Writing-to-learn in a higher education writing intensive tutorial programme : student collaboration and confidence building

Abstract

This article emanates from a study which focussed on Managerial Accounting and Financial Management (MAFM) students' experiences of learning in a Writing Intensive Tutorial (WIT) programme. Higher education students often do not either appreciate or realise the benefits of working collaboratively with other students. The WIT programme is based on the principles of collaborative participation among the students and writing-to-learn. Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) (Northcutt and McCoy 2004) informed the research design and data analysis. Following IQA protocols, nine affinities (themes) were generated to describe students' experiences of learning in the WIT programme. The article reports on the affinities personal confidence and interaction. The findings suggested that collaborative engagement in writing to learn activities, designed according to tight specifications, facilitates a process of focussed and directed interaction among students. This has important implications for higher education programme design especially in professional programmes where the requirements of the profession include personal confidence and interaction.