Saudi Learners' Perceptions of Academic Writing Challenges and General Attitude Towards Writing in English

Authors

  • Hanadi Abdulrahman Khadawardi King Abdulaziz University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1303.21

Keywords:

L2, positive attitude, negative attitude, academic writing, writing challenges, perception

Abstract

Second language (L2) academic writing is one of the most fundamental, yet sophisticated skills for university students to master. It requires the ability to not only create ideas using sentences, but also construct meaningful, logical and comprehensible texts. Thus, understanding students’ attitudes towards L2 writing and exploring the challenges that they experience while composing texts are necessary for L2 teachers and curriculum designers. The overall goal of this study is twofold: (1) to investigate students’ perceptions of the difficulty that they experience while writing academic texts in English and (2) to explore learners’ attitudes towards writing assignments in English. The goal here is to explore these issues using data obtained from 109 Saudi university students. Data were first collected using a questionnaire and then quantitatively analysed. The results show that students tend to perceive academic writing as challenging and adopt a mildly to moderately positive attitude towards writing in English. These findings offer some implications for teachers and curriculum designers to improve the L2 academic writing skills of students.

Author Biography

Hanadi Abdulrahman Khadawardi, King Abdulaziz University

English Language Institute (ELI)

References

Agesty, E., Inderawati, R., & Eryansyah. (2021). Writing Attitude and Emotional Intelligence as Determinants in Boosting EFL Learners’ Writing Performance. English review: Journal of English Education, 10(1), 245–254.

Ahmed, P. H. (2019). Major Writing Challenges Experienced by EFL Learners in Soran University. Journal of University of Human Development, 5(3), 120. Retrieved January 12, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.21928/juhd.v5n3y2019.pp120-126

Akhtar, R., Hassan, H., & Saidalvi, A. (2020). The Effects of ESL Student’s Attitude on Academic Writing Apprehensions and Academic Writing Challenges. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24(5), 5404–5412. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.37200/ijpr/v24i5/pr2020247

Al-Badi, I. A. H. (2015). Academic Writing Difficulties of ESL Learners Ibtisam. WEI International Academic Conference Proceedings, 63–76. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from http://www.westeastinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Ibtisam-Ali-Hassan-Al-Badi-full-Paper.pdf

Alharbi, M. A. (2019). EFL university students’ voice on challenges and solution in learning academic writing. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(3), 576–587. Retrieved January 12, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v8i3.15276

Altınmakas, D., & Bayyurt, Y. (2019). An exploratory study on factors influencing undergraduate students’ academic writing practices in Turkey. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 37, 88–103. Retrieved January 10, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.11.006

Anderson, C. E., & Cuesta-Medina, L. (2019). Beliefs and practices concerning academic writing among postgraduate language-teacher trainees. Ikala, 24(1), 29–49. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.17533/UDEA.IKALA.V24N01A01

Ansarimoghaddam, S., & Tan, B. H. (2014). Undergraduates’ experiences and attitudes of writing in L1 and English. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, 14(1), 7–28. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2014-1401-02

Bartram, B. (2010). Attitudes to Modern Foreign Language Learning: Insights from Comparative Education (1st Edition). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.

Cai, L. J. (2013). Students’ Perceptions of Academic Writing: A Needs Analysis of EAP in China. Language Education in Asia, 4(1), 5–22. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.5746/leia/13/v4/i1/a2/cai

Cennetkuşu, N. G. (2017). International students‟ challenges in academic writing: A case study from a prominent U.S. university. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 13(2), 309–323.

Chambers, G. (1999). Motivating Language Learners: Modern Languages in Practice (1st Edition). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.

Daly, J., & Miller, M. (1975). The Empirical Development of an Instrument to Measure Writing Apprehension. Research in the Teaching of English, 9(3), 242–249.

Elsherif, E. (2012). L2 Academic Writing Difficulties and Tutors’ Written Feedback (1st Eiditi). LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing.

Garrett, P. (2010). Attitude to Language: Key Topics in Sociolinguistics (1st Edition). Cambridge University Press.

Gillett, A., Hammond, A., & Martala, M. (2009). Successful Academic Writing (1st Edition). British Library Cataloging in Publication Data.

Graham, S. (2019). Changing How Writing Is Taught. Review of Research in Education, 43(1), 277–303. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X18821125

Hammad, E. A. (2016). Palestinian University Students’ Problems with EFL Essay Writing in an Instructional Setting. Teaching EFL Writing in the 21st Century Arab World: Realities and Challenges, 99–124. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-46726-3_5

Hashemian, M., & Heidari, A. (2013). The Relationship between L2 Learners’ Motivation/Attitude and Success in L2 Writing. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 70, 476–489. Retrieved January 11, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.085

Hedge, T. (2014). Teaching and Learning in Language Classroom (2nd Edition). Oxford University Press.

