Teaching Of English For Academic Purposes Research Articles

Using Large Language Models to Enhance Genre-Based English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Writing: A Path to Sustainable Development

In the context of the evolving digital era, this study introduces a conceptual model that integrates Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing, leveraging Critical Digital Literacies (CDL). It aims to develop EFL doctoral students' competencies necessary for sustainable development, addressing the gap in current genre-based EAP instruction that often neglects comprehensive ESD competencies such as systems thinking and self-awareness. Utilizing innovative tools like ChatGPT within a CDL framework, the model focuses on both explicit teaching objectives related to genre knowledge and implicit ones tied to ESD. Specifically, the study outlines eight scenarios where GPT technology aids in achieving these pedagogical goals. By implementing this model, we aim not only to enrich the EAP writing curriculum but also to subtly shift educational practices towards embracing the values of sustainability and digitalization.

INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGIES & PRACTICES OF ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES (EAP) IN HIGHER EDUCATION (HE): A FOCUS GROUP STUDY

This study investigates inclusive pedagogies and practices in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) within higher education (HE), addressing a critical gap in existing literature. Funded by BALEAP, the research employs a qualitative sequential exploratory design, incorporating nominal group technique and focus group discussions to capture diverse stakeholder perspectives. The study identifies key themes across micro, meso, and macro levels, providing comprehensive insights into best practices for fostering inclusive EAP teaching. At the micro level, recommendations include redefining needs analysis, implementing differentiated assignment briefs, challenging linguistic and cultural stereotypes, and promoting reflexivity among educators. Meso-level strategies emphasise decolonizing the curriculum, integrating EAP into disciplinary courses, enhancing collaboration between EAP and subject-specialist tutors, and investing in continuous professional development. At the macro level, the study highlights the necessity of providing additional resources, fostering top-down collaborations, and introducing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives. The findings underscore the importance of coordinated efforts among educators, institutions, and policymakers to advance inclusive teaching practices in EAP. This research contributes significantly to the discourse on inclusive education by offering actionable recommendations for enhancing the inclusivity of EAP programs in HE, ultimately aiming to create a more equitable and supportive learning environment for diverse student populations. The study's robust methodological approach and diverse participant representation ensure the reliability and relevance of its conclusions, paving the way for future research and policy development in this crucial area of higher education.

Conceptual divergence and its causes in English for academic purposes abroad from the perspective of legitimation code theory

The reform of English for academic purposes (EAP) teaching requires clear understanding of its conceptual connotation. Based on the legitimation code theory, this study analysed the development of EAP in major English-speaking countries and the debates on the concept of EAP in the academic community. The study finds that EAP has evolved from a knowledge code, a knower code to an elite code. The core elements of EAP are embodied in a hierarchical knowledge structure, a systematic curriculum framework, and the integration of knowledge and knower in teaching. Therefore, in response to the current debates and problems in China’s EAP teaching and research, it is suggested that EAP teaching should focus on the dialectical unity of language knowledge and disciplinary knowledge, academic skills and academic literacies, knowledge creation and personal development, so as to achieve the resonance of talent cultivation and national development. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .

Exploring Chinese and Iranian EAP students’ oral communication apprehension in English: A cross-cultural mixed-methods study

The role of students' emotions in their academic performance has been widely endorsed in the literature after the rise of positive psychology. However, the scholarly context of English for academic purposes (EAP) has limitedly inspected the status of students' emotions while learning English. One such emotion is oral communication apprehension (OCA), which is a widespread pitfall among EAP students. However, the causing factors and coping strategies of OCA across cultural contexts have been overlooked, to date. To fill this gap, this mixed-methods study scrutinized the level of OCA, leading factors, and coping strategies among 1618 Chinese and Iranian EAP students via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results of the measurement invariance test and independent samples t-test revealed a significant difference between Chinese and Iranian EAP students’ OCA with Chinese participants having a higher OCA. Furthermore, the results of descriptive statistics and thematic analysis demonstrated that Chinese and Iranian EAP students had analogous perceptions regarding the causes and solutions of OCA. They enumerated several instructional and psychological factors that generated OCA and proposed similar coping strategies to curb it. The study provides some practical implications for EAP teachers, students, and teacher trainers, who can realize the criticality of emotions in EAP.

