Source articles as scaffolds in reading to write

This article discusses a case study examining a Chinese graduate student’s experience with reading-to-write tasks in business, particularly the student’s use of source articles in performing the tasks. Data on six library research papers were collected from several sources in three semesters, including (1) course syllabi, (2) the source articles and the student’s reading notes, (3) the student’s outlines, drafts, and final versions of the six papers, and (4) interviews with the student. Analysis of the data indicated that the source articles scaffolded the student’s representations of the tasks and that the student’s task representation was influenced by several factors such as the student’s goals, the perceived purpose of the assignments, and the student’s beliefs and experience. Implications of the study for second language writing instruction and research are discussed.