The best of both worlds? Towards an English for Academic Purposes/Academic Literacies writing pedagogy

Abstract

This article is a review of two dominant approaches to academic writing instruction in higher education, English for Academic Purposes (EAP), which is used internationally, and Academic Literacies, which has become an influential model in the UK. The review was driven by a concern that Academic Literacies has been mainly focused on the situations of ‘non-traditional’ students, and has not sufficiently acknowledged the theoretical and pedagogical potential of EAP for developing a mainstream instructional model. Another concern was that EAP is too focused on the needs of non-native speakers of English and has, therefore, failed to make an impact on mainstream writing instruction. The aim of this article is to critically examine both approaches and to identify shared principles that can be used for developing relevant writing support programmes for students from all backgrounds at UK universities and elsewhere.