Enhancing academic writing competence in radiography education

Abstract

This thesis records a study undertaken by a radiography lecturer at a satellite campus of a University of Technology (UoT) in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The study investigated the academic writing practices of first year Radiation Science learners and focused on an intervention to assist learners to enhance their academic writing competence. Three research questions were addressed: 1. What did radiography learners perceive to be the factors that enabled and constrained their academic writing competence during the first year of academic study?; 2. What were the 2010 first year learners’ perceptions of the changes in their academic writing following an academic writing intervention?; and 3. According to the 2010 first year lecturers, how did the academic writing of the learners change following the intervention? To answer these questions, the research comprised two qualitative approaches: firstly a case study approach, to gain an in-depth understanding of learner writing in radiography; then the insights gained allowed for the design of an appropriate academic writing intervention, carried out in two action research spirals. Thereafter the intervention was evaluated for its impact on learners’ writing competence. The findings and interpretations from this study culminated in a forward looking model that is recommended for use by radiography educators to enhance first year learners’ academic writing competence. The model reflects a zone for the optimal enhancement of academic writing competence for entry-level learners. This ‘zone’ is created in the region of overlap of three contributing factors: collaborative guidance and support, peer mentoring and technology. The model also represents applicable underlying theories (critical theory, constructivism, and academic literacies theory) which provide the theoretical framework for enhanced academic writing competence.