Using CLA pedagogy to examine an asynchronous supplemental English for academic writing program: Curriculum design and pilot results

Abstract

This manuscript features the curriculum design and pilot results of Professional English Language Skills (PELS), an asynchronous non-credit supplemental English for Academic Writing Program at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Affiliated with academic courses as supplementary literacy instruction, PELS pursues a dual pedagogical goal to support the academic, linguistic, and cultural needs of diverse students on campus and actualize institutional initiatives of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). To assess PELS’ effectiveness, we adopted a Critical Language Awareness framework (Shapiro, 2022) to analyze students’ course survey responses and written reflections and trace their engagement with interventions on language awareness (LA) and critical language awareness (CLA) development. Findings suggest that students develop LA and CLA simultaneously at varying degrees. Written reflections reveal that students understand the institutionalization of standard English and the benefits of using academic writing conventions to write more effectively; however, they also recognize the legitimacy and cultural values of other English varieties. Linguistically and socioculturally diverse student groups demonstrate distinct aspects of CLA correspondent to their linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Overall, English as an Additional Language (EAL) and non-EAL students value the exposure to linguistic diversity and cross-cultural interactions which educate them about sociolinguistics and EDI. These findings reflect “a dual commitment to pragmatism and progressivism” in language teaching in PELS’ curricular design (Shapiro, 2022).