Analyzing Stories from Canadian Academic Writing Instructors: A Collaborative Autoethnography
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Date
2016
Authors
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Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM
Title alternative
Analiza opowiadań kanadyjskich nauczycieli pisania akademickiego: zbiorowa autoetnografia
Abstract
Writing instruction in Canadian universities takes a variety of forms. While there are few formal
departments for writing studies, many institutions do have a writing centre – a place that offers
writing instruction to varying degrees. The writing centre may be housed within a department,
a library, or within a student services unit. Its position within a university may indicate the degree to
which writing is valued by the administrative body. The goal of our paper is to share insights into
the ways that writing professionals perceive, work in, and adapt to current demands for writing
instruction in higher education.
Using a collaborative ethnographic approach, three scholars at different career stages explore their
experiences with writing centre work. Using data consisting of individually written reflections, our
analysis revealed four major themes: (a) initial experience with writing centres, (b) community,
(c) frustrations and tensions at work, and (d) mentorship. In this paper, we discuss our findings
within the framework of positioning theory in order to understand how we position ourselves as
scholars, mentors, and educators, and how we are positioned by others within the fields of writing
studies and higher education. This study raises awareness about the value of writing centre professionals’
contributions, the place of mentorship within higher education, and the support required for
continued writing centre work.
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Keywords
academic writing, writing centre, autoethnography, positioning theory
Citation
Studia Edukacyjne, 2016, nr 38, s.331-345
Seria
ISBN
978-83-232-3013-7
ISSN
1233-6688