From professional skilled worker to vocational teacher: experiences from lectures and guidence in academic writing among first year students

Abstract

Introduction: Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the Vocational Teacher Education program find that good writing skills are a prerequisite to complete their education. As educators in this program, we experience that many students struggle to master the requirements for academic writing in higher education. For this reason, two teachers from the Vocational Teacher Education bachelor’s degree program in Trondheim undertook a study with the purpose of exploring how first-year students experienced an introductory course in academic writing and different forms of feedback on assignments (written, oral, and digital).

Theory: The study relies mainly on Illeris’s Learning Theory.

Method: Data collection is based on 24 reflection logs of 12 first-year students during 2014–2015. The analysis is based on Lindseth and Norberg’s phenomenological–hermeneutical method.

Result: The findings of the study show that students experience the introductory course in academic writing as absolutely necessary and of great importance for the development of their writing competence. Specifically, responses written directly in the text in addition to a summary are forms of feedback students perceive as important and helpful. Along with oral responses, digital responses are central for developing confidence and motivation to continue working.

Conclusion: First-year students express insecurity and vulnerability in regard to the writing process. They experience the writing course as essential and see aspects of written, oral, and digital guidance as important to the process of completing academic assignments in Vocational Teacher Education. Written feedback is perceived as absolutely necessary.