This paper reports on the central role of disciplinary (engineering) criteria in the development of an ESP-based diagnostic writing task and rubric, used to identify entering undergraduate engineering students in need of academic support. In this mixed methods study, Phase 1 investigated the usefulness of a generic writing task and analytic rubric used for the diagnosis. Phase 2, informed by the results of Phase 1, focused on the development of an engineering writing task. The outcomes of the two phases were merged to develop an engineering ESP-based writing task and rubric, informed by a) the collaboration of language/writing experts and engineering stakeholders, and b) criteria, indigenously drawn from the engineering community of practice. The study supports an academic literacies approach in diagnostic assessment (rather than a generic, one-sizefits-all, ‘academic literacy’ approach), and suggests that the demands of university study are best viewed as the practices of disciplinary communities of practice. The paper provides evidence of the increased meaningfulness and usefulness of a disciplinary, ESPbased approach in diagnosing need for academic support.

中文翻译：

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从诊断到学术支持

本文报告了纪律（工程）标准在基于ESP的诊断写作任务和规则的发展中的核心作用，该标准用于确定需要学术支持的入学本科工程学生。在这项混合方法研究中，第1阶段调查了用于诊断的一般写作任务和分析性评分标准的有用性。在第1阶段的结果中得知第2阶段的重点是工程写作任务的开发。合并以下两个阶段的结果，以开发基于工程ESP的写作任务和规则，其依据是：a）语言/写作专家和工程利益相关者的合作，以及b）从工程实践界中固有的标准。该研究支持在诊断评估中采用学术扫盲方法（而不是通用的，一种“一刀切”的“学术素养”方法，并建议最好将大学学习的需求视为学科实践社区的实践。本文提供了证据，证明基于ESP的学科方法在诊断学术支持需求方面的重要性和实用性不断提高。