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ESL Learners' Writing Skills: Problems, Factors and Suggestions

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Abstract

Writing is an important skill for language production. However, it is considered a difficult skill, particularly in English as a second language (ESL) contexts where students face many challenges in writing. Therefore, the present study was conducted with an aim to investigate problems in Pakistani undergraduate ESL learners' writing and factors that hinder their writing skills. It also aimed at obtaining suggestions on how to improve Pakistani ESL learners' writing skills. For this purpose, focus groups of Pakistani English language teachers'and undergraduate ESL learners were conducted. Writing samples were also collected from 30 ESL undergraduate learners to find the major problems in their writing. The interviews and essays were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings reveal that the major problems in Pakistani undergraduate ESL learners' writing are insufficient linguistic proficiency (including command over grammar, syntax and vocabulary), writing anxiety, lack of ideas, reliance on L1 and weak structure organization. These challenges are influenced by various factors including untrained teachers, ineffective teaching methods and examination system, lack of reading and writing practice, large classrooms, low motivation and lack of ideas. The study also sheds light on the remedial measures such as increased reading, conscious and incidental vocabulary teaching, writing practice, trained teachers, reforms in the examination system, and writing competitions.
ESL Learners’ Writing Skills: Problems, Factors and Suggestions
Muhammad Fareed Almas Ashraf Muhammad Bilal
Abstract: Writing is an important skill for language production. However, it is considered
a difficult skill, particularly in English as a second language (ESL) contexts where students face
many challenges in writing. Therefore, the present study was conducted with an aim to investigate
problems in Pakistani undergraduate ESL learners’ writing and factors that hinder their writing
skills. It also aimed at obtaining suggestions on how to improve Pakistani ESL learners’ writing
skills. For this purpose, focus groups of Pakistani English language teachers’and undergraduate
ESL learners were conducted. Writing samples were also collected from 30 ESL undergraduate
learners to find the major problems in their writing. The interviews and essays were analyzed
using thematic content analysis. The findings reveal that the major problems in Pakistani un-
dergraduate ESL learners’ writing are insufficient linguistic proficiency (including command over
grammar, syntax and vocabulary), writing anxiety, lack of ideas, reliance on L1 and weak struc-
ture organization. These challenges are influenced by various factors including untrained teachers,
ineffective teaching methods and examination system, lack of reading and writing practice, large
classrooms, low motivation and lack of ideas. The study also sheds light on the remedial measures
such as increased reading, conscious and incidental vocabulary teaching, writing practice, trained
teachers, reforms in the examination system, and writing competitions.
Keywords: Writing skills; Writing in ESL context; Pakistani ESL learners’ Writing skills;
Writing problems.
1 Introduction
Writing is a significant skill in language production. Its significance increases when it comes
to writing in English language which is extensively used for global mediation of knowledge
(Mahboob,2014;Mansoor,2005;Marlina & Giri,2014;Rahman,2002). Hyland (2003)
believes that performance in language development is subject to improvement in writing
skills. A text of an effective ESL writer must be cohesive, logical, clearly structured, inter-
esting and properly organized with a wide range of vocabulary and mastery of conventions
in mechanics (Jacobs & L,1981;Hall,1988). However, writing is often considered merely
a part of teaching and learning grammar and syntax, which resultantly underestimates the
nature and importance of writing, and affects its growth. Therefore, the development of
Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities, NED University of Engineering & Technology
E-mail: darfarid@neduet.edu.pk
MS Applied Linguistics Candidate, Department of Humanities, NED University of Engineering & Technology
E-mail: almasashraf786@yahoo.com.
Visiting Faculty, Department of Humanities, NED University of Engineering & Technology. MS Applied
Linguistics, Department of Humanities, NED University of Engineering & Technology.
E-mail: alwaysbilal@yahoo.com.
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Journal of Education and Social Sciences
Vol. 4(2): 1, 2016
Journal of Education & Social Sciences
this skill draws considerable attention for its learning and teaching from the very early
phase of language education. Nunan (1989) argues that writing is an extremely difficult
cognitive activity which requires the learner to have control over various factors. These
factors vary from academic background and personal interest of the writer to various psy-
chological, linguistic and cognitive phenomena (Dar & Khan,2015;Haider,2012;?,?).
In Pakistan, the writing skills of the students are alarmingly weak and substandard.
Although, English language users in Pakistan have exponentially increased to 49% in 2003
from 2% in 1961 (Dar & Khan,2015), they still face issues in English language, partic-
ularly in writing. These issues generally arise from incompetence in syntax, coherence,
idea expansion, content selection, topic sentence, rhetorical conventions, mechanics, orga-
nization, lack of vocabulary, inappropriate use of vocabulary. However, further research
is required to explore and examine the factors that adversely affect writing skills of the
students, because issues in writing can be more efficiently addressed if the factors that
generate them are identified (Hyland,2003). This study intends to investigate problems
in students’ writing, the factors that generate these problems, and finally, suggestions of
the participants on how to improve learners’ English language writing skills.
