Jul 2026· World Journal of English Language· 0 citations
Abstract
This study investigated the academic writing proficiency and publication-related challenges of EFL graduate students from three state universities in the southern region of Sumatra, Indonesia. The study employed a quantitative descriptive design involving 84 graduate students enrolled in the Master's Program in English Education. Data were collected through an academic writing proficiency test and a Likert-scale questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that the students’ academic writing proficiency was generally at a moderate level, with mean scores of 67.51, 77.38, and 77.00 across the three universities. The questionnaire results indicated that students encountered considerable challenges in publication-oriented academic writing, particularly in grammar, paraphrasing, analytical writing, coherence development, citation and referencing practices, and identifying reputable journals for publication. Grammatical difficulties emerged as the most dominant challenge across the three universities. In addition, the students demonstrated weaknesses in applying APA 7th citation conventions, evaluating academic sources, and constructing analytical arguments and developing research novelty. These findings suggest a mismatch between the increasing institutional expectations for scholarly publication and graduate students’ actual readiness for publication-oriented writing. The study concludes that success in academic publication requires not only English proficiency but also rhetorical competence, critical thinking skills, and publication literacy. Therefore, universities should strengthen academic writing instruction and provide structured support in paraphrasing, analytical writing, citation management, and scholarly publication practices to better prepare graduate students for academic publishing.
This study investigated students' and teachers' perspectives on English academic writing in an English Education Department of an Islamic State College in Indonesia, with a particular focus on a supplementary Literature Review (LR) course. Employing a classroom-based action research design, the study involved fifteen EFL undergraduate students (all female) in their seventh semester of study. Data were collected through questionnaires administered at the beginning and end of the LR course, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with five students and four teachers. Questionnaire data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while interview data were analysed thematically to identify recurring patterns. Findings revealed that students held largely positive attitudes towards English academic writing in terms of interest and enjoyment; however, they demonstrated a marked lack of confidence in their writing ability. Lexicogrammar, particularly grammar and vocabulary, emerged as the most frequently identified area of weakness, while affective factors such as motivation were more commonly cited as strengths than actual writing skills. Both students and teachers identified the absence of explicit genre instruction, particularly regarding the literature review genre, as a significant curriculum gap. It is recommended that explicit, genre-focused instruction be introduced earlier in the curriculum to develop students' genre knowledge and confidence in academic writing.
Nur Afifi· IJELTAL (Indonesian Journal...· 0 citations
Writing development constitutes an essential component of academic success in higher education, as students are expected to demonstrate increasing control over organisation, grammar, vocabulary, coherence, and mechanics throughout their academic careers. Yet, understanding how writing develops remains a complex issue. The present study aims to investigate the development of writing with special reference to Moroccan university undergraduate students. One hundred and twenty-three university students from Sultan Moulay Slimane University in Morocco participated in the current study. A mixed-methods design was adopted, combining students’ questionnaire responses and analysis of actual written texts. The questionnaire explored students’ perceptions and writing-related practices, whereas the written letters were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively, particularly in terms of several writing dimensions. The findings indicated both similarities and differences were observed across several dimensions, suggesting that writing may not develop across academic levels. While certain aspects appeared to show improvement, others remained relatively stable or uneven across second-year and third-year students. The study contributes to the understanding of writing development in Moroccan higher education and highlights the need for instructional practices that support sustained writing improvement across academic levels.
Widad Elfiraoui· International Journal of Lan...· 0 citations
Academic writing in English is a central requirement of doctoral education in multilingual higher education contexts, yet many doctoral scholars receive limited systematic support in identifying and addressing their writing needs. This study presents a diagnostic assessment of second language academic writing needs among doctoral scholars in Tamil Nadu universities. Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 230 doctoral scholars across Sciences, Engineering, Arts and Humanities, and Social Sciences. The final questionnaire, revised after a separate pilot study, included demographic and academic background items and 26 three-point Likert-type items covering grammar and syntax, vocabulary, academic style and structure, cultural-linguistic factors, and technological/resource-related conditions. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, non-parametric group comparisons, and Spearman correlation. The results showed perceived difficulty across all five domains, with vocabulary recording the highest mean score, followed by academic style and structure. Group comparisons indicated that perceived writing difficulty varied across selected background variables, especially self-rated English proficiency and first language. Support-practice indicators, including grammar-guide use, vocabulary-resource use, style/feedback support, help-seeking, and technology-training attendance, were positively associated with related difficulty domains, suggesting that scholars experiencing greater difficulty may be more likely to seek support. The findings support diagnostic, development-oriented writing support that addresses academic vocabulary, genre awareness, multilingual writing practices, and access to writing-related resources, rather than focusing only on grammar. Although grounded in Tamil Nadu universities, the domain-based diagnostic framework may be analytically useful for comparable multilingual higher education contexts where doctoral scholars write in English as an additional academic language.