Only a cog in a machine?: Reappraising institutionalized EAP teacher identities in a transnational context

Language teacher identity (LTI) research, critical approaches to language education, and English for Academic Purposes (EAP), have each grown into considerable areas of scholarship. However, not many studies have addressed topics at the intersection of these triple areas. Therefore, adopting a critical perspective on LTI construction within predominant language ideologies, this study aimed to investigate EAP teachers' professional identity formation in response to institutional policies in a Sino-British university in China. As part of a larger project, data bodies were collected through a narrative survey completed by 77 faculty members and semi-structured interviews with 36 of them at this transnational English-medium university. The analysis of narratives and interview transcripts through qualitative coding procedures revealed three major aspects of the participants' institutionalized identities: ‘The EAP teacher’ (comprising three roles: a cog in a machine, a British acculturation agent, and a mock monolingual role model); ‘The safe researcher’ of trendy topics; and ‘The service provider’ seeking promotion. The findings contribute insights into EAP LTI from a critical perspective by documenting how EAP teachers (are obliged to) construct institutionalized identities in relation to language ideologies and educational policies in a transnational higher education context.

Towards a framework of critical thinking for assessing EAP speaking

As one of the fundamental skills of the 21st century, critical thinking (CT) is a topic of considerable interest within the domain of assessing English for academic purposes (EAP). Recent literature on EAP instruction and assessment indicates that EAP has evolved beyond a strict focus on language improvement to encompass discourse competence and broader academic literacy development, with CT playing an important role in academic communication. A fundamental consideration in educational assessment is the construct that defines the knowledge, skills, or abilities to be assessed. However, CT has not received due attention in the research literature on EAP speaking assessment, thus raising a legitimate concern about its underrepresentation in the academic speaking construct. This study draws on Macqueen's (2022) distinction between theoretical, stated, perceived, and operationalized assessment constructs, with an aim to describe the EAP speaking assessment construct by including the concept of CT. By establishing alignment between what the literature indicates (theoretical), what assessment requires (stated), and how people understand assessment (perceived), a CT assessment framework is proposed to reflect how test takers experience it (operationalized). Our study contributes to a more nuanced conceptualization of CT in the context of EAP speaking, with implications for EAP speaking test development.

From teacher to teacher researcher: Identity change in the power dynamics of an EAP reform community

Educational reforms often entail and afford teachers’ identity change. Adopting a community of practice (CoP) framework to examine reform-inflicted teacher identity change and drawing on data from eight rounds of semi-structured interviews over three and a half years, our longitudinal case study traced how three English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teachers negotiate their teacher researcher identity during an educational reform in China. We find that a multi-layered, multi-centered, and multi-functional reform CoP of complex power dynamics can facilitate EAP teachers’ negotiation of teacher-to-teacher researcher identity change during a curriculum reform, which can further enrich the long-term sustainable development of a community. Highlighting the significant role of CoPs in educational reforms and teacher development, we advocate a CoP of dynamic power relations and multiple power positions and call for frontline teachers’ engagement with teaching-based research to potentially strengthen the research-practice nexus. This study bears implications for educational reform participants and teacher educators.

What Quality Talk in a Reading Circle Does for Interthinking

ABSTRACT In the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classroom, speaking is a relatively marginalised learning activity, often employed merely to facilitate transition between activities which prioritise communication skills deemed more important. A significant consequence of this privation is limited practice in situated discourse. This paper presents a theorised account of an instance of situated discourse: Quality Talk in a reading circle within an EAP classroom. With reference to a single dialogic spell unfolding around a specific issue, I examine participants’ verbal transactions and the ways in which these enhance high-level comprehension of text. Overall, this account seeks to highlight the efficacy and affordances of situated discourse as a social mode of cognition in EAP instruction.

