A Study on Learning to Write English Source-Based Reports by EFL College Students

Abstract

Many L2 students encounter difficulties in writing research reports as such source-based tasks require both complex writing skills and content knowledge. Few studies have documented instructional effects concerning how EFL students acquire the academic skills needed for source-based tasks with pedagogical scaffolding. The current study explored a semester-long process of acquiring such sourceusing literacy by 29 undergraduate English-major students. A presemester test and a source-based summary-response task administered in class assessed the students’ entry level of skills and knowledge. Post-semester measures were obtained after the source-based writing instruction and practice were provided, together with the participants' reflective comments collected in interviews and the teacher-researcher's observations. Three summary assignments of single source articles toward individuals’ research reports were submitted by students for analysis. The findings showed an improvement in both the students’ test scores and in-class summary tasks. Better acknowledgement of sources was found on various writing tasks, but incidents of direct copying and other difficulties still occurred. Completing multip le-source research reports requires complex reading-writing skills which involve text comprehension, summarization, and evidence integration, and the participants still have much room for improvement. Implications, limitations, and future research are also discussed.