Examining effects of example-based learning activities on academic writing

Writing is an instrumental skill in academic professions. This skill remains cognitively demanding and complex even at high levels of expertise. The aim of the proposed study is to examine whether mature students with a professional (non-academic) background can be supported in acquiring the writing skill through cognitive modeling. The main hypothesis is that learning from examples as a form of cognitive modeling helps students to prepare for a complex writing task and contribute to developing writing strategies. In the proposed study this hypothesis will be tested. The findings will be used to optimize instructional support of academic writing skill development for mature learners.