A Genre Theory Contextualization for Academic Writing in Chinese Higher Education

This paper explores new possibilities for teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing in the context of higher education in China. Using John Swales’ Create A Research Space (CARS) model, the paper demonstrates how genre theory can be integrated into undergraduate writing courses in China’s EFL settings. This method emphasizes teaching students to structure academic papers effectively, thereby improving their understanding and application of the genre-specific conventions of academic English. The paper illustrates how the CARS model aids students by delineating their research territory, identifying gaps, and positioning their studies within ongoing academic dialogues. Additionally, the teaching cycle guides students from modeling the text, to joint construction, and finally to independent writing. Furthermore, the paper highlights the comprehensive implications of this model, including enhancing intercultural communication skills and developing critical genre awareness among students. It addresses the challenges of adapting this model to the Chinese EFL context, such as linguistic and cultural barriers, and underscores the need for contextualized teaching strategies that meet Chinese learners’ needs. To conclude, it is recommended for further research to validate the practical usage of this genre-based EAP instruction in higher education and facilitate future curriculum development.

Language Ideologies and English for Academic Purposes Writing: A Case in Ontario

The field of language instruction is crucial in Canada, given the number of newcomers seeking to improve their English (or French) language skills after arrival. For those who plan to enter post-secondary education but do not meet required language proficiency scores, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs provide opportunities to strengthen linguistic and academic skills. These inarguably pragmatic goals are often unquestioned, yet EAP instruction is an ideological undertaking with social, economic, and political consequences. This qualitative study investigates language ideologies – rationalizations and justifications for language use and form – through interviews with EAP writing instructors. As participants discussed the material they taught, the language skills students developed, and the consequences of studying EAP writing, ideologies regarding what forms of language should be taught, the purposes of academic writing (instruction), and the social and political dimensions of language were (re)produced and resisted. Formative influences on these ideologies included education, upbringing, and personal language learning experiences. Developing a critical awareness of the understandings of language that inform teaching and learning can make more transparent the linguistic and social discourses that circulate within and beyond EAP writing classrooms and help instructors, students, and other EAP community members (re)produce or resist them strategically.

A study on the blended teaching practice model for EAP in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

With the talents collaborative development in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) provides support for the cultivation of internationalized talents and international academic exchanges and cooperation, while the in-depth integration of education and information technology also promotes resource integration in various regions and besides, accelerates the integrated development of higher education in the greater Bay Area. Based on the semantic wave theory, the paper discusses the integration of online and offline teaching of EAP from the perspective of cumulative learning. The paper points out that the online and offline teaching should work together to promote the semantic wave, namely, the cycle transition of the semantic gravity and semantic density in order to ensure the cumulative construction of knowledge, hoping to bring enlightenment to the integrated development of higher education in the Greater Bay Area.

Research on the Promotion of EAP Teachers' Information Literacy under TPACK Framework in the Era of Digital Intelligence

Foreign language education is steadily transitioning into the digital teaching era, driven by advancements in digital information technology and artificial intelligence. The integration of digitalization technology into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instruction imposes increasingly demanding prerequisites on EAP educators' information literacy within the pedagogical landscape. Employing the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, this paper conducts a comprehensive examination of the knowledge components and distinctive attributes of EAP instructors in the age of digital intelligence. Through an in-depth assessment of the information literacy of EAP educators at a science and technology university, this study unveils a spectrum of challenges pertinent to information literacy in the domain of academic English instruction. Subsequently, the paper offers a set of recommendations for enhancing the information literacy competencies of academic English instructors, with the overarching objective of shedding light on the professional development of EAP educators.

Identity position and pedagogical agency negotiation in teaching EAP writing: A case study

In language education, little classroom-based research has been conducted regarding novice teachers of English for academic purposes (EAP), and even less on teaching EAP at graduate level and on graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), a significant but overlooked teacher population at universities. Thus, this ethnographic case study focuses on the exploration of a GTA’s self-positioning in a graduate-level EAP composition class, with which he was unfamiliar as he taught it for the first time. Classroom field notes, audio-recordings, and interviews, in addition to supportive data, were collected and analysed through the lens of positioning and agency. The analysis of the data revealed that the teacher took up three core identity positions: a considerate teacher of English as a second language (ESL), an experienced and knowledgeable researcher, and a limited writing teacher. The findings further indicated that the possession of or the lack of knowledge on research, EAP writing, students, and genre pedagogy influenced the teacher’s agency in constructing identity positions and making pedagogical decisions. The study contributes to the limited investigation of EAP research and further explores the relationship among teacher knowledge, identity positions, and pedagogical agency. The study bears implications for the teaching of EAP writing and professional training.

