The effectiveness of EAP writing conferences

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Melbourne, Faculty of Education, 2006Teacher-student writing conferences are widely adopted in EAP composition pedagogy, but, to date, there is little research that has examined their effectiveness. This qualitative case study investigates in what ways conferences are effective in improving EAP students' writing. The participants in this study were three advanced EAP students and their teacher at an English language centre in Melbourne. The major data sources included tapes and transcripts of the interviews with each participant, copies of students' first drafts, tapes and transcripts of the conferences on their first drafts, and copies of their subsequent drafts. The findings suggest that EAP conferences may be effective in three ways: (a) improving students' understanding of the teacher's responses, (b) maintaining students' confidence about their writing and motivating them to revise their drafts, and (c) assisting students to revise their drafts. There is evidence that a successful conference does not necessarily lead to successful subsequent revisions as the final product may be affected by the student's writing abilities, language proficiency, and topic knowledge. The study also indicates that it is critical for teachers to tailor the feedback for the students' concerns and their developmental stages of EAP writing