Illuminating expertise in academic language development: English for Academic Purposes practitioners in the UK

This qualitative case study focuses on English for Academic Purposes (EAP) practitioner accounts of student academic language development at a UK university. EAP practitioners are often uniquely well placed as experts in the complexities and choices which vary according to discipline, epistemological stance, genre. However, their expertise is misunderstood or misrepresented. contributes debates by using variation nominal focus group technique capture applying lens social semiotic. Thematic analysis establishes four discourses: WHAT HOW development, CONTEXTUAL CONSIDERATIONS DECISION-MAKING development. The significance this lies illumination experienced practitioners’ through framework that can inform conversations about policies institutional level.