Qualitative Changes in English Writing Through Writing Center Use:

A Case Study of Repeat Users’ Development as Writers

Abstract

Japanese universities are increasingly establishing writing centers in response to a rising demand for writing support in higher education. While previous research has primarily focused on tutoring dialogues and tutor development, there remains a lack of empirical studies investigating how writers change through repeated use of writing centers (WRC). This study addresses this gap by employing a longitudinal case study to explore the qualitative changes in the English writing of two students who repeatedly used the WRC. Specifically, we analyzed their written products at the beginning and end of their WRC usage through content analysis, focusing on seven aspects: overall structure, paragraph structure, argumentation, grammar, vocabulary, notation and layout, and citation formats. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data obtained from them were used as supplementary data for the study. Both students demonstrated improvements in overall structure, paragraph structure, argumentation, and citation format across writing contexts and tasks. The students had little knowledge of structure at first but learned to organize their writing better and gradually applied their newfound skills through repeated use of the WRC. We concluded by discussing the relationship between the observed changes and the support provided by the WRC.