An increasing number of universities in China have offered EAP (English for Academic Purposes) to university students. However, issues as to what and how to teach academic English to freshman non-English majors remain unaddressed. This paper, adopted secondary research method, is intended to explore the deficiency Chinese college students may have in participating in communication in the academic community. The result shows that inability to think critically, lack of genre awareness, deficiency in understanding features of academic discourse and the linguistic features of English scientific and technical papers, improper literature citation and inaccurate expression of stance are a major threat to academic progress and success. The paper suggests that six aspects of academic awareness should be raised, and academic skills related be developed when EAP program is offered to freshman non-English majors, in hope of providing insights for the effective implementation of academic English teaching in China.
Alan, B., & Stoller, F. L. (2005). Maximizing the Benefits of Project Work in Foreign Language Classrooms. English Teaching Forum, 43, 10-21.
Atkinson, D. (1997). A Critical Approach to Critical Thinking in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 31, 71-94. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587975
Bhatia, V. K. (1993). Analyzing Genre: Language Use in Professional Settings. London & New York: Longman.
Bhatia, V. K. (2004). Worlds of Written Discourse. London: Continuum.
Biber, D., Gray, B., & Poonpon, K. (2011). Should We Use Characteristics of Conversation to Measure Grammatical Complexity in L2 Writing Development? TESOL Quarterly, 45, 5-35.
Cai, J. G. (2016). Theoretical Foundations of EAP as an Independent Course in Chinese Tertiary Education. Technology Enhanced Foreign Language Education, 1, 9-16.
Cai, J. G. (2019). Design of a Project-Based Blended Instructional Model for EAP. Journal of PLA University of Foreign Languages, 3, 39-47.
Cargill, M. et al. (2017). Scientists Publishing Research in English from Indonesia: Analysis Outcomes of a Training Intervention to Inform Institutional Action. In M. Cargill, & S. Burgess (Eds.), Publishing Research in English as an Additional Language: Practices, Pathways and Potentials. Adelaide: University of Adelaide Press. https://doi.org/10.20851/english-pathways-08
Coxhead, A. (2016). Reflecting on Coxhead (2000), “A New Academic Word List”. TESOL Quarterly, 50, 181-185. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.287
Crosson, A. C., & Lesaux, N. K. (2013). Connectives: Fitting Another Piece of the Vocabulary Instruction Puzzle. The Reading Teacher, 67, 193-200. https://doi.org/10.1002/TRTR.1197
de Chazal, E. (2014). English for Academic Purposes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Devitt, A. (2009). Teaching Critical Genre Awareness. In C. Bazerman, A. Bonini, & D. Figueriredo (Eds.), Genre in a Changing World (pp. 337-351). Fort Collins, CO: The WAC Clearinghouse. https://doi.org/10.37514/PER-B.2009.2324.2.17
Dudley-Evans, T. (1999). The Dissertation: A Case of Neglect? In P. Thompson (Ed.), Issues in E AP Writing Research and Instruction (pp. 28-36). Reading University: CALS.
Dudley-Evans, T., & St John, M. J. (1998). Developments in English for Specific Purposes: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Floyd, C. B. (2011). Critical Thinking in a Second Language. Higher Education Research & Development, 30, 289-302. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2010.501076
Gong, R. (2018). Conceptual Structures of University EAP Instruction in China and English-Speaking Countries: A Comparative Study. Journal of the Foreign Language World, 1, 62-70.
Hyland, K. (2005). Metadiscourse: Exploring Interaction in Writing. New York: Bloosbury Publishing.
Hyland, K. (2006). English for Academic Purposes: An Advanced Resource Book. London: Routledge.
