Examining Nontraditional Graduate Students' Academic Writing Experiences in an Accelerated Adult Program.

摘要

The academic writing competencies of nontraditional graduate students enrolled in accelerated graduate programs have become a growing concern for many higher learning educators in those programs. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to examine the writing experiences that impacted nontraditional graduate students enrolled in an accelerated graduate program. The General Information and Writing Experience Questionnaire was modified to capture students' (n = 99) and instructors' (n = 14) perceptions of the students' writing experiences in the accelerated graduate program. Guided by the adult learning theoretical framework, the research questions assessed the differences in students' and instructors' ratings of the students' writing experiences. Independent samples t-tests indicated significant differences between the students' and instructors' perceptions of writing skills and writing successes. Similarities were found, however, in that both instructors and students believed that the students' undergraduate programs did not adequately prepare them for graduate level academic writing. Based on these results, a remediation course was developed that could impact nontraditional graduate students' perceptions of their skills, successes, and support received from their instructors. This research contributes to positive social change through a more informed approach to guiding the academic writing competencies of nontraditional graduate students. These competencies will extend beyond the local learning institutions where the students are taught, into other institutions of higher learning and within other professional endeavors.