Previous studies have attempted to categorize these factors into some broad domains,
for example, teachers’ incompetence (Haider,2012;Mansoor,2005;Harmer,2008), stu-
dents’ lack of interest (Byrne,1991;Harmer,2008) methodological inappropriacy (Ahmad,
Khan, Munir, et al.,2013;Javed, Juan, & Nazli,2013;Siddiqui,2007). However, there is
still a need of further research that could explore the origin of these factors and their sub-
sequent conversion into permanent writing problems of students’ written discourses. The
current study, along with teachers’ and students’ perceptions, explores and examines the
students’ opinions and their written texts to identify their writing problems and the factors
that generate these issues coupled by suggestions from the respondents on the improvement
of ESL learners’ writing skills. It will bring the latent psychological and cognitive factors
into light for further enquiry and suitable solution.
Literature Review
Writing is the most challenging area in learning second language. It is based on appropriate
and strategic use of language with structural accuracy and communicative potential (Dar
& Khan,2015;Hyland,2003;Mahboob,2014). Kellogg (2001) opines that writing is a
cognitive process that tests memory, thinking ability and verbal command to successfully
express the ideas; because proficient composition of a text indicates successful learning
of a second language (Geiser & Studley,2002;Hyland,2003;McCutchen,1984;Nicker-
son, Perkins, & Smith,2014). Therefore, learning how to write has gained considerable
importance for the last two decades due to two factors: its use as a tool for effective com-
munication of ideas, and the extensive research work carried out in this area to examine
various issues faced by L2 writers (Dar & Khan,2015;Graham & Perin,2007;Haider,
2012;Hyland,2003).
Student writers face various writing problems at different stages of their learning. Gen-
erally, these problems can be classified into linguistic, psychological, cognitive and pedagog-
ical categories (Haider,2012;Hyland,2003). They struggle with the structural components
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of English; because an inappropriate structure complicates the content and comprehension
of the text, which a reader deciphers through involvement of a mental process (Quintero,
2008;Nik, Hamzah, & Rafidee,2010). Similarly, an incoherent text fails to communicate
ideas which causes lack of confidence in learners even if they have mastered syntactic,
lexical and grammatical command over text composition (Rico,2014). Students’ lack of
confidence is also caused by a teaching strategy which does not conform to students’ learn-
ing styles and cultural backgrounds (Ahmad et al.,2013). It is argued that poor writing
skills originate from two factors: the teacher and the learner. Teachers lack appropriate
pedagogic approach to teach writing, including providing prompt and effective feedback to
students, and most crucially, teachers’ lack of ability to motivate students. On the other
hand, students face numerous challenges: effects of L1 transfer lack of reading, motivation,
and practice. In Pakistan, student writers encounter psychological, cognitive, social and
linguistic problems while converting ideas into text (Bilal, Tariq, Din, Latif, & Anjum,
2013;Dar & Khan,2015;Haider,2012;Mahboob & Talaat,2008).
Numerous factors that affect students’ writing skills have been identified in literature.
These are associated with the motivation of learners who are generally unclear about the
purpose and significance of their text in their L2 learning. Similarly, social media, in-
consistent feedback from teachers, learners’ lack of analytical and evaluative approach,
and large and unmanageable class sizes also negatively impact the structural and com-
municative accuracy of the students’ texts (Pineteh,2013). Most of the students find it
very challenging to obtain sufficient and relevant source information, paraphrase or sum-
marise information, and use an appropriate academic writing style (Gonye, Mareva, Dudu,
& Sib,2012;Kalikokha,2008). It is caused by delayed essay writing instruction, large
classes, students’ negative attitude towards their academic English course, L1 transfer,
and lack of dialogue between students and teachers about the constructive steps that need
to be taken to address these problems. In Pakistan, insufficient time for teaching writing,
improper A/V aids, overcrowded classrooms, traditional pedagogy and students’ weak aca-
demic backgrounds have been reported to be some of the factors affecting students’ writing
skills (Bilal et al.,2013;Butt & Rasul,2012). Similarly, outdated textbooks that neither
promote the importance of a writing skill, nor give any opportunities, too consequently
fail to invoke an audience (Haider,2012). Another body of research critiques incompe-
tent teachers who instead of promoting creative skills urge students for rote learning and
exam-oriented language production (Mansoor,2005;Rahman,2002;Siddiqui,2007).
Students’ writing ability can be improved by fostering their interest, motivation and en-
joyment for writing, through technology (Graham & Perin,2007). Similarly, some metacog-
nitive, cognitive and socio-affective strategies could also be used for enabling the students
to know and practically exercise the writing process (O’Malley & Chamot,1990). Further,
the teachers can adapt their pedagogic approaches and can mutually design such tasks that
could motivate and encourage students by giving them liberty of choosing topics of their
interest (Pineteh,2013;Quintero,2008). It will reshape their writing patterns, presum-
ably, through extended practice and by involving physical and cognitive skills which give
the writer control over the expression of linguistic and domain-specific knