Effects of an efficacy-focused approach to academic writing on students' perceptions of themselves as writers

To become a successful participant in the community of their academic discipline, students must learn this community's communicative currency: the norms, standards, procedures, and linguistic forms that constitute academic discourse. However, it is rare for a discipline's expectations and requirements to be overtly discussed or taught, despite the fact that research has demonstrated that there is a persistent gap between staff and student expectations and standards in this domain. In this article, we focus on academic writing, one component of academic discourse. Specifically, we consider the effects of an efficacy-focused teaching approach (actively targeting students' knowledge, skills, and related affect) on S/FL English language and literature students' (self-reported) knowledge of what constitutes academic writing, their comfort discussing it, and the role this has in their perceptions of themselves as writers. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for learning and teaching in the area of academic writing. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.