The writing journeys of two home L2 students learning to use sources in the ELT master’s thesis

Source use is one of the most challenging tasks a L2 writer learning to write academically has to face. Learning to use other authors’ voices while attempting to establishing their own is no easy task for academy newcomers writing an academic text such as a master’s thesis. This study followed the writing journeys as two ELT master’s students wrote their theses in a ‘home’, non-Anglophile context. A case study design identified the different journeys for participants’ development of sources use. Data gathering instruments were the drafts of the various components of their theses and a semi-structured interview. Analysis of multiple drafts of thesis components reveal how each student evolved differently in source use and level of complexity. However, their testimonies indicated that both students benefitted from exploring models and worked with similar schemes to figure out a way to integrate sources. Features of their home L2 context that impacted their use of sources were explored as well as pedagogical implications for graduate programs.