Applying a CER Framework to Support Evidence-Based Writing Among Undergraduate EAP Learners: An Action Research Approach

Idea development is one of the most essential aspects of academic literacy in the domain of EAP writing. However, course designers and instructors often fail to give learners sufficient and solid guidance. This study adopted an action research approach to examine the effectiveness of scaffolding undergraduate EAP learners’ evidence-based writing practice with the CER (claim-evidence-reasoning) framework over the period of a semester. Participants engaged in this study were 73 students from three EAP class groups at XJTLU. The CER framework was integrated in both writing and speaking lessons. The whole study consisted of five phases and learners’ writing in each phase was collected for data analysis. A survey was conducted at the end of the semester to investigate the participants’ attitudes toward the application of CER. Results from both the textual analysis and the survey revealed that the CER framework is a reliable and robust writing model for eliciting students’ detailed explanations of ideas. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the developmental trajectory of students’ written argumentation and have pedagogical implication for the design of scaffolds in EAP evidence-based writing.