Written Communication Oct 1999

“If You Don't Tell Me, How Can I Know?”: A Case Study of Four International Students Learning to Write the U.S. Way

MARIA ANGELOVA ; ANASTASIA RIAZANTSEVA

Abstract

This study examined the problems that four international graduate students of various linguistic and cultural backgrounds encountered in the process of adapting to the requirements of discipline-specific written discourses during their first year of studies in the United States. Qualitative data including participant and faculty interviews, observations, analysis of written samples, and reflective journals kept by the participants were collected. The results of the study suggest that international students, who bring different writing experiences with them to U.S. classrooms, need assistance to adjust more easily to the requirements of the new academic environment. This assistance, however, depends on international students and U.S. faculty alike learning to address explicitly how academic writing conventions differ across cultures.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
1999-10-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088399016004004
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
graduate education multilingual writers
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

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CrossRef global citation count: 61 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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