The challenge of academic writing for Chinese students within ...

including English language courses, workshops and tutorials. Instead of providing general
academic support as pre-sessional English language courses are designed for, in-sessional
English language support should be subject-specific, which requires close collaboration
between language support tutors and academic faculties. Each academic department within
the faculty might offer discipline-specific language support, which is of relevance to students
who pursue a particular programme of study, for instance in the Science and Social Sciences
faculty, language support provision might be categorised into psychology, health and applied
social science, geography and social work. With the built-in language support provision, a
tailored support will be made possible, including introduction of discipline language and
subject-specific discourse, and academic culture and expectations of a particular discipline.
These aspects were highlighted by the participants of this study as areas in which they were
less confident.
For international Chinese students, the essence of language support is to develop their
confidence in using English for academic purposes, more precisely for subject-specific
purposes. As revealed from the findings, the Chinese students felt that they had a relatively
solid foundation in terms of grammar rules, and general vocabulary, but felt less confident in
using academic English in their subject areas. The students would undoubtedly benefit from
targeted subject-specific language support. The participants also expressed their lack of
competence in the communicative use of English language, especially in academic settings
such as group discussions, seminars and tutorial discussions where a good command of
English communication skills is required. Specific support would be of valuable assistance in
terms of getting students involved in the discussion and therefore helping them to develop the
independent learning skills that are part of the learning experience in the UK. Such support
may include techniques on how to pose and respond to a question, on how to initiate and
maintain a conversation, and on how to introduce and respond to ideas and opinions. Other
important issues highlighted by the participants relate to the difficulties caused in
communication and comprehension by their unfamiliarity with colloquial language and the
UK culture. Hence, an introduction to common vernacular, and the UK culture might be
incorporated into the language support programmes.
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