EMI, EAP, and pedagogy: An autoethnographic account of a case study at a university in Japan

ABSTRACT Kanazawa University, a national university in Japan, offers an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program to its first-year students as a required subject of general education. It is an English-medium instruction (EMI) program with an English-only policy. In this article, I utilize autoethnography as a method to examine this EMI EAP program based on my experiences as a teacher while contextualizing my personal accounts in the extant studies of EAP, EMI, and English language teaching. The article reveals that West-centric coloniality and the native-speakerist myth are operating behind the program as the guiding language ideologies in ways to curtail non-native English-speaking teachers’ and students’ multilingual capacity. The article ends by suggesting potential changes the program may be able to incorporate to decolonize its current problematic pedagogical practices and to transform the program into a space where equitable linguistic sensibility is pursued and nurtured.

Developing EFL teachers’ feedback literacy for research and publication purposes through intra- and inter-disciplinary collaborations: A multiple-case study

The growing pressure for publication in prestigious English-medium journals and scholars’ increasing need to participate international research communities have given rise to the initiatives of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses or English for Research and Publication Purposes (ERPP) feedback service. Providing such ERPP feedback to students’ research papers brings forward the necessity for EFL teachers, who often give the feedback, to develop ERPP feedback literacy. Given the paucity of research on this topic, the purpose of this study is thus to explore how EFL teachers could develop their ERPP feedback literacy through feedback provision practices. Drawing upon teacher-provided written feedback collected from four EFL teachers over five years (i.e., 2017–2022), semi-structured interviews, and teachers’ verbalizations while giving feedback and stimulated recalls, this multiple-case study shows that through intra- and inter-disciplinary collaborations when giving ERPP feedback, EFL teachers perceived an overall improvement in their ERPP feedback literacy. In particular, they moved beyond targeting feedback to surface-level linguistic errors and developed awareness in disciplinary knowledge construction in ERPP writing. We argue that the intra- and inter-disciplinary collaborations can help develop EFL teachers’ ERPP feedback literacy, and hence strengthen their EAP teacher identity.

Academic word coverage and language difficulty of reading passages in College English Test and Test of English for Academic Purposes in China.

The field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) has gained considerable attention, mainly due to the growing importance of English teaching and the need for preparing international professionals. The primary academic emphasis of this field is largely centered on the study of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). It has become increasingly important for China to provide EAP education to its vast population of college students, who represent a significant proportion of global tertiary-level English learners. By doing so, they can improve their academic literacy and participate more effectively in international academic communication. In 2016, China's College English Test Examination Board issued the National College English Test Syllabus which emphasized the importance of academic English literacy in the test design. This syllabus was released during a contentious debate among Chinese academics about the role of EAP in college English teaching and testing. Despite this heated discussion, there are currently few studies that have analyzed the linguistic nature of academic English tests in a quantitative manner. This paper calculates the academic word coverage of the reading passages in two crucial English proficiency tests designed for college students in China, the College English Test (CET) and the Test of English for Academic Purposes (TEAP). It is found that the academic word coverage of CET is increasing from the year 2013 to 2021 and that the academic word coverage of TEAP is slightly higher than that of CET. In this sense, these English tests can meet the requirements for measuring Chinese college students' academic literacy. It is also found that there is a positive correlation between academic word coverage and language difficulty as is indicated by Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. These findings provide an empirical reference for the study of academic English tests in China, and other parts of the world, and contribute to EAP teaching and testing reform for the development of students' academic literacy.

