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Abstract

Academic writing in higher education involves acculturation of discourse characterised by new and unfamiliar social, cultural and academic conventions which remain a huge challenge for instructors and students worldwide. This study aimed at investigating the use of Blackboard Collaborated‑Based Instruction to improve academic writing skills of second language writers. Drawing from Vygotsky’s sociocultural framework, this study is premised on online collaborative writing tasks which encourage peer feedback and the exchange of ideas that gives sense of an audience larger than one consisting only of the teacher. Data were collected through metacognitive reflective interview of eight first‑year students registered for a Bachelor of Education degree programme. The findings show that Blackboard Collaborated‑Based Instruction provided second language writers with an online learning community in which they collaborate and help each other in editing, revising, and improving their academic essay through peer feedback. The findings also provide an insight into how learning academic writing skills is facilitated by scaffolding between peers wherein Blackboard Collaborated‑Based Instruction serves as a mediator in students’ development of academic writing.

Several studies have shown that authentic learning facilitates learners' acquisition of knowledge, understanding of concepts and application of skills to solve real life problems. This study explores how authentic learning can be used to help English as a Second Language (ESL) learners to acquire academic literacy skills. The objective of the study was to observe students' reaction to authentic learning, to find out their learning styles and to find out their views about the authentic learning tasks and activities. The study adopted observation and a qualitative free text comments approach to collect data about students' reaction to the authentic learning activities and students' learning styles. In addition, focus group discussions and interviews were conducted to let students express their views about the authentic learning tasks and activities that were implemented. The paper presents the views of students about the authentic learning tasks and activities that were implemented. The students reacted positively to the authentic learning tasks and activities and expressed satisfaction. The findings of the study demonstrate that authentic learning can be used to enhance the academic literacy skills of ESL learners.

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