Eff ective Measures Taken in Pedagogical Practice of Graduation Thesis for Business English Majors at a Private University in China

Abstract

The pedagogical practice of Graduation Thesis for Business English Majors (BEMs) is challenging for both private
university teachers and students in China. On the one hand, demotivated BEMs in private universities lack academic written English skills,
genre-based writing strategies, and research abilities. On the other hand, most private university teachers lack experience in practical writing
taxonomy for business-related project papers. The study identifi es several eff ective measures implemented at Heilongjiang University of
Foreign Language Studies (HUFLS) to support both teachers and students in the pedagogical practice of Graduation Thesis for Business
English Majors. These measures include teacher training in writing taxonomy, revisions to teaching and learning syllabus, the development
of templates for genre-based texts, and the incorporation of questionnaire and interview research practices. In the 2022 and 2023 autumn
semesters, 24 teachers, as well as 265 and 170 students, respectively, participated. The results show promise in aligning with pedagogical
practice objectives of the Graduation Thesis Course (GTC) for Business English disciplinary development. However, further studies are
required to delve deeper into questions such as the selection of topic areas for BEMs to write about and the inclusion of other forms of
student work, etc.