Improving English Language Learners’ Academic Writing: A Multi-Strategy Approach to a Multi-Dimensional Challenge

Abstract

The demands of the academic field and the constraints students have while learning how to write appropriately call for better approaches to teach academic writing. This research study examines the effect of a multifaceted academic writing module on pre-service teachers’ composition skills in an English teacher preparation program at a medium sized public university in Colombia.  Four written samples from sixteen students were analyzed throughout the two academic periods of 2016. Analytical rubrics measured six writing features quantitatively. Results showed that this multifaceted academic writing module significantly improved pre-service teachers’ competences such as discourse, syntax, vocabulary, mechanics and language conventions.