'Teaching the writer to fish so they can fish for the rest of their lives': Lecturer, English language tutor, and student views on the educative role of proofreading. (October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Harwood, Nigel
• Is Part Of: English for specific purposes. Volume 68(2022)
• Page Start: 116
• Page End: 130
• Publication Date: 2022-10
• Subjects: Editing -- English language support -- Help with English -- Tutoring -- Academic writing; English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers -- Periodicals; English language -- Business English -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; English language -- Technical English -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Anglais (Langue) -- Étude et enseignement -- Allophones -- Périodiques; Enseignement professionnel -- Périodiques; Anglais (Langue) -- Anglais commercial -- Étude et enseignement -- Périodiques; Anglais (Langue) -- Anglais technique -- Étude et enseignement -- Périodiques; English language -- Business English -- Study and teaching; English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers; English language -- Technical English -- Study and teaching; Periodicals; 428.007
• DOI: 10.1016/j.esp.2022.07.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0889-4906

Abstract

Abstract: This qualitative study draws upon questionnaire and interview-based data collected from 32 disciplinary lecturers, 34 English language tutors, and 56 students (24 undergraduates, 32 postgraduates; 29 L1, 27 L2) to explore participants' beliefs about the educative value of the proofreading of student writing. No consensus emerged between or within parties, with a range of pro- and anti-educative views. Those who spoke of the educative value of proofreading claimed it was able to provide individualized learning opportunities, drawing learners' attention to knowledge gaps and recurrent errors, arming writers with learning strategies, raising their awareness of genre conventions, and pointing them to useful instructional materials. However, those espousing anti-educative views claimed that, unlike writing centre tutoring, proofreading was not a pedagogic experience, and that student writers had little desire to learn from a proofreader, simply accepting all the changes the proofreader had made to their text and quickly submitting for assessment. Such a variety of views points to the difficulties of introducing an in-house educative proofreading policy. The article concludes by exploring how educative proofreading could be embedded into university support services and its raison d'être effectively disseminated to all stakeholders. Highlights: Lecturer, language tutor, student views on educative value of proofreading. No consensus whether proofreading is or should be educative or not. Lack of consensus makes establishing in-house educative proofreading policy difficult. Embedding, dissemination of educative in-house proofreading discussed.