Abstract :
The number of international ESL students completing their degree programs in Australia has risen dramatically in the past
decade. One factor that may be motivating students to undertake tertiary studies in Australia is the expectation that this form of
immersion will lead to improved English language skills. However, existing research, such as research on the impact of study abroad
programs on learners’ L2 skills, has produced mixed findings. Furthermore, most of this research has tended to focus on progress in
L2 speaking skills. To date there has been very little research on the impact of living and studying in the L2 environment on learners’
L2 writing development. This paper reports on a study (part of a larger project) which used a test – re-test design to investigate
changes, if any, in the learners’ academic writing after one semester of study in an L2-medium university. The writing scripts of 25
students who did not access the formal language support programs offered by the university were analysed using a range of
qualitative and quantitative measures. The study found that after a semester of study at the university, the learners’ writing improved
mainly in terms of structure and development of ideas. There was also some improvement in the formality of learners’ language, but
there was no evidence of improvement in linguistic accuracy or complexity. Strategies used to incorporate source materials also
remained largely unchanged, with learners continuing to copy verbatim from sources and acknowledging sources incorrectly. A
number of factors are put forward to explain these findings. These factors include the short duration of the study (one semester) as
well as perhaps the absence of feedback.
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