Teaching for transfer in EAP: Hugging and bridging revisited

• Investigated link between EAP instructors' methods and transfer to other courses.
• Found correlation between ‘hugging–bridging’ methods and transfer of writing skills.
• However, combined methods accounted for only 12% of variance in transfer.
• Speculates on role of sociocultural factors in explaining remainder of variance.
• Calls for transfer model that includes classroom methods and sociocultural factors.

While transfer of learning is an explicit goal of EAP, this end is sometimes neglected. To foster transfer, Salomon and Perkins (1989) advocated ‘hugging’ – creating learning experiences that are similar to the target applications – and ‘bridging’ – promoting more abstract conceptual associations between the initial learning and its ultimate implementation. Although these strategies have enjoyed currency in general education, they merit further attention in EAP. This study (N = 39) revisited the hugging–bridging framework to explore the relationship between EAP instructors' methods and transfer of learning to the disciplines in an undergraduate programme in Thailand. Data from a self-report questionnaire indicated a significant moderate relationship between students' perceptions of both EAP instructors' combined hugging and bridging methods and of transfer of writing skills to the disciplines; however, the methods accounted for only 12% of the variance in the transfer. While the findings support the development of instructional strategies to foster transfer of learning, recommendations are also made for further studies that examine the validity of the theory in relation to sociocultural factors, and for the development of a general model that takes into account both instructional and ecological factors, so that EAP may attend more fully to its purposes.