Impact of contract learning on learning to write in an EAP class: Case studies of four international graduate students' experience

The purpose of this study was to investigate how effectively contract learning could facilitate individualized learning for four international graduate students of varied backgrounds with respect to their major, first language, and prior writing experiences. With a focus on the students' experiences of learning field-specific writing in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course at a Midwest university in the United States, the study examined their writing needs and their perceptions of learning field-specific writing and the effectiveness of contract learning.;Adopting a qualitative case study approach, the study captured learning experiences that were significant to the students, and presented the insiders' perspectives. Interviews were conducted to explore the students' past and disciplinary writing experiences and to grasp how these experiences shaped their perceptions of their writing experiences in the EAP course.;The findings, presented in individual case studies and a cross-case discussion, revealed that the individual students' writing needs were significantly different depending on their educational backgrounds and prior writing experiences, and that contract learning could be an effective tool to address these diverse writing needs and facilitate the students' learning field-specific writing in an EAP course. Nevertheless, several contextual variables were also found that constrained successful implementation of contract learning in the EAP writing course. These findings suggest that EAP writing teachers need to consider these variables and plan an adequate support system before implementing contract learning in their courses in order to minimize the possible pitfalls of contract learning and better serve the students' diverse demands for academic writing.