2. • Welcome and background. Bruce/audience. 10 min
• What the students get. Discussion groups. 15 min
• Trial assignment. Discussion . 10 min
• Results Bruce. 10 min
• Theoretical underpinnings. Bruce. 5 min
• Anything else?

3. • You‟re a step 2 to 3 reader and writer on a level 3 science
certificate.
• How might you feel when you get this assignment?
Perhaps, consider;
– What text do I have to write?
– How will it look on the page?
– What writing style should I use?
– Amend if you like.
• Discuss your reactions in your group.
• Orally, feedback to us an outline of your group‟s reactions.

4. Focus questions Current instructions Trial instructions
Key words. Word count. Writing Frame very helpful. Sentence
What’s helpful Deadline. Mark allocation starters. Descriptions of report’s
& marking guide. Time sections. Approx word count per
management table. section. APA information. Paragraph
Reminders to edit and numbering. Knowing it’s a report.
write draft. Presentation
details.
What text type Report. Essay.
What writing style Formal, Academic,
Technical, Scientific
What Follow marking guide. Follow the frame.
format/layout Double spaced. Headings
and sub headings.
Other Less to read. Easy to read.

5. Scores Semester 1 Semester 2
Mean 59% 65%
Highest 90% 100%
Lowest 35% 30%
Median 60% 61.25%
Pass (50%) 71% 80%
rate

6. • Schema theory
– Content knowledge of the world
– Textual forms of texts (Tertiary Education
Commission [TEC], 2008, p.25)
“ Schemas are activated when a reader sees and
starts to read a text. (TEC, 2008, p 25).
• Dosher and Corbett (as cited in Marshall, 1991, p.4) define schema
as “a memory structure that represents abstract
knowledge of an activity or situation, components of
the activity, and relations between the components.

7. • Kintsch and van Dijk (as cited in Marshall, 1991, p.4)
refer to textual schema as „formal schema‟
and posit that without it a reader‟s
“processing of the text will be haphazard.”
• Reid‟s (2010) research at University of
Reading, UK, noted an increase in the
number of students confused by
assignment instructions which suggest a
report structure “but which are not clearly
defined as a report.” (p.7).

8. • Assignment instructions as a genre.
• Improve quality at course level then
programme.
• Better data to show causal connection
to enhanced learning.

9. • Marshall, S. (1991). A Genre-Based Approach to the
Teaching of Report-Writing. English for Specific
Purposes,10, 3-13.
• Reid, M. (2010). More than just having the right
headings: supporting students’ report writing. Journal
of Learning Development in Higher Education (2) 1-17.
• Tertiary Education Commission. (2008). Learning
Progressions for Adult Literacy and Numeracy:
Background Information. Wellington, New Zealand.
Author.