Heo, J.-Y., & Sim, J.-Y. (2015). Korean students’ perspectives on L2 writing difficulty, needs, and challenges. Studies in English Education, 20(2), 161–188. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from http://www.dbpia.co.kr/Journal/ArticleDetail/NODE06384113

Hinkel, E. (2020). Teaching academic ESL writing: Practical techniques in vocabulary and grammar. In Teaching Academic L2 Writing: Practical Techniques in Vocabulary and Grammar (2nd Edition). Routledge Taylor & Francis. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429437946

Hyland, K. (2003). Second Language Writing (1st Edition). Cambridge University Press.

Hyland, K., & Hyland, F. (2006). Feedback in Second Language Writing: Contexts and Issues. Cambridge University Press.

Islam, C. (2017). Strategy Instruction in the Teaching of Writing: Preserves Teachers’ Self-Perception of Their Writing and Their Practice of Teaching Writing. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 4(3), 1–11. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from www.ijllnet.com

Jabali, O. (2018). Students’ attitudes towards EFL university writing: A case study at An-Najah National University, Palestine. Heliyon, 4(11), e00896. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00896

Kroll, B. (1994). Second Language Writing Research insights for the classroom (4th Edition). Cambridge University Press.

Kroll, B. (2008). Exploring the Dynamics of Second Language Writing (Cambridge Applied Linguistics) (3rd Edition). Cambridge University Press.

Mahmood, K. (2020). Academic writing challenges of EFL learners and teachers ’ proficiency in Pakistani higher education. Journal of Research in Social Sciences, 8(2), 56–76.

Manchon, R. (2009). Writing in Foreign Language Contexts: Learning, Teaching, and Research (1st Edition). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.

Manchon, R., & Matsuda, P. (2016). Handbook of Second and Foreign Language Writing (1st Edition). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.

Mazgutova, D., & Hanks, J. (2021). L2 Learners’ Perceptions of Their Writing Strategies on an Intensive EAP Course. Journal of Academic Writing, 11(1), 45–61. Retrieved January 3, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.18552/joaw.v11i1.566

Michel, M., Révész, A., Lu, X., Kourtali, N. E., Lee, M., & Borges, L. (2020). Investigating L2 writing processes across independent and integrated tasks: A mixed-methods study. Second Language Research, 36(3), 307–334. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.1177/0267658320915501

Miller, R. T., & Pessoa, S. (2016). Where’s Your Thesis Statement and What Happened to Your Topic Sentences? Identifying Organizational Challenges in Undergraduate Student Argumentative Writing. TESOL Journal, 7(4), 847–873. Retrieved February 7, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.248

Mishra, M., & Pani, P. (2021). Exploring Correlations among Attitude, Self-Efficacy and English Language Achievement (1st Edition). BlueRose Publishers.

Mulyono, H., Liestyana, A. R., Warni, S., Suryoputro, G., & Ningsih, S. K. (2020). Indonesian Students’ Anxiety To Write in English As a Foreign Language Across Gender and Educational Levels. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 78(2), 249–262. Retrieved March 5, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.33225/pec/20.78.249

Qasem, F., Ali, F., Qasem, A., Zayid, I. M., & Journal, E. (2019). The Challenges and Problems Faced by Students in the Early Stage of Writing Research Projects in L2, University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia European Journal of Special Education Research the challenges and problems faced by students in the early stage of writing. Of Special Education Research, 4(1), 33. Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2557036

Rahmatunisa, W. (2014). Problems Faced By Indonesian EFL Learners in Writing Argumentative Essay. English Review: Journal of English Education, 3(1), 1–9. Retrieved February 15, 2022, from http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE

RahmtAllah, E. A. E. (2020). EFL Students’ Coherence Skill in Writing: A Case Study of Third Year Students of Bachelors in English Language. English Language Teaching, 13(8), 120. Retrieved February 7, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n8p120

Sari, I., Pulungan, A. H., & Husein, R. (2020). Students’ Cognition and Attitude in Writing Descriptive Text. Britain International of Linguistics Arts and Education (BIoLAE) Journal, 2(1), 395–404. Retrieved February 7, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.33258/biolae.v2i1.210

Schneider, D. (2009). Fusing Two Philosophies to Promote Creativity, Higher-Order Thinking, and Organization in the Writing Process. Language Arts Journal of Michigan, 24(2). Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.9707/2168-149x.1057

Setyowati, L. (2017). The Eight Graders Writing Attitude toward EFL Writing in Indonesian Context. International Journal of Languages’ Education, 1(Volume 5 Issue 3), 422–433. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.18298/ijlet.2034

Setyowati, L., & Sukmawan, S. (2018). EFL_ Indonesian Students’ Attitude toward Writing in English. Arab World English Journal, 7(4), 365–378.

Shakib Kotamjani, S., & Hussin, H. (2017). Perceptions of Challenges in Writing Academically: Iranian Postgraduate Students’ Perspectives. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 6(4), 1. Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.6n.4p.1

Tribble, C. (1996). Language Teaching: A scheme for Teacher Education: Writing (1st Edition). Oxford University Press.

Tsao, J. J., Tseng, W. T., Hsiao, T. Y., Wang, C., & Gao, A. X. (2021). Toward a Motivation-Regulated Learner Engagement WCF Model of L2 Writing Performance. SAGE Open, 11(2). Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211023172

Downloads

Published

2022-05-02

Issue

Section

Articles