The learner agency of Mainland Chinese research postgraduate students in developing their English academic writing in an English-medium university environment

Abstract

As increasing numbers of L2 learners crossing borders to pursue higher degrees in English-medium programs, the question of how these learners deal with and master English academic writing (EAW) that is necessary for their academic success has gained much research attention. Concerning this question, previous studies have investigated the challenges of EAW and explored different means to support L2 learners. Despite growing understanding and strategies regarding L2 learners’ EAW experiences, some prevailing assumptions about postgraduate students and academic writing development influence current practices of postgraduate education and contribute to the situation that many L2 speaking postgraduates need to deal with and learn EAW in a largely self-reliant manner. Motivated by the question of how L2 learners make sense of and take actions to deal with their experiences of learning EAW at an English-medium program, the study reported in this thesis examined learner agency of a group of cross-border mainland Chinese students in an English-medium university in Hong Kong. The study employed the qualitative methodology, combining a qualitative interview study with a longitudinal multiple case study. It collected views, beliefs, and attitudes of 27 mainland Chinese research postgraduate students from a variety of disciplines to find out their conceptions about learning EAW. It also collected multiple sources of data over 23 months from four cases studying for a PhD degree in the Faculty of Education. Through a collection of regular interviews, reflective journals, emails, online conversations, writing samples, and institutional documents, the study reconstructed the learning experiences of the four cases to understand learner agency in their decisions, actions, and strategies when interacting with people and resources to learn EAW. The study found that learner agency is learners’ potential of taking actions for personally valued goals. Within the context of postgraduate study in a university, learner agency is manifested as learners’ strategic participation in curricular requirements, their selective engagement with resources, and actions upon themselves and the context for learning purposes. In this study, the cases with strong learner agency were able to negotiate with different people, especially experienced ones, and orchestrate various resources to obtain EAW learning opportunities. In contrast, cases of less learner agency were less able or willing to exert influences on people or resources; instead, they mainly relied on their own limited devices to address EAW requirements. This study suggests that learner agency in EAW learning may influence L2 learners’ success during the postgraduate study. It also suggests that learner agency can be influenced by learners’ psychological factors and their sociohistorical conditions. This study suggests the value of using the concept of learner agency to understand L2 postgraduate students’ EAW experiences. Findings of the study shed light on the complexity of learner agency and contribute a nuanced understanding of Chinese students’ decisions and actions about learning EAW at an English-medium postgraduate program. This study has implications for measures of supporting L2 postgraduate students in EAW and the undergraduate and postgraduate English teaching practices in mainland China.