Factors underpinning students' use or non-use of a writing centre

Abstract

Research has shown that writing centre use has a positive effect on students' performance of specific writing tasks, as well as their overall academic achievement and progression. Yet many writing centres at higher education institutions around the world report low levels of usage of their services. Surprisingly little empirical research has investigated the reasons for this situation. Focusing on students in an undergraduate marketing module at a South African university, the research reported on in this article explored what factors influenced whether or not students made use of the writing centre, as well as potential strategies for increasing the usage of writing centre services. Thematic analysis of participants' written responses to open-ended questions indicated that the major reason for non-use of the writing centre related to time. Misunderstandings around the role of the writing centre were also apparent. Participants' proposed strategies to increase voluntary use of the writing centre included providing evidence of its value to students. The findings offer insight into an overlooked perspective in writing centre research thus farthat of non-users of the service.

From 'business as usual' to 'business unusual': Online academic literacy development for education students during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“…Writing centres also serve as a means for marginalised students (second or third English language speakers) to gain access to dominant academic literacies, which in turn facilitate their ability to engage with academic discourses more effectively (Evans-Tokaryk & Shabanza, 2022;Namakula & Prozesky, 2019). Writing centres primarily aim to improve students' academic literacy practices, providing resources such as workshops, tutorials, and one-on-one consultations with peer tutors to help students become more effective communicators in academic settings (Arbee, 2020;Manjeya, 2021).…”