Table Of ContentResearching Contexts, Practices and Pedagogies in
English for Academic Purposes
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Researching Contexts,
Practices and Pedagogies
in English for Academic
Purposes
Lia Blaj-Ward
Nottingham Trent University, UK
palgrave
macmillan
© Lia Blaj-Ward 2014
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-33186-1
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries
ISBN 978-1-349-46148-6 ISBN 978-1-137-33187-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137331878
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Contents
Acknowledgements v iii
List of Abbreviations ix
List of Vignettes x i
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Beginning a journey ... 1
1.2 Mapping the EAP field: teaching practice and research 5
1.3 The nature of EAP research 6
1.4 Routes for developing research capacity 8
1.5 Dissemination and contexts 10
1.6 Annotated bibliography 15
2 Researching the HE Context Outside the EAP Classroom 2 0
2.1 Points of departure for research into higher education 20
2.2 Disciplines, disciplinarity, teaching and learning 24
2.2.1 I mproving what Business students learn at
university 2 6
2.2.2 S tudents’ perceptions, expectations and
experiences of learning and teaching in
Art and Design 2 8
2.2.3 A ssessment feedback and employability in
Science and Technology 3 1
2.3 Academic writing and assessment 34
2.4 Technology and higher education 39
2.5 Professional services in higher education institutions 43
2.6 E xploring dimensions of internationalisation in the
higher education context to frame and contextualise
EAP research 4 8
2.7 Closing section 5 3
3 Researching EAP Materials and Course Design 5 6
3.1 Introduction 5 6
3.2 Scenarios 5 7
3.3 T arget needs analysis for materials and course design:
principles and methodologies for exploring academic
discourse 5 7
v
vi Contents
3.4 Case studies: needs analysis in practice 65
3.5 Research into EAP materials development and use 69
3.6 EAP and technology 7 5
3.7 Scenarios revisited 80
3.8 S ome methodological considerations for research and
sustainable curriculum design 83
4 Researching Student Participation in the EAP Setting 8 6
4.1 Introduction 86
4.2 Students at the centre of the needs analysis process 86
4.3 S tudent engagement with materials and activities
in the EAP classroom 9 2
4.4 Exploring critical thinking and reading in EAP 95
4.5 A broader view of students’ experience of
studying abroad 9 8
4.6 Student performance and EAP assessment 103
4.7 S tudent perceptions of the design and quality of
EAP provision 1 07
4.8 Closing section 1 11
5 Researching Tutor Participation in the EAP
Learning Context 113
5.1 R esearching tutor participation in the EAP learning
context: what and why? 113
5.2 E xploring EAP tutors’ professional beliefs and
knowledge 1 14
5.3 Teacher talk and classroom language in the EAP context 1 19
5.4 T utor involvement in feedback and assessment in the
EAP context 1 24
5.5 Peer observation and staff development in EAP 127
5.6 Management and leadership in EAP 133
5.7 R eflections on choice of methodologies and
methods and ethical constraints 137
5.8 I mplications of research for policy, strategic
planning and resource allocation 142
6 Exploring the Quality, Relevance and Impact of EAP 1 45
6.1 The meanings of quality in higher education 145
6.2 Quality assurance frameworks 146
6.3 S tudent satisfaction surveys, institutional responses
and alternatives to survey data 150
6.4 Some additional research into quality assurance 155
Contents vii
6.5 Evaluating EAP provision 161
6.6 Quality assurance and enhancement in practice 166
6.7 Closing section 172
7 Conclusions 175
References 184
Index 201
Acknowledgements
A wise person taught me that research capacity building starts with
showing people you have faith in their ability to do research: I wrote
this book as a way of saying ‘thank you’ for that valuable piece of advice.
I am grateful to the reviewers of the proposal and draft volume for their
constructive comments and to the editorial team for their guidance
and support. I am also grateful to the English Language Support team
at Loughborough University for running an exceptional pre-sessional
course – I feel very privileged to have taught on it. Richard Kiely, Deborah
Post, Joy Robbins, Lisa Robinson and Eliot Wright have kindly given me
permission to quote material from their unpublished EAP research – I
hope others take inspiration from their work. My students have helped
me learn a great deal about what it means to be studying for a higher
degree in English in a foreign country and how to support them, sensi-
tively and constructively, to achieve their potential. Colleagues – past
and present, in academic and administrative roles – have provided me
with the necessary peer support context vital for professional develop-
ment. I hope this book offers the EAP community (staff and students)
something in return.
Lastly, but very importantly, the book is dedicated to my family, for
being the very special people that they are.
viii
List of Abbreviations
AcLits Academic Literacies
ALANZ Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand
AWL Academic Word List
BALEAP The Global Forum for EAP Professionals
BAS BALEAP Accreditation Scheme
BASE British Academic Spoken English Corpus
BAWE British Academic Written English Corpus
CELTA Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages
CEM contextualisation, embedding, mapping
CIC classroom interactional competence
CLT communicative language teaching
CPD continuing professional development
DELNA Diagnostic English Language Needs Assessment
DELTA Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
EAP English for Academic Purposes
EGAP English for General Academic Purposes
EFL English as a Foreign Language
ELF English as a Lingua Franca
ELT English language teaching
EMI English-medium instruction
EOP English for Occupational Purposes
ESAP English for Specific Academic Purposes
ESL English as a Second Language
ESP English for Specific Purposes
HE higher education
HEA Higher Education Academy
HEFCE Higher Education Funding Council for England
IELTS International English Language Testing System
IIE Institute of International Education
NSS National Student Survey
OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development
QAA Quality Assurance Agency
ResTES Research Training Event Series
SETT self-evaluation of teacher talk
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