Writing Transition in Postsecondary Education: A Case Study

This study looks at writing transition from the culture of writing in pre-university to the culture of writing in university in the Malaysian context. A multiple case study was conducted among six students. Data was collected through personal interviews, personal narratives, class observations and written texts over a period of one and a half years. The study is based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory. The findings indicate that students faced tensions in the writing transition. These tensions and their appropriation of the writing cultures were impacted by their sociocultural historical makeup and point to a need to review current writing practices in postsecondary education.