Hyland, K. (2018). Sympathy for the Devil? A Defense of EAP. Language Teaching, 51, 383-399. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1475-1585(02)00002-4
Hyland, K., & Hamp-Lyons, L. (2002). EAP: Issues and Directions. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 1, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1475-1585(02)00002-4
Jiang, F., & Ma, X. (2019). Positioning and Proximity of Reader Engagement: Authorial Identity in Professional and Apprentice Academic Genres. In C. S. Guinda (Ed.), Engagement in Professional Genres (pp. 29-46). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.301.02jia
Johns, A. M., & Swalse, J. M. (2002). Literacy and Disciplinary Practices: Opening and Closing Perspectives. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 1, 13-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1475-1585(02)00003-6
Jordan, R. R. (1998). English for Academic Purposes: A Guide and Resource Book for Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511733062
Kim, S. (2006). Academic Oral Communication Needs of East Asian International Graduate Students in Non-Science and Non-Engineering Fields. English for Specific Purposes, 4, 479-489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2005.10.001
Kwan, B. (2006). The Schematic; Structure of Literature Reviews of Doctoral Theses of Applied Linguistic. English for Specific Purpose, 25, 30-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2005.06.001
Lancaster, Z. (2016). Expressing Stance in Undergraduate Writing: Discipline-Specific and General Qualities. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 23, 16-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2016.05.006
Lei, J., & Li, Y. Y. (2019). Teaching English for Research Publication Purposes: A Review of Pedagogical Practices. Journal of the Foreign Language World, 5, 48-56.
Li, Y. Y. et al. (2019). A Scientist in Interdisciplinary Team-Teaching in an English for Research Publication Purposes Classroom: Beyond a “Cameo Role”. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 40, 129-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2019.06.005
Liu, Q., & Liu, H. Y. (2020). A Survey on Academic English Teaching for Chinese Science and Engineering Majors in China. Journal of the Foreign Language World, 5, 47-54.
Luo, C. L. (2001). Postgraduate English Curriculum and the Cultivation of Language Proficiency—A Review of Prof. G.S. Hu’s English for International Conference. Tsinghua Journal of Education, 3, 151-155.
Lv, C. H. et al. (2016). A Survey and Field Study on the Academic Writing Curriculum of American Universities. Journal of the Foreign Language World, 4, 43-49, 57.
Ma, X. L. el al. (2013). Theoretical and Practical Exploration into a Hierarchical Model of Academic Foreign Language Competence. Journal of the Foreign Language World, 1, 2-10.
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2015). Second Language Research: Methodology and Design (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315750606
Mandell, D. et al. (2015). Writing for Publication: Assessment of a Course for Social Work Doctoral Students. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 35, 197-212. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2014.983662
Mansourzadeh, K., & Ahmad, U. K. (2011). Citation Practices among Non-Native Expert and Novice Scientific Writers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 10, 152-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.03.004
Read, B., Francis, B., & Robson, J. (2001). ‘Play Safe’: Understanding Essay Writing and the Presentation of the Student ‘Voice’. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 22, 387-399. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690124289
Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
The National Advisory Committee on Teaching College English in Higher Education under the Ministry of Education (2020). The College English Teaching Guidelines (1st ed.). Beijing: Higher Education Press.
Wang, M., & Liu, D. (2013). A Corpus-Based Study of the Use of Stance Expressions in English Research Article Manuscripts by Chinese EFL Learners. Modern Foreign Languages, 2, 190-197.
Wei, N. X. (2016). Rethingking of English for Academic Purposes: Its Theoretical Origins, Analytical Approaches and Pedagogical Methods. Modern Foreign Languages, 2, 267-277.
Xu, F. (2015). Study on Authorial Stance Markers in L2 Academic Writing. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 1, 1-7.
Yang, H. Z. (2018). English for Academic Purposes or General English. Journal of the Foreign Language World, 5, 27-33.
Yu, W. S. (2014). Engineering Doctoral Students’ Major Problems in English Scientific Paper Writing. Journal of the Foreign Language World, 3, 55-62.
Zhang, Z. Y. (2010). Exploring the Model of Postgraduate Academic English Writing Skills Development. Overseas English, 11, 15-16.
Zou, B. (2015). Implications of EAP Teaching at Sino-Foreign Cooperative Universities for College English Teaching in China: From the Perspective of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Journal of the Foreign Language World, 6, 69-76.