Academic literacy of future teachers. A comparative study on several Spanish universities
Abstract
Studies on literacy among university students in Spain have shown a possible relation between their reading and writing habits and their degree of academic literacy. With the purpose of verifying this relationship, this paper attempts to establish to what degree the level of academic literacy of university students can be explained from the reading and writing practices promoted by their teachers. The reference model places academic literacy variable criteria and the teaching and learning practices as predictors. The study’s participating sample is made up of 240 students from the undergraduate degree programs of preschool and elementary teacher training at four Spanish universities. The participating students completed a self-report which was then subjected to several analyses. These analyses then allowed us to describe the literacy practices at the participating universities and to determine the existence of a possible relation among them, focusing on the students’ academic literacy and their reading and writing habits. The data obtained allows us to state that there does indeed exist differences of literacy in students associated with reading and writing practices carried out at their university in response to the demands made by their professors.Downloads
References
Aitchison, C., & Lee, A. (2006). Research writing: problems and pedagogies. Teaching in Higher Education, 11(3), 265-278.
Alamargot, D. & Chanquoy, L. (2001). Through the models of writing. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Barton, D. (2007). Literacy: An introduction to the ecology of written language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bazerman, C., Little, J. Bethel, L., Chavkin, T., Fouquette, D., & Garufis, J. (2005). Reference guide to writing across the curriculum. West Lafayette, Indiana: Parlor Press.
Bazerman, C., & Russell, D.R. (Eds.) (2004). Writing Selves/ Writing societies: Research from activity perspectives. Fort Collins, CO: The WAC Clearinghouse and Mind, Culture, and Activity, http://wac.colostate.edu/books/selves_societies/
Björk, L., Bräuer, G., Rienecker, L., & Jörgensen, P. S. (Eds.). (2003). Teaching academic writing in European Higher Education. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Carlino, P. (2003). Alfabetización académica: Un cambio necesario, algunas alternativas posibles. Educere. Investigación, 06(09), 409-417.
Carlino, P. (2005). Escribir, leer y aprender en la universidad. Una introducción a la alfabetización académica. México/Buenos Aires: Fondo de Cultura Económica.
Carlino, P. (2013). Alfabetización académica diez años después. Revista Mexicana de Investigación Educativa, 18(57), 355-381.
Castelló, M. (2014). Los retos actuales de la alfabetización académica: estado de la cuestión y últimas investigaciones. Enunciación, 19(2), 346-365. http://dx.doi.org/10.14483/udistrital.jour.enunc.2014.2.a13
Castelló, M., Corcelles, M., Iñesta, A., Bañales, G., & Vega, N. (2011). La voz del autor en la escritura académica: una propuesta para el análisis. Signos. Estudios de Lingüística, 44(76), 105-117.
Castelló, M., Iñestas, A., & Corcelles, M. (2013). Ph.D. students’ transitions between aca- demic and scientific writing identity: Learning to write a research article. Research in the Teaching of English, 47, 442-478.
Castelló, M., Iñesta, A., Pardo, M., Liesa, E., & Martínez-Fernández, R. (2012). Tutoring the end-of-studies dissertation: Helping psychology students find their academic voice. Higher Education, 63(1), 97-115.
Castelló, M., Mateos, M., Castells, N., Iñesta, A., Cuevas, I., & Solé, I. (2012). Academic writing practices in Spanish university. Education & Psychology, 10(2), 569-590.
Coffin, C., Curry, M.J., Goodman, S., Hewings, A., Lillis, T.M., & Swann, J. (2005). Teaching academic writing. A toolkit for higher education. London/New York: Routledge.
Colomer, T., & Munita, F. (2013). La experiencia lectora de los alumnos de Magisterio: nuevos desafíos para la formación docente. Lenguaje y Textos, 38, 37-44.
Corcelles, M., Oliva, A., Castelló, G., & Vega, N.A. (2013). Enseñar a escribir textos científicos-académicos mediante la revisión colaborativa: El trabajo final de grado en Psicología. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria, 11(1), 79-104, http://www.red-u.net
Curry, M.J., & Lillis, T.M. (2005). Issues in academic writing in Higher Education. En C. Coffin, M.J. Curry, S. Goodman, A. Hewings, T.M. Lillis, & J. Swann, Teaching Academic Writing (pp. 1-18). London/New York: Routledge.
Florence, M.K., & Yore, L.D. (2004). Learning to write like a scientist: Coauthoring as an enculturation task. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(6), 637-668.
Ganobcsik-Williams, L. (2004). A report on the teaching of academic writing in UK Higher Education. The Royal Literary Fund. http://www.rlf.org.uk/FELLOWS-HIPSCHEME/DOCUMENTS/tEACHINGwRITINGukhe.PDF.
