Supporting international graduate students’ academic language and literacies development through online and hybrid communities of practice

Abstract

This paper reports on the implementation of online and hybrid communities of practice (CoPs) in an academic English course for international graduate students in a Canadian university. The study aimed to examine how participation in CoPs supported students in developing the academic language and literacies required in their programs. The research was informed by sociocultural theory and Scarcella's (2003) academic English framework. Each student self-identified an area of academic English they wished to develop, designed strategies to help them improve in that area, and carried out their strategies over three months. The 23 students were put into CoPs, and they collaborated with their CoP members to provide feedback and support to each other. The data for the study were artefacts shared by students online, including written posts, discussions, video and audio clips, images, links, and drafts of their work. Data from seven focal participants were analyzed deductively using codes generated inductively through a literature review. The results indicated that the CoPs developed students' academic language competencies, facilitated constructive feedback, affirmed students' diverse identities, and provided a supportive space for academic socialization. The study recommends the integration of CoPs into academic language support for international students.