Name
The Write Support: A Collaborative Approach to Graduate Research Writing Practice Abstracts
Date & Time
Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 9:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Description

Graduate students’ capstone of their academic research career culminates in the form of a dissertation or thesis. These projects are research and writing intensive, which can result in stress, writing apprehension, and imposter syndrome. To overcome the barriers mentioned above, prior research suggests implementing writing groups, dedicated writing schedules, and mentorship to enable success. Writing groups foster accountability and an environment where students can vulnerably share their writing blocks and struggles throughout the research writing process. In these settings, students can receive peer-given feedback, which reduces stress and improves confidence in their work. For this study, students joined a thesis club leading up to their defense with oversight from their thesis chair. In the thesis club, graduate students collaborated and supported each other through the stressful writing process to become better revisers and writers. The group met weekly and followed a timeline to achieve key milestones in the thesis process. Each week’s meeting covered different topics to assist with writing the first three thesis chapters (e.g., introduction, literature review, and methodology). In the group, participants were able to discuss content to include in each chapter, writing tips, APA resources, and participated in peer reviews. Alongside thesis club, students were assigned a book about research writing. Students presented key takeaways from their book through a slideshow and group discussions. Students collaborated to create a “Writing Toolkit,” with guidelines, timelines, and key definitions to reference throughout the writing process. Participants of the thesis club expressed positive feedback, referencing the value of learning from their peers, discussing how to navigate feedback, and support throughout the thesis writing process. Working through the writing process with peers improves students' writing confidence and creates an opportunity to ask clarifying questions. We recommend creating writing groups for other writing-intensive projects or classes.

Location Name
British Columbia/Alberta/Yukon Ballroom
Full Address
The Westin Edmonton
10135 100 St NW
Edmonton AB T5J 0N7
Canada
Session Type
Poster Presentation
Presentation Topic(s)
Practice of Teaching
Number
239
Authors

Jessica Hemphill, Texas Tech University
Laura Fischer, Texas Tech University
Hannah Gustin, Texas Tech University
Rylie Lux, Texas Tech University