Research writing in an EFL context : a case study in Taiwan

This thesis is a qualitative case study of a research writing project at undergraduate level in a Taiwanese university. The general purpose of this thesis is to study the whole process of research writing at undergraduate level, while the more specific focus of the study is to investigate the students' learning experiences in the project and the teacher-student interaction in the learning process, such as in writing conferences and the revision stage.;The study involved one American instructor and seven Chinese students majoring in English. It traced a research writing project, carried out as part of the writing curriculum, from start to finish. The project was examined from both the instructor's and the students' perspectives. Data for the study come from interviews, student writing drafts, and teacher-student conference transcripts.;The findings indicate that the research writing project was perceived by both the students and the instructor as an integrated part of the composition curriculum. Investigations of writing conferences show that organization, documentation, and the mechanics of student papers were some of the focuses of the conferences. A detailed analysis of two students' multiple drafts suggests that writing conferences had a strong impact on the students' revision of their papers. Also emerging from this study is the cultural confrontation between the American instructor and the Chinese students. The impact of this on the acquisition of research writing is explored. It is found that both the instructor and the students attributed certain writing problems to the influence of culture.;A preliminary model of the research writing process is proposed based on the findings of the study. It shows the interaction between the research writing project and variables such as the teacher, the textbook, external factors, academic culture and students' indigenous culture. Practical implications and directions for further research are also discussed.