Exploring graduate writing retreats as additional support for the EAP classroom in English-medium settings in Finland and the UAE

Abstract

This study explores multilingual graduate students’ expectations of and experiences of participating in writing retreats as a form of academic writing support. The literature acknowledges that graduate students within English Medium Education in Multilingual University Settings (EMEMUS) often encounter challenges in developing academic writing practices. A particular concern is that English for Academic Purposes courses may not always provide sufficient support given the complexities of  teaching and learning academic writing, particularly through the lens of genre knowledge. Although previous research has highlighted the benefits of writing retreats for experienced scholars, considerably less is known about their potential to support multilingual graduates in English-medium contexts. This study addresses that gap, by exploring writing retreats involving nine multilingual graduate students in English-medium programmes in Finland and the United Arab Emirates. Data were collected from multiple sources including semi-structured interviews, daily intentions and reflections, and field notes which were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

The findings indicate that participants valued the retreats for the emotional support, shared learning moments, and awareness of self and writing habits. Participants also described the retreats as providing an informal, situated learning environment in which they felt comfortable discussing writing-related challenges with peers. The study contributes to socio-cultural perspectives of academic writing by illustrating how writing retreats may create opportunities for multilingual writers to articulate tacit understandings of genre through collaborative reflection, making metacognitive thinking more explicit.