Editor: Viv Edwards (University of Reading, UK)
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Volume: 11 Number: 1 Page: 55–68
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From `Story' to Argument: The Acquisition of Academic Writing Skills in an Open-Learning Context
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Elizabeth Hoadley-Maidment
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This paper examines the acquisition of academic writing skills by adult students studying by distance learning. A pilot study was carried out with students starting study in social sciences or arts and
humanities with the Open University (UK). The study focused on student perceptions of learning academic writing skills measured through interviews and questionnaires. These were compared with tutor feedback
comments on the students essays. Analysis of this data indicated that while the experience of Open University students is in many ways similar to thatof alluniversity students, the text-based nature of
distance learning is an important variable. This affects both the way in which students acquire writing skills and the development of their identity as academic writers. Variations in the discourse of the
academic subjects studied in multi-disciplinary courses also affected the learning process with differences being found between the arts and humanities students and social science students.
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© PP Inc.
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