Skip to main content

Language Issues Facing Non-Traditional Students: Some Problems and Solutions

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Widening Participation, Higher Education and Non-Traditional Students

Abstract

English, as it is used for academic purposes, can present problems for students whose educational background is not of a conventional nature. This chapter explores some common issues faced by students during their foundation year. It highlights some innovative, blended learning approaches used to support the often thorny development of a student’s personal academic voice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alsop, S., & Nesi, H. (2009). Issues in the development of the British Academic Written English (BAWE) corpus. Corpora, 4(1), 71–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkenkotter, C., Hukin, T., & Ackerman, J. (1991). Social context and socially constructed texts: The initiation of a graduate student into a writing research community. In C. Bazerman & J. Paradis (Eds.), Textual dynamics of the professions (pp. 191–215). Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brinko, K. T. (1993). The practice of giving feedback to improve teaching: What is effective? The Journal of Higher Education, 64(5), 574–593. JSTOR [Online] Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2959994. Accessed 04 April 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cassels, J., & Johnstone, A. (1983). The meaning of words and the teaching of chemistry. Education in Chemistry, 20, 10–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coxhead, A. (2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34, 213–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drury, H., & Webb, C. (1991). Literacy at tertiary level: Making explicit the writing requirements of a new culture. Paper presented at the Inaugural Systematic Linguistics Conference, Deakin University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flowerdew, J. (1993). Concordancing as a tool in course design. System, 21, 231–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freedman, A. (1987). Learning to write again: Discipline specific writing at university. Carleton Papers in Applied Language Studies, 4, 45–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, R. P. L. (1972). Words in science. Victoria: Australian Science Education Project.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyland, K., & Tse, P. (2007). Is there an academic vocabulary? TESOL Quarterly, 41(2), 235–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johns, T. F. (1991). Should you be persuaded: Two examples of data-driven learning. In T. F. Johns & P. King (Eds.), Classroom concordancing (pp. 1–13). Birmingham: ELR.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnstone, A. H., & Selepeng, D. (2001). A language problem revisited. Chemistry Education: Research and Practice in Europe, 2, 19–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenstowicz, M. (1994). Phonology in generative grammar. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurillard, D. (2002). Rethinking university teaching. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mudraya, O. (2006). Engineering English: A lexical frequency instructional model. English for Specific Purposes, 25, 23–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nathan, P. (2013). Academic writing in the business school: The genre of the business case report. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 12(1), 57–68. Available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1475158512000768. Accessed 01 September 2014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nation, I. S. P. (1990). Teaching and Learning Vocabulary. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. New York: CUP.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • November, N., & Day, K. (2012). Using undergraduates’ digital literacy skills to improve their discipline-specific writing: A dialogue. International Journal for the Scholarship of Learning and Teaching, 6(2), 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickersgill, S., & Lock, R. (1991). Student understanding of selected non‐technical words in science. Research in Science & Technological Education, 9, 71–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pozo, J., & Lorenzo, M. (2009). Representing organic molecules: The use of chemical languages by university students. In C. Andersen, N. Scheuer, M. P. Perez Echeverria, & T. Ev (Eds.), Representational systems and practices as learning tools. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Race, P., & Pickford, R. (2007). Making teaching work. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramsden, P. (1992). Learning to teach in higher education. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rees, S. W., & Bruce, M. (2012). The development of online resources to enhance understanding of subject specific language in non-traditional students. 12th Annual Durham Blackboard Users’ Conference, Durham University, January 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rincke, K. (2011). It’s rather like learning a language: Development of talk and conceptual understanding in mechanics lessons. International Journal of Science Education, 33, 229–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, D., & Schmitt, N. (2005). Focus on vocabulary: Mastering the academic word list. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Song, Y., & Carheden, S. (2014). Dual meaning vocabulary words (DMW) in learning chemistry. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 15, 128–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sowton, C. (2012). 50 steps to improving your academic writing. Reading: Garnet Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2004). Academic writing for graduate students (2nd ed.). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tribble, C. (1997). Improvising corpora for ELT: Quick-and-dirty ways of developing corpora for language teaching. In J. Melia & B. Lewandowska -Tomaszczyk (Eds.), PALC 1997 proceedings. Lodz: Lodz University Press. Retrieved from http://www.ctribble.co.uk/text/Palc.htm. Accessed 5 February 2013.

  • Trimble, L. (1985). English for science and technology: A discourse approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wellington, J. J., & Osborne, J. (2001). Language and literacy in science education. Buckingham: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wenger, E. C. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. New York/Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Woodward-Kron, R. (2004). Discourse communities and writing apprenticeship: An investigation of these concepts in undergraduate education students’ writing. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 3, 139–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worthington, D., & Nation, I. S. P. (1996). Using texts to sequence the introduction of new vocabulary in an EAP course. RELC Journal, 27(2), 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 2016 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bruce, M., Rees, S., Wilson, J. (2016). Language Issues Facing Non-Traditional Students: Some Problems and Solutions. In: Marshall, C., Nolan, S., Newton, D. (eds) Widening Participation, Higher Education and Non-Traditional Students. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94969-4_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94969-4_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-94968-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-94969-4

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics