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    Science in exile: EAL academic literacies development of established Syrian academics

    Khuder, Baraa (2021) Science in exile: EAL academic literacies development of established Syrian academics. PhD thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.

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    Abstract

    This study aimed to investigate English as an Additional Language (EAL) academic literacies development of four Syrian established academics in exile in relation to their (i) academic networking, (ii) co-authorship practices, (iii) and authorial voice. Ethnography was used as a method via talk-around-text interviews; as a methodology, via questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, writing logs, academic network plots, and Text Histories; and as deep theorizing (Lillis, 2008) via conducting analysis of both conceptual as well as textual authorial voice. In relation to academic networking, it was found that all the types of networks, i.e., strong/weak, formal/informal, symmetrical/asymmetrical, durable/temporary, direct/indirect, and local/global played a role in the development of EAL academic literacies. Additionally, the relevant properties of nodes the co-authors possessed, i.e., the ability to conduct network, text-production, disciplinary, and publishing interventions, were essential for the Syrian academics’ EAL academic literacies development. Co-authorship was found to be a two-way interactive relation where EAL academic literacies development occurred as a result of a mutual investment by both sides. The participants and their co-authors invested in the collaborative work to different extents each depending on their level of motivation. Authorial voice was examined as conceptualisation and as a textual practice; the latter was investigated through a combination of a priori categories (metadiscourse features) and a posteriori categories, emerging as relevant from the data (disciplinary discourse conventions, textual positioning, and textual ownership). These components of voice were found to be in a dynamic interactive relationship, with the participants’ use of the relevant textual features becoming more frequent, more appropriate, and employed with more awareness as they progressed in their academic journeys. The study concludes with theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical implications.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Thesis
    Additional Information: Originally submitted to the Department of Applied Linguistics and Communication, School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy.
    Copyright Holders: The copyright of this thesis rests with the author, who asserts his/her right to be known as such according to the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. No dealing with the thesis contrary to the copyright or moral rights of the author is permitted.
    Depositing User: Acquisitions And Metadata
    Date Deposited: 03 Sep 2021 16:26
    Last Modified: 01 Nov 2023 14:35
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/45822
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.18743/PUB.00045822

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