A thematic analysis of undergraduate students’ perceived learning transfer of academic English

Abstract

Building on the quantitative findings and analyses in Law and Fong’s (2020) study of undergraduate students’ perceived transfer of learned academic English literacy skills, this paper presents the qualitative evaluation and investigation using a thematic approach of analysis. Seven one-hour focus groups/individual interviews were conducted in the second semester of the 2018/2019 academic year with a total of 11 first-year undergraduate students taking a General English for Academic Purposes (GEAP) course at the University of Hong Kong. Prior to each interview, students were asked to write a short reflection on their experience of learning transfer and give some examples of applications of skills learnt from the academic English course to other learning contexts. The findings unveil learners’ perceived understanding of transfer/applicability of academic English skills, their perceived relevance of the course content, and their perceived transfer outcomes to other learning contexts. The study offers insights into how teachers motivate students to make transfer happen more effectively and contributes to promoting learning transfer in classrooms. The presentation will highlight subsequent changes to the GEAP course in light of the research findings.