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Learning to write by writing to learn : a postgraduate intervention for the development of academic research writing
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2015
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| _version_ | 1867613525478735872 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Howie, Sarah J. |
| author_browse | Howie, Sarah J. |
| author_facet | Howie, Sarah J. |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2014 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/43321 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:37:32.074Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publishDateRange | 2015 |
| publishDateSort | 2015 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/43321 Learning to write by writing to learn : a postgraduate intervention for the development of academic research writing Howie, Sarah J. cilla.dowse@gmail.com Dowse, Cilla Postgraduate study Academic writing Academic research writing Academic literacies Community of practice (CoP) UCTD Design research Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. Within postgraduate studies, learning is assessed through the examination of modules making up a taught programme and the writing of a dissertation. However, research, nationally and internationally, has shown that although students are generally able to complete the modules making up a postgraduate programme successfully, often difficulty arises in the writing of the dissertation which begins with the conceptualising and writing of the research proposal. It seems that students are considered poorly equipped for postgraduate study, which puts their academic success and completion of their studies in jeopardy, particularly those for whom English is not a first language. Since 1994 with wider access to higher education, a concern has arisen about National figures for postgraduate throughput rates, which on average, are quite low. This current research originated with concern about the unpreparedness of some postgraduate students in a specific master‟s programme in a Faculty of Education at a South African university and about offering them the foundations for the development of their academic research writing, an aspect so vital to achieve success at this level. It seems that programmes which incorporate academic writing are put into place in some honours programmes (see Henning, Gravett & van Rensburg, 2005; Thomson, 2008 for South African programmes) but once the student progresses to master‟s or doctoral level, this does not seem to be the case. The main aim of this study was to obtain insight and understanding of the demands of academic writing at postgraduate level and to develop an effective intervention to assist in the development of proficient academic research writing. Thus, the development of an academic research writing intervention deemed most appropriate for postgraduates in education was designed and developed to assist students during the first stages of their research, that of conceptualising, writing and successfully defending the research proposal. The premise is that during this first year of study, acquiring and developing academic literacies, in order to become competent academic writers would provide the scaffolding for the move into the second phase of the research process, that of academic research writing. Design Research was considered most appropriate for this research as it is interventionist, iterative, process-focused, utility-oriented and theory-driven (Van den Akker, Gravemeijer, McKinney & Nieveen, 2006, p.5) and in addition, requires the involvement of practitioners (Plomp, 2013, p. 20). The sample for this study was drawn from a specific master‟s programme in education and consisted of students, the supervision team and the academic research writing practitioner. A mixed methods approach was used where data comprised quantitative data (questionnaire, evaluations and assessments) and qualitative data (personal writing, evaluative writing, interviews and assessments). Findings emerging from the context of this particular master‟s programme point to a set of design principles that inform the development of a model for academic research writing which appears promising for supporting the postgraduate student effectively. It is hoped that the findings emerging from the research will fill a gap in the literature and add to the body of knowledge on postgraduate academic research writing. lk2014 Science, Mathematics and Technology Education PhD Unrestricted 2015-01-19T12:13:29Z 2015-01-19T12:13:29Z 2014/12/12 2014 Thesis Dowse, C 2014, Learning to write by writing to learn : a postgraduate intervention for the development of academic research writing, PhD Thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/43321> D14/9/71 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/43321 en © 2014 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | Postgraduate study Academic writing Academic research writing Academic literacies Community of practice (CoP) UCTD Design research Learning to write by writing to learn : a postgraduate intervention for the development of academic research writing |
| title | Learning to write by writing to learn : a postgraduate intervention for the development of academic research writing |
| title_full | Learning to write by writing to learn : a postgraduate intervention for the development of academic research writing |
| title_fullStr | Learning to write by writing to learn : a postgraduate intervention for the development of academic research writing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Learning to write by writing to learn : a postgraduate intervention for the development of academic research writing |
| title_short | Learning to write by writing to learn : a postgraduate intervention for the development of academic research writing |
| title_sort | learning to write by writing to learn a postgraduate intervention for the development of academic research writing |
| topic | Postgraduate study Academic writing Academic research writing Academic literacies Community of practice (CoP) UCTD Design research |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/43321 |