Yadamala Sreenivasulu, S. Harshalatha· Language Testing in Asia· 0 citations
This study presents an empirical document analysis of assessment practices in undergraduate English writing courses at Elmergib University, Libya. The study adopted a document analysis design in which authentic undergraduate examination papers were systematically coded using qualitative content analysis and then analysed using descriptive quantitative techniques. A corpus of 9 examination papers spanning second to fourth year levels was analysed using a purpose designed coding framework. Fifty-nine discrete assessment tasks were identified, coded, and subjected to descriptive statistical analysis across seven variables: task type, writing skill assessed, academic level, examination type, Bloom's revised taxonomy level, response format, and mark allocation. The results revealed that extended production tasks were the most common type of assessment, accounting for 45.8% of all tasks. Higher-order creative writing tasks (Create) 23.7% were also common, although the examination papers continued to include lower-order metalinguistic knowledge tasks. Paraphrasing, Paragraph Structure Knowledge, Writing Knowledge (Metalinguistic), and Cohesion/Coherence were the most frequently assessed skills, with each making up 10.2% of the assessment tasks. Overall, the examination papers gave limited attention to some important aspects of academic writing, particularly at the fourth-year level, where source integration, evidence synthesis, and other advanced academic writing skills appeared less often. The findings have important implications for improving writing assessment and curriculum design in EFL higher education, particularly in similar undergraduate EFL programmes.
Hussin Mahmoud Shneb· مجلة العلوم الشاملة· 0 citations
This study aimed to determine the English writing challenges and writing strategies on academic performance among college students at DMC College Foundation, Inc., during the academic year 2025-2026. Using a quantitative, descriptive-correlational design, data were gathered from 269 first- and third-year students through an adapted questionnaire from Hasan (2025), while academic performance was based on first-semester grades. Descriptive statistics, weighted mean, standard deviation, and Spearman Rank Order Coefficient Correlation (Spearman rho) were utilized. Findings revealed that students exhibited moderately high English writing challenges, with motivation and practice as the primary concern, and moderately high writing strategy use, favoring self-directed approaches. Academic performance was generally good, although 17.8% of the respondents were classified as excellent. Writing challenges showed a moderate significant relationship with academic performance, while strategies showed a weak but significant relationship. It is concluded that writing challenges and writing strategies significantly influence academic performance, with writing challenges exerting a stronger effect. Accordingly, a proposed intervention program is recommended in which administrators strengthen writing support systems, deans implement program-based writing initiatives, teachers enhance process-based instruction, guidance counselors address motivation and practice issues, parents reinforce study routines, students engage in consistent writing practice, and future researchers should include students from multiple institutions and diverse academic programs to improve the generalizability of findings. Combining questionnaires with writing assessments, classroom observations, and interviews would provide more objective evidence of students’ writing competencies and challenges.
R. Mael, L. PhD· International journal of res...· 0 citations
This study examined the perceived English writing needs of civil engineering students at a private higher education institution in the Philippines. Using a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 216 second- to fourth-year students through purposive sampling and a validated 15-item writing needs questionnaire. The instrument demonstrated strong internal consistency, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings showed that students reported substantial needs in both foundational writing skills and field-related written outputs. The most strongly perceived needs were related to grammar, sentence clarity, idea development, and the writing of engineering reports, executive summaries, formal letters, and memoranda. These results suggest that general English instruction alone may be insufficient to address the disciplinary communication demands of civil engineering. The study highlights the need to integrate discipline-specific writing support into the curriculum to strengthen students’ academic writing, professional communication, and workplace readiness.
Sittie Aina T. Pandapatan, Abdullah H. Edris, Johara D. Alangca-Azis et al.· International Journal of Eva...· 0 citations