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Over the past years, there has been increased pressure on South African universities to produce more graduates in the natural sciences. However, due to (amongst other factors) students´ poor academic literacy levels, few end up graduating. This book focuses on an academic literacy intervention for first-year natural sciences students at an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institution. As its foundation, it uses the principles of collaborative learning and authentic material design. It also treats academic literacy abilities as interdependent and holistic. This study would be especially useful to academic literacy practitioners interested in developing English for Specific Purposes interventions, with the ultimate aim of equipping students with the tools they will need to succeed in their studies. Lecturers at ODL institutions would also benefit by considering some of the insights gained in this study.

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MA (Applied Language Studies). Lecturer at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

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