Progress 'from here to there' in academic writing

This paper reports on a qualitative study into academic literacy factors impacting on the development of academic writing skills within an EAL tertiary programme. Data has been collected over three semesters by using focus group methodologies. These groups responded to key cues about academic writing at the start and near the end of a 14-week course. The data, therefore, covers 'from here to there' and measures reported learner progress. These learner reports are triangulated by a mid-course tutor interview and by the analysis of learners' reflective memoranda, which themselves offer evidence to support (or refute) the students' self-reporting. In particular, we consider the students' progress in understanding academic genre features, including discourse structures, and the usefulness of multi-draft portfolios. In final interviews, students report on enhancements to their understanding of discursive forms and the learning value inherent in the writing process.