Ganobcsik-Williams, L. (Ed.) (2006). Teaching academic writing in UK Higher Education. Theories, practices and models. Hampshire/New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
Gee, J. (1996) Social Linguistics and Literacies: Ideology and Discourses. Critical Perspectives on Literacy and Education. Bristol, PA: Falmer Press
Grabe, W., & Kaplan, R.B. (1998). Theory and Practice of Writing. London: Longman.
Guzmán-Simón, F., & García-Jiménez, E. (2014). Los hábitos lectoescritores en los alumnos universitarios. Revista Electrónica Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado, 17(3), 79-92. https://dx.doi.org/10.6018/reifop.17.3.204071.
Guzmán-Simón, F., & García-Jiménez, E. (2015). La evaluación de la alfabetización aca- démica. Relieve. Revista Electrónica de Investigación y Evaluación Educativa, 21(1). Art. ME2. https://dx.doi.org/10.7203/relieve.21.1.5147.
Guzmán-Simón, F., & García-Jiménez, E. (2015). La alfabetización académica en la Uni- versidad. Un estudio predictivo. Relieve. Revista Electrónica de Investigación y Evaluación Educativa, 21(1). Art. ME2. https://dx.doi.org/10.7203/relieve.21.1.5018.
Granado, C. (2014). Teachers as readers: a study of the reading habits of future teachers. Cultura y Educación, 26(1), 44-70.
Hyland, K. (2008). Genre and academic writing in the disciplines. Language Teaching, 41(4), 543-562.
Hyland, K. (2009). Academic Discourse. English in a Global Context. London/New York: Continuum International Publishing Group.
Hyland, K. (2013). Writing in the university: Education, knowledge and reputation. Language Teaching, 46, 53-70. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0261444811000036.
Ivanič, R. (1998). Writing and identity. The discoursal construction of identity in academic writing. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Ivanič, R., & Lea, M.R. (2006). New contexts, new challenges: the teaching of writing in UK Higher Education. En L. Ganobcsik-Williams (Ed.), Teaching academic writing in UK Higher Education. Theories, practices and models (pp. 6-15). Hampshire/New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
Jones, C., Turner, J., & Street, B. (Eds.) (1999). Students writing in the university. Cultural and epistemological issues. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Lea, M.R. (2005). Communities of Practice in Higher Education. Useful Heuristic or Edu- cational Model? En D. Barton, & K. Tusting (Eds.), Beyond communities of practice. Lan- guage, power and social context (pp. 180-197). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lea, M.R. (2012). New Genres in the Academy: Issues of Practice, Meaning Making and Identity. En M. Castelló, & C. Donahue (Eds.), University Writing. Selves and Texts
Academic Societies (pp. 93-109). Bingley (UK): Emerald.
Lea, M.R., & Street, V. (1998). Student writing in higher education: An academic literacies approach. Studies in Higher Education, 23(2), 157-172.
Lea, M. & Street, B. (2006). The ‘Academic literacies’ Model: Theory and Applications. Theory into Practice, 45(4), 368-377.
Lea, M.R., & Stierer, B. (Eds.) (2000). Students writing in Higher Education. New contexts. Buckingham: The Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press.
Lillis, T.M. (1997). New voices in Academia? The regulative nature of academic writing conventions. Language and Education, 11(3), 182-199.
Lillis, T.M. (2011). Student Writing. Access, Regulation, Desire. London/New York: Routledge. Lillis, Th., & Scott, M. (2007). Defining academic literacies research: issues of epistemo- logy, ideology and strategy. Journal of Applied Linguistics, 4(1), 5-32.
Mateos, M., & Solé, I. (2012). Undergraduate Students’ Conceptions and Beliefs about Academic Writing. En M. Castelló & C. Donahue (Eds.), University Writing. Selves and Texts Academic Societies (pp. 53-67). Bingley (UK): Emerald.
Mateos, M., Villalón, R., De Dios, M.J., & Martín, E. (2007). Reading-and-writing tasks on different university degree courses: what do the students say they do? Studies in Higher Education, 32(4), 489-510.
Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (2007). Real Decreto 1393/2007, de 29 de octubre, por el que se establece la ordenación de las enseñanzas universitarias oficiales. BOE, 260, de 30 de octubre de 2007.
Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (2010). Real Decreto 861/2010, de 2 de julio, por el que se modifica el Real Decreto 1393/2007, de 29 de octubre, por el que se establece la ordenación de las enseñanzas universitarias oficiales. BOE, 161, de 3 de julio de 2010.
Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (2011). Real Decreto 1027/2011, de 15 de julio, por el que se establece el Marco Español de Cualificaciones para la Educación Superior. BOE, 185, de 3 de agosto de 2011.
Monroe, J. (Ed.) (2006). Local knowledges, local practices: Writing in the disciplines at Cornell. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Muspratt, S., Luke, A., & Freebody, P. (1997). Constructing critical literacies. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
New London Group (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 60-92.
