Reading Practices in Academic Settings

Abstract

Reading at university underpins work that students submit for assessment and scaffolds language development through exposure to appropriate ways of conceptualising and communicating about practices in the students' chosen fields. This chapter highlights the variety of summatively assessed courseworks, which impacts on the range of readings needed to underpin them. It summarises EAP wisdom on reading and provides accounts of experiences of reading by participants in the AcLitT and 3LU projects. It connects published and primary data to draw out implications for practice and further research: university reading extends beyond standard academic texts, social interactivity needs to be designed more overtly into reading activities, and prior experiences of reading do not necessarily translate into effective reading at university without appropriate guidance.