Developing students’ reflexive knowledge through EAP instruction

Abstract

Being reflective means thinking deeply and thoughtfully about one's experiences, thoughts, and emotions, fostering greater self-awareness and understanding. It is a process of self-examination and a skill learners need to develop to fully articulate their ideas and interpretations in writing. While increasing attention is now devoted to promoting students’ reflective practice, instruction that develops their reflexive knowledge remains underexplored. Based on analyses of an EAP teaching context in China, we show how sequenced tasks (guided textual analysis, multi-source feedback, collaborative text reworking and self-assessment) can enhance students’ reflection-on-practice and their use of various kinds of knowledge (cognitive, linguistic, cultural, assessment) in situated contexts. Through analyses of students’ group exemplar and self-feedback, we discuss students’ engagement and reflective judgement in writing through resources of teacher instruction, peer-assisted learning and self-assessment.