"It''s Not My Job to Teach Them Writing.": a Study in Roles and Responsibilities for Constructing Disciplinary Expertise Among Esl Graduate Assistants and Faculty in Sciences and Engineering

The purpose of this doctoral research was to determine the challenges faced by international ESL graduate assistants in the Sciences and Engineering in writing for their academic programs and professional positions. An equally important part of the study was to determine the challenges faced by faculty in optimizing their student researchers'' performance and in successfully preparing them to be future professional colleagues either in the United States or abroad. This study''s findings suggest that ESL graduate assistants are frustrated with the lack of effective guidance that they receive from their major professors on writing-related issues, which hinders their academic success as well as their working relationships. In addition, the lack of writing support directly correlates with not being adequately prepared to write in English about their research once they become professionals in either a university or industry setting in the US or abroad.