Tuesday, February 10, 2009
APA language... Many Teachers Speak It Differently
During my years at the writing center and in class, I have learned that determining what the professor wants/expects is extremely important to consider while writing. I specifically want to focus on APA style and what is expected according to the APA manual versus what the teacher expects. I have found many inconsistencies between the two that lead to confused students and sometimes confused consultants.
First, it is important to understand the fundamentals of APA in order to address the specific requests of an instructor.
I have encountered many teachers that want the student to include the year after each time a reference is mentioned within the paragraph, even though on pp. 208 in the APA manual (2001) it states "... you need not include the year in subsequent references to a study as long as the study cannot be confused with other studies cited in the article..."
This is just one example. I recall specific sessions when many students visited the writing center and had a specific sentence they needed to use in their paper that was a) grammatically incorrect and b) insensitive to APA language. According to the students, the professor demanded that the beginning of the sentence was written to assist the students in learning how to write in APA as well as to identify the results of the study within the paper. Such cases that may not be limited to APA style are unfortunate, but need to be done in order to get the "grade".
Those are just a few examples where the rules of APA are thrown out by the professors and the students have to follow their lead. It can be confusing because they do not even know what the thrown out rule was or why it is changed. I always try and ask for a syllabus when working with students with APA questions because I want them to follow the guidelines set by the teacher.
For APA reference, I would suggest to those who are still unfamiliar with APA to use the Keys for Writers guidebook or the OWL website. These resources are user friendly and less intimidating than the APA Publication manual (note: this resource is for those looking to publish research. Aka, very intimidating to some).
In the next post I want to discuss some key points to help students establish appropriate language use and style suggested by the APA manual.
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3 comments:
Thank you for this, Genevieve. When a professor's instructions deviate and students come to us for help with APA, I am thrown off a little bit, especially because APA is my "non-native language" to begin with. I contemplate whether helping students "get the grade" in these circumstances really helps them learn APA or become better writers--which is our job as writing consultants. I know it would certainly not help me learn APA any better. In these cases, I ask to see the assignment sheet, am sure to explain how APA works, and then explain the professor's difference, showing them what is being changed. However, the question still remains in the back of my mind: how should we handle situations where we have to sacrifice "correctness" (sometimes even grammatical correctness) for students to "get the grade?"
Well, it seems you do handle the situation correctly because you first explain to the student the correct format for APA. In doing this, you show them how APA works and then try to explain how and possibly why the instructor wants it a different way.
On a different note, if part of the assignment change includes grammatically incorrect sections, I would explain to the client why it is incorrect but explain that to "get the grade", they will have to adhere to the syllabus, even if it goes against conventions of writing. It is unfortunate and confusing sometimes, but isn't life the same?
I haven't had any instances where I dealt with a difference in APA vs. what the teacher requires. The thoughts that both Genevieve and Angie shared have really helped me. I frequently tell my clients about the Keys for Writers and the OWL website. I find these to be much easier to use than the APA Manual. I will keep your suggestions in mind when I am in a situation where the teachers guidelines differ from what is true for APA! Thanks for sharing Genevieve!!
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