‘lazy’
did not know how to start an assignment
word by word translation, no holistic overview;
Comments made by lecturer were concerned lack of argumentation, structure, critical thinking, i.e. lecturer made EAP comments
No confidence in speaking in seminars, but able to speak to EAP tutors after seminars
Not knowing how to find academic sources
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5. Subject Lecturer’s perceptions EAP teacher’s observation
no preparation; not doing set reading
ACADEMIC READING SKILLS
lack of English
ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS
lack of participation in seminars and tutorials, i.e. students being passive = ‘lazy’
ACADEMIC SPEAKING SKILLS
did not know how to start an assignment
RESEARCH SKILLS
word by word translation, no holistic overview;
Comments made by lecturer were concerned lack of argumentation, structure, critical thinking, i.e. lecturer made EAP comments
No confidence in speaking in seminars, but able to speak to EAP tutors after seminars
Not knowing how to find academic sources
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6. Transference of Study Skills
James (2008; 2010; 2014)
Not inevitable
Often delayed
The factors influencing skills transfer – Multi- dimentional
Students’ perception of task and context similarity is one important element stimulating skill transfer in another setting.
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7. Transference of Study Skills
How can a pre-sessional course be designed to stimulate learning transfer?
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8. The Aims of Materials Design
To develop critical reading skills
To familiarise students with reading academic journal articles / texts
To encourage a holistic reading approach (i.e. for meaning and purposes)
To provide a link between PS material and students’ future assignment demands, i.e. an awareness of ‘usefulness’ and transferability of skills learnt on the PS
To train pre-sessional students’ critical reading skills:
To familiarise students with reading academic journal articles. Most international students on a pre-sessional course are more familiar with reading textbooks in which texts are written to elicit theories and principles in a certain subject field, but are likely to have less experience in reading academic journal articles
To encourage a holistic reading approach ( i.e. for meaning)Research has show that international students’ reading skills tend to focus on the micro level of the text. Students tend to approach a text by trying to understand the meaning of unknown vocabulary items or individual sentences.
To provide a link between PS material and students’ future assignment demands i.e. to provide awareness of ‘usefulness’ and transferability of skills learnt on PS
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9. The Three Phases of the Academic Projects
An academic essay of own chosen topic
A critical review of two research articles
A summary of a research article
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10. Findings – Assignment Types
Essays
Critical reviews
Group discussions
Oral presentations
Reports
Research proposals
Progress reports (PhDs)
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11. Findings – Challenges in PG studies
Critical thinking
Critical evaluation (of viewpoints), i.e. “finding own opinions”
Unable to understand assignment briefs
“How to start”
Difficulties in assignments relating theory to essay structure
“Finding suitable sources”, e.g. using the keyword method
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12. Findings – The Most Useful Skills
Note-taking
Essay organisation
Referencing
How to avoid plagiarism
Feedback analysis
Critical thinking
“… most things are learned [from] the Project… the Project class is the most useful”
“…that course support your study now”
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13. Findings – We need more! Academic / subject-specific reading
To study on a pre-sessional course with students from the same subject / department
Familiarisation with different types of assignments, e.g. research reports, research proposals, etc.
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14. “The teacher should teach more kind of assignments.”
“I think if there are different kind, many kind of different project, it would be better. Not just the critical review. Because you know your project course just two assignment, one is critical review, one is essay. But when I study in Sociology department now, there are many, many kind of assignments, reports, the proposal, the research design proposal and review, and many, many kind. But some of them, some of the assignments we never heard it before. Sometimes it’s difficult for students.”
“The teacher should teach more kind of assignments.”
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15. Conclusion – Near Transfer
The students’ perception of task and context similarity – crucial in skill transfer
The students’ anticipation and awareness of applying study skills – needs to be increased
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16. Conclusion – Near Transfer
In order to facilitate study skills transfer, James (2014:11) suggests that ‘educators may benefit from placing at least some emphasis on near transfer; although EAP instruction is already often designed to be similar to target situations (e.g. students’ other courses), near transfer might be emphasised by ensuring these similarities reflect as many dimensions of the transfer taxonomy as possible.’ James (ibid.) also points out that ‘EAP educators should, however, be cautious about expecting transfer when target situations differ from EAP instructions in numerous ways.’
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17. References
James, M. A. (2008). ‘The influence of perceptions of task similarity/difference on learning transfer in second language writing’. Written Communication 25(1): James, M. A. (2010). ‘An investigation of learning transfer in English-for-general- academic-purposes writing instruction’. Journal of Second Language Writing 19: James, M. A. (2014). ‘Learning transfer in English-for-academic-purposes contexts: a systematic review of research’. Journal English for Academic Purposes 14: Moore, T. & Morton, J. (2005). ‘Dimensions of difference: a comparison of university writing and IELTS writing’. Journal English for Academic Purposes 4: Storch, N. & Tapper, J. (2009). ‘The impact of an EAP course on postgraduate writing’. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 8: Terraschke, A. & Wahid, R. (2011). ‘The impact of EAP study on the academic experiences of international postgraduate students in Australia’. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 10:
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