An Investigation of Students’ Perceptions of Learning Transfer of Academic English Literacy

Abstract

Learning transfer arises when students use prior experiences and apply the acquired knowledge to address new challenges in other learning contexts (Hirvela, 2016; James, 2014; Navarre Cleary, 2013). However, many teachers have found it difficult to promote learning transfer in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instruction. This study aims to investigate Year-1 undergraduate students’ perceptions of the learnt skills they find transferable in an EAP course in an English-medium international university. Students were invited to complete an e-survey to solicit their evaluation of their understanding of the skills taught in an EAP course and to identify which skills they have confidently transferred to other learning contexts. This presentation will discuss a framework of instrumental measurements for undergraduate course review to prepare for an evaluation of learning transfer. It will also exemplify how the four constructs (content relevance, understanding of learning, transfer applicability, transfer outcome) within the conceptual framework are impactful on learning transfer (Law & Fong, 2020). The findings not only unveil learners’ awareness and evaluation of how they apply academic literacy skills to their university studies, but also suggest what teachers can do more in instructional activities to help students be more engaged in transfer to other learning contexts.