The Impact of a College EAP Writing Program: Former Students' Perspectives

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a small-scale qualitative study aimed at exploring the academic experiences of college students (n=11) who had previously engaged in the EAP program at a mid-sized college in Ontario. The primary objective was to unveil student perspectives on the effectiveness of the EAP writing program, and to determine which skills acquired from the EAP were most helpful in their subsequent academic pursuits. Thematic analysis of focus group data  reveals three major skills: conducting online research (citing sources and paraphrasing), paragraph writing and grammar, and one genre (reports) as most efficacious in preparing students for their Programs of Study (POS). Three areas of perceived need are stronger connections to POS via vocabulary and referencing systems, more summarizing, and more collaborative writing. A final emergent theme, “Value of EAP,” comprises students’ descriptions of being empowered and successful in their POS as a result of EAP participation. The implications of these findings for future research on EAP and college-level writing are discussed.