Technology-Enhanced Instruction into Extensive L2 Academic Reading for Specific Purposes Within the ESP/ESAP Course for Postgraduate Language Pedagogy Students

Abstract

AbstractTeaching and learning to read domain specific texts and research articles within the course of academic English for specific/academic purposes (ESAP) is often underestimated and outsourced to students’ independent study with minimal instructors’ intervention. Students often demonstrate inability to gain knowledge about basic conventions established in the international academic communities such as research article (RA) structure, style, rules of citation and referencing etc. while reading RAs. The study undertaken by researchers of Saint Petersburg State University (SPbSU) and Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) showed that a specially designed extensive academic reading module (EARM) can help solve this problem. In the first part, the paper describes the underlying rationale for the development of the EARM, its syllabus, and its experimental approbation in the spring term of 2021–22 academic year with two academic groups of postgraduate language pedagogy students taking their master program at SPbSU and SPbPU. The second part of the paper focuses on the analysis of the data collected, namely two questionnaires completed by the experiment participants, their reports about extensive reading of RAs selected, and analysis of some structural and linguistic features of 36 RAs selected by the students which was conducted by the researchers. The role of technology in teaching the EARM is stressed. The positive attitude of students to the EARM and improvement of some their micro academic skills, e.g. pre-reading self-questioning, during the half-term experiment allow the authors to recommend including teaching academic reading module in ESAP course for postgraduate students on a regular basis. Further research steps are outlined.KeywordsESAP courseExtensive academic reading moduleEARMStructure of research articlesTitle of research articlesReference listsSelf-questioningPadletVersaText