“Most of us are not feeling well”: exploring Iranian EAP practitioners’ emotions and identities

Although theory and research on English for Academic Purposes (EAP) practitioners have grown recently, there is little documented research on their emotions and identities. This study explored the emotion of 12 Iranian EAP practitioners and their role in their identity construction. Adopting a narrative inquiry methodology, the study examined the practitioners’ emotions across the Zembylas’s (2002) three-dimensional framework of teacher emotions and their role in the practitioners’ identity construction. Data analyses revealed that while the practitioners consider recognition from students as contributive to their positive emotions and identities, sociocultural-ideological discourses and power relations negatively influence their emotions and identities. Such idiosyncrasies were viewed to create huge dissonances between the practitioners’ self-images and their professional sense-making at personal, interpersonal, and macro-structural levels. The study offers implications regarding EAP practitioners’ emotions and identities situated within sociocultural localities of EAP instruction.

Exploring L2 Motivational Dynamics Among Chinese EAP Learners in an EMI Context From a Socio-cultural Perspective

This paper reports the findings pertinent to the motivational dynamics in learning English for Academic Purposes (EAP), which are a part of a large-scale mixed-methods study. The study was aimed to explore the adaptation of a cohort of Chinese tertiary students when transiting to an English-as-Medium-of-Instruction (EMI) university from Chinese-medium schools in China. Data sources include a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews over a 10-month length of time. Analysis of the quantitative data revealed that the participants became much more strengthened in the overall and dimensional level of motivation after being engaged into EAP learning at the EMI context for two semesters. The qualitative results indicated that the consolidation of the participants’ motivation might result from the newly mediational roles of socio-cultural elements at the EMI environment pertaining to the learning discourses, cultural artifacts, important others and the study of content subjects with the target language. This study crystallizes the situationally constructed disposition of second language (L2) motivation which is responsive to context. The pedagogical implications for EAP teaching are also discussed.

Grammatical complexity: Insights from English for academic purposes teachers

While grammatical complexity has received much attention in the past decades, little research has yet sought the insights of second language (L2) writing teachers who are on the front line of educating academic writers. Given that teachers’ understanding of the representation of complex grammatical structures may impact their students’ development of academic literacy, this study explored L2 teachers’ perception of grammatical complexity. Twenty English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teachers (N = 20) in a Chinese university evaluated a set of five texts including varying grammatical characteristics. Using their ratings and notes as stimuli, we conducted a consecutive stimulated recall with each teacher to elicit their rationales for judging the texts on grammatical complexity. The findings indicated that, in evaluating grammatical complexity, EAP teachers not only considered lexico-grammatical features, but also deliberated over the propositional complexity, coherence, and formality. Also, while cognizant of the importance of features associated with phrasal complexity, EAP teachers seemed to have overestimated the significance of subordination and underestimated the role of non-finite dependent structures in academic prose. Implications were discussed in terms of teacher training and further theorizing grammatical complexity.

Teaching the Nation(s): A Duoethnography on Affect and Citizenship in a Content‐BasedEAPProgram

AbstractThe plurality of nation in this title foregrounds the challenge of teaching a geopolitical entity whose survival depends on building emotional ties of belonging. These ties can be problematic in diverse societies in which collective identities compete for recognition. In Canada, nationhood tied to language and culture is claimed by French‐speaking Quebecers; it is also invoked by many Western‐Canadian politicians to express a growing alienation from Eastern Canada's perceived socio‐economic dominance. In Canada's constitution, the term First Nations represents the indigenous peoples who are the country's original inhabitants. In this context, teaching the nation(s) is indeed challenging. In response, the authors adopt duoethnography as both research methodology and pedagogy in their content‐based English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. They first explore their experiences and emotional attachments to nationhood, reflecting on their influences on teaching around language and citizenship. They then provide two EAP assignments as examples: The first is a course assignment in which students critically examine hyphenated national identities through duoethnographic inquiry. The second is called the Get Involved project, which examines service learning and citizenship. Both examples demonstrate the importance of critical affective literacies to expand the pedagogical repertoires of EAP teachers and students in a time of resurgent nationalism.