Abstracts - Earli

Interventionist writing in research and developmental projectsPirjo Lambert, Helia University of Applied Sciences, FinlandWriting is a crucial element in research and developmental projects. However, the questionremains: how to write within a project so that the writing will promote the project, and support thepractical application of the new models and tools created in the project? This paper will report on acurrent research and developmental project (Lambert & Vanhanen-Nuutinen 2005), in which anew writing genre in Finnish universities of applied sciences is in the process of being developed.The project draws on the framework of Developmental Work Research (Engestrßm 1987), inwhich developmental interventions are an integral aspect of the methodology. The writing ofteachers and their partners within projects has been developed with the help of a new tool forwriting, called the Writing Plan. In this paper, I will discuss the question of how to developinterventionist writing, and produce the texts that do not only describe the change obtained, butalso aim at producing the change. Interventionist writing is one way of writing in the genreecology (Spinuzzi 2003), and may carry a potential to a new emerging writing genre: a genre ofdevelopment.From PhD Students to professional researchers – the question of literate expertiseKirsi Pyhalto, Helsinki University, FinlandKirsti Lonka, Helsinki University, FinlandLanguage is the key cultural tool that mediates learning, thus acquisition and use of writing arepowerful factors in the development of scientific thinking (Olson, 1994; Scardamalia & Bereiter,1991). Further, writing is also a form of participating and becoming a member of scientificcommunity and culture (Dysthe, 1993; Lea & Street, 1998). In the present study, the PhD students’ideas and practices of writing are analysed both empirically and theoretically in a framework ofrecent research results on learning and motivation. Moreover, an instrument for studying PhD.students’ perceptions of writing, often tacit in nature, will be presented. This study is a part of alarger national research project on PhD. Education, at the Helsinki University, Finland. Theparticipants were 602 medical, educational, arts and psychology major doctoral candidates whoresponded in a survey questionnaire. The survey consisted of both Likert- type statements andopen ended questions. Preliminary results suggested that some problems in scientific writing, suchas blocks and procrastination, perfectionism and seeing writing as the result of innate ability andrepetition were all negatively related to experienced productivity and were related to prolongationin PhD studies. Also sense of isolation and lack of feedback and social support were related toprolongation. Most PhD students, even those who were composing a summary of articles, reportedthat they worked mainly alone. It could be concluded that there seems to be an urgent need for amore efficient means to foster literal expertise in Ph.D. students. More attention should also bepaid on developing PhD training as a meaningful entity, for instance, by providing a collaborativeand activating learning environment not only for PhD students, but also for their supervisors.Non-university trained students entering university master programmes: a comparison in studyperformance, study approach, social integration and generic skills.Jessica Steur, University of Groningen, NetherlandsUniversities have to deal with a growing diversity in students entering their master programmes.More and more students with non-university bachelor training enter master programmes. Beforeentering the master programmes, they have to complete a premaster programme. There is someconcern on the capabilities of these students, especially with regard to generic skills. From a– 563 –