Aug 2026· Journal of English language teaching and applied linguistics· Vol 8, pp. 12-20· 0 citations
Abstract
In recent decades, writing development and audience awareness have received increased attention in education settings. Yet, the challenges faced by Moroccan university students in writing development and audience awareness have not yet closely investigated in the context of Moroccan Higher education. To address these gaps, the present study examines the challenges encountered by Moroccan university students in developing their writing and addressing audience awareness as perceived by both students and teachers. A total number of one hundred and twenty-three university students and eight professors from Sultan Moulay Slimane university in Morocco participated in the current study. Quantitative data were collected by completing a questionnaire, while qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The participants consisted of second-year and third-year students. The participants expressed their perceptions and described their experiences with the challenges related to writing development and audience awareness. The findings reveal that students experience difficulties in developing both linguistic and rhetorical features of writing. The study also indicates that writing instruction in the university context does not adequately emphasize writing development and audience consideration in writing. It highlights the need for pedagogical practices that help overcome the challenges, enhance writing, and integrate audience-focused writing tasks in the classroom.
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
This study investigated Grade 7 students’ experiences with writing in English within an ESLclassroom context, focusing on their attitudes, perceived challenges, and preferred classroom practices. Aqualitative classroom-based action research design was adopted using questionnaires and semi-structuredinterviews to collect data from one Grade 7 class. The findings indicated that students’ experiences with writing were shaped by a combination of linguistic difficulty and classroom experience. Many learnersreported challenges related to grammar, sentence formation, spelling, vocabulary, and expressing ideas in written English, while some students demonstrated dependence on memorization and uncertainty when writing independently. At the same time, the findings suggested that students respond more positively to writing when lessons include structured support and interactive activities. Participants repeatedly emphasized the value of scaffolding strategies, memorable writing frameworks such as OREO,collaborative activities, and gamified classroom practices that make writing feel less intimidating and moreengaging. Overall, the study highlights the importance of creating writing environments that balancelanguage support with student engagement, suggesting that supportive and interactive classroom practices may contribute to improving students’ confidence, participation, and willingness to write in English.
Raneem Al-Zadjali, Saleh Al-Busaidi· Jomantara: Indonesian Journa...· 0 citations
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
The need for transformative pedagogies is growing due to limitations inherent in lecture-based teaching. Collaborative learning is an excellent method for addressing some of these shortcomings. Collaboration provides ways that can be used by both instructors and students as they work together to develop content and facilitate student engagement through discussion and problem-solving. This will potentially enhance the sense of criticality in Moroccan EFL university students’ written texts. Therefore, the study’s objective is to investigate the benefits of collaborative writing from the perspective of Moroccan EFL University students. To accomplish this goal, a mixed-methods research design was employed using questionnaire data to obtain quantitative information and follow-up semi-structured interview data to provide qualitative insight into the responses. Convenience sampling was used to select 140 English majors from Hassan II University in Casablanca. The findings demonstrated that Moroccan Hassan II University EFL students recognized the significance of using collaborative, argumentative writing. The students argued that group writing allows them to discuss, exchange perspectives, share the workload, and learn from peer feedback. Nonetheless, writing collaboratively can be difficult for some participants, especially because it can involve communication problems, a lack of interest, and uneven participation. These difficulties pushed some respondents to sometimes prefer individual writing instead. Several implications for ensuring high-quality outcomes will be drawn from the results obtained
Mohamed Choujaa, Nadia Hellalet, Mouhssine Echcharfy· Journal of English Language...· 0 citations
Aim/Purpose: This paper explores how university students perceived their engagement in Pear Deck-supported synchronous online academic writing classes.
Background: Although interactive presentation tools are increasingly used in higher education, limited qualitative research has examined how students perceive their participation and learning experiences in technology-mediated academic writing, particularly in L2 contexts.
Methodology: A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. Data were collected through an anonymous open-ended survey completed by 54 undergraduate students enrolled in an academic writing course at a Malaysian research university. The responses were analysed through qualitative descriptive thematic coding, informed by Braun and Clarke’s phases of thematic analysis, to identify descriptive patterns in students’ perceptions.
Contribution: This paper contributes to technology-enhanced language learning and academic writing pedagogy by offering a practice-oriented account of students’ perceptions of the use of interactive slide affordances in synchronous online academic writing lessons. Specifically, the paper shows that participants perceived anonymity, multimodal response options, and real-time feedback as useful features in online writing lessons. These features appeared to support activities such as brainstorming, text annotation, idea organisation, and formative feedback.
Findings: The findings indicate that participants generally viewed the Pear Deck-supported lessons as supportive and participatory. Three themes were identified: positive, low-pressure virtual classroom experiences; opportunities for interaction and participation; and perceived support for understanding of academic writing concepts.
Recommendations for Practitioners: Academic writing instructors may use interactive slide tools to create low-pressure opportunities for participation, provide multiple response modes, and offer immediate formative feedback during synchronous online lessons.
Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers could examine technology-mediated engagement in academic writing using larger samples, multiple data sources, and mixed-methods designs that capture both students’ perceptions and observable learning behaviours.
Impact on Society: The study highlights how thoughtfully designed interactive technologies may help writing instructors create more inclusive and participatory online learning environments, especially for students who may feel anxious about contributing ideas in L2 academic writing classes.
Future Research: Future research could investigate how interactive slide-supported engagement relates to writing development over time. Longitudinal, comparative, and mixed-methods studies are needed to examine the relationship between technology-mediated participation, feedback processes, and academic writing outcomes.
Wee Chun Tan· Journal of Information Techn...· 0 citations
The increasing prevalence of AI-powered writing tools in the higher education landscape has been propounded to put students on a successful academic trajectory by revolutionising their approaches to academic writing tasks. Among these tools, QuillBot has surged in popularity given its ability to facilitate users in paraphrasing, improving language quality, and enhancing writing efficiency. Despite its growing reliance, concerns regarding academic integrity, learner dependency, and the impact of AI-assisted writing tools on students' writing development remain under scrutiny. This study aims to address these gaps by exploring (1) students' perceptions and attitudes towards QuillBot, (2) its perceived benefits and challenges, (3) factors influencing its usage, and (4) the relationship between QuillBot usage frequency and academic performance. A quantitative survey design was employed involving 266 undergraduate students enrolled in the English for Professional Communication course at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire adapted from previous research and analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis. The results showed that students’ perceptions towards Quillbot ranged from neutral to slightly positive, alongside their recognition of its usefulness as a writing support tool. Among the primary advantages were vocabulary enhancement, improved paraphrasing skills, higher adaptability in applying cohesive devices, and reduced anxiety in accomplishing writing tasks. Students also expressed their concerns regarding overdependency and cognitive engagement inhibitions in accomplishing paraphrasing activities. Accessibility, affordability, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use were identified as imperative contributing factors of students' adoption of QuillBot. Additionally, a moderate positive correlation was found between QuillBot usage frequency and academic performance (r = .35, p < .01). These findings provide valuable insights into AI-assisted writing technologies by providing empirical evidence in the context of Malaysian higher education. It underscores the importance of fostering responsibility and ethical practices in the use of AI-powered writing tools while supporting students’ development in academic writing.
Tun Amirul Isyraf Farhat Tun Baharum, Nurul Hadi, Wan Zainal Abidin et al.· International journal of res...· 0 citations