Olson, D.R. (1998). The world on paper. The conceptual and cognitive implications of writing and reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Prior, P. & Bilbro, R. (2012). Academic enculturation: Developing literate practices and disciplinary identities. En M. Castelló y Ch. Donahue (Eds.), University writing: Selves and texts in Academic Societies (pp. 20-31). Bingley: Emerald.
Robinson-Pant, A., & Street, B. (2012). Students’ and Tutors’ Understanding of ‘New’ Academic Literacy Practices. En M. Castelló, & C. Donahue (Eds.), University Writing. Selves and Texts Academic Societies (pp. 71-92). Bingley (UK): Emerald.
Russell, D.R. (1991). Writing in the Academic Disciplines, 1870-1990: A curricular history. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
Russell, D.R., & Cortes, V. (2012). Academic and scientific texts: the same or different communities? En M. Castelló, & C. Donahue (Eds.), University Writing. Selves and Texts Academic Societies (pp. 3-17). Bingley (UK): Emerald.
Russell, D. R., Lea, M., Parker, J., Street, B., & Donahue, T. (2009). Exploring Notions of Genre in ‘Academic Literacies’ and ‘Writing across the Curriculum’: Approaches across countries and contexts. En Ch. Bazerman, A. Bonini, & D. Figueiredo (Eds.), Genre in a Changing World (pp. 395-423). Colorado/Indiana: The WAC Clearinghouse/ Parlor Press.
Solé, I., Mateos, M., Miras, M., Martín, E., Castells, N., Cuevas, I., & Graciá, M. (2005). Lectura, escritura y adquisición de conocimientos en Educación Secundaria y Educación Universitaria. Infancia y Aprendizaje, 28, 329-347.
Solé, I., Teberosky, A., & Castelló, M. (2012). Academic Communication Strategies in Postgraduate Studies. En C. Thaiss, G. Bräuer, P. Carlino, L. Ganobcsik-Williams, & A. Sinha (Eds.) (2012). Writing Programs Worldwide. Profiles of Academic Writing in many places (pp. 365-375). Fort Collins, Colorado/Anderson, South Carolina: The WAC Clearinghouse/ Parlor Press.
Street, B. (2003). What’s ‘New’ in New Literacy Studies? Critical approaches to literacy in theory and practice. Current Issues in Comparative Education (CICE), 2(5), 77-102.
Street, B. (2004). Academic literacies and the ‘new orders’: implications for research and the practice in student writing in Higher Education. Learning and Teaching in the Social Sciences, 1(1), 9-20. https://dx.doi.org/10.1386/ltss.1.1.9/0
Street, B. (2009). Hidden features of academic paper writing. Working Papers in Educational Linguistics, 24(1), 1-17.
Swales, J.M. (1990). Genre analysis. English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Thaiss, C., Bräuer, G., Carlino, P., Ganobcsik-Williams, L., & Sinha, A. (Eds.) (2012). Writing Programs Worldwide. Profiles of Academic Writing in many places. Fort Collins, Colorado/ Anderson, South Carolina: The WAC Clearinghouse/ Parlor Press.
Tynjälä, P. (1998). Traditional Studying for Examination versus Constructivist Learning Tasks: Do learning outcomes differ? Studies in Higher Education, 23(2), 173-189.
Tynjälä, P., Mason, L., & Lonka, K. (2001). Writing as a Learning Tool. Integrating Theory and Practice. Dordrecht/Boston/London: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Villalón, R., & Mateos, M. (2009). Concepciones del alumnado de secundaria y universi- dad sobre la escritura académica. Infancia y Aprendizaje, 32(2), 219-232.
Wells, G. (1988). Aprender a leer y escribir. Barcelona: Laia.
Wingate, U., & Tribble, C. (2012). The best of both worlds? Towards an English for Aca- demic Purposes/ Academic Literacies writing pedagogy. Studies in Higher Education, 37(4), 481-495.
The articles and scientific documents published in RIE abide the following conditions:
1. The Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia (the publisher) has the property rights (copyright) of all the documents published and allows the reuse under the user’s license indicated in point 2.
2. All documents are published in the digital edition of RIE under a Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 3.0 España (legal document) license. These documents can be copied, used, distributed, communicated and explained publicly if: i) the author(s) and its original source of publishing (magazine, publisher and URL of the document) are cited; ii) it is not used for commercial purpose; iii) the existence and the specifications about this license are mentioned.
3. Auto-archive’s conditions. The authors are allowed and encouraged to digitally distribute the pre-print versions (a version before evaluation) and/or post-print (a version that it is already evaluated and accepted to its publication). This promotes circulation and distribution earlier and can increase the citations and significance within the academic community.
