1st Edition

Undergraduates in a Second Language Challenges and Complexities of Academic Literacy Development

By Ilona Leki Copyright 2007
346 Pages
by Routledge

352 Pages
by Routledge

352 Pages
by Routledge

This is the first book-length study of bilingual, international, and immigrant students in English writing courses that attempts to fully embed their writing experiences within the broader frame of their personal histories, the human context of their development, and the disciplinary contexts of their majors. It addresses the questions: How useful are L2 writing courses for the students who are... Read more
Contents: Preface. Introduction. "You Need Really Understand": An Undergraduate in Engineering. "Don't Have Easy": Nursing in L2. "Suddenly You Get Recognized": The Power of Community. "Yuko Can Handle Intimidation":  Becoming a Social Worker. University Literacy. Social and Ideological Contexts of Literacy Developments. Conclusion. Appendix A: Interview Guides. Appendix B: Main Coding Categories for Student Interviews.

Biography

Ilona Leki

"Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.... I cannot emphasize too strongly how important (and rare) it is for a professional book to be so very readable, so compelling.... The combination of the solid scholarship, the theoretical framework, and vivid depiction of the students’ lives, make this book one that will be read by many and that will be influential."—Stephanie Vandrick, University of San Francisco

"Few studies like this exist that document the writing that students do and the attitudes toward writing that they have over their entire undergraduate experience.... The case studies are rich and revealing, and give curriculum designers and writing teachers, both L1 and L2, much to think about. Above all, [this book] makes us question long- and dearly held assumptions about writing at the undergraduate level." —Christine Pearson Casanave, Temple University, Japan