Abstract
A fundamental goal of EAP instruction is learning transfer to students' other courses. Although research has provided evidence of such transfer, gaps exist regarding its circumstances. However, a related body of research, focusing on learning in EAP contexts, is of value here: While this research does not provide evidence of transfer specifically to other courses, it does provide evidence of transfer across situations in EAP contexts, and an analysis of this can shed light on transfer to other courses. Therefore, 41 studies that investigated learning in EAP contexts were analyzed using the transfer taxonomy (Barnett & Ceci, 2002) (i.e., a 9-dimension analytic tool developed to clarify research on transfer and used to analyze studies in experimental psychology). This analysis revealed much about what is possible for transfer in EAP contexts, specifically that (a) instruction can result in transfer, and such transfer can (b) involve various kinds of learning, (c) have a positive impact on the quality of students' work, (d) occur in situations that place minimal demands on students' memories and in situations that place greater demands on students' memories, and (e) occur across varying distances. Implications for research and practice in EAP contexts are discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-13 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of English for Academic Purposes |
| Volume | 14 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2014 |
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Keywords
- EAP
- English for academic purposes
- Learning transfer
- Pedagogy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education
- Linguistics and Language
- Language and Linguistics
Cite this
Learning transfer in English-for-academic-purposes contexts : A systematic review of research. / James, Mark.
In: Journal of English for Academic Purposes, Vol. 14, 06.2014, p. 1-13.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Learning transfer in English-for-academic-purposes contexts
T2 - A systematic review of research
AU - James, Mark
PY - 2014/6
Y1 - 2014/6
N2 - A fundamental goal of EAP instruction is learning transfer to students' other courses. Although research has provided evidence of such transfer, gaps exist regarding its circumstances. However, a related body of research, focusing on learning in EAP contexts, is of value here: While this research does not provide evidence of transfer specifically to other courses, it does provide evidence of transfer across situations in EAP contexts, and an analysis of this can shed light on transfer to other courses. Therefore, 41 studies that investigated learning in EAP contexts were analyzed using the transfer taxonomy (Barnett & Ceci, 2002) (i.e., a 9-dimension analytic tool developed to clarify research on transfer and used to analyze studies in experimental psychology). This analysis revealed much about what is possible for transfer in EAP contexts, specifically that (a) instruction can result in transfer, and such transfer can (b) involve various kinds of learning, (c) have a positive impact on the quality of students' work, (d) occur in situations that place minimal demands on students' memories and in situations that place greater demands on students' memories, and (e) occur across varying distances. Implications for research and practice in EAP contexts are discussed.
AB - A fundamental goal of EAP instruction is learning transfer to students' other courses. Although research has provided evidence of such transfer, gaps exist regarding its circumstances. However, a related body of research, focusing on learning in EAP contexts, is of value here: While this research does not provide evidence of transfer specifically to other courses, it does provide evidence of transfer across situations in EAP contexts, and an analysis of this can shed light on transfer to other courses. Therefore, 41 studies that investigated learning in EAP contexts were analyzed using the transfer taxonomy (Barnett & Ceci, 2002) (i.e., a 9-dimension analytic tool developed to clarify research on transfer and used to analyze studies in experimental psychology). This analysis revealed much about what is possible for transfer in EAP contexts, specifically that (a) instruction can result in transfer, and such transfer can (b) involve various kinds of learning, (c) have a positive impact on the quality of students' work, (d) occur in situations that place minimal demands on students' memories and in situations that place greater demands on students' memories, and (e) occur across varying distances. Implications for research and practice in EAP contexts are discussed.
KW - EAP
KW - English for academic purposes
KW - Learning transfer
KW - Pedagogy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84890812501&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84890812501&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jeap.2013.10.007
DO - 10.1016/j.jeap.2013.10.007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84890812501
VL - 14
SP - 1
EP - 13
JO - Journal of English for Academic Purposes
JF - Journal of English for Academic Purposes
SN - 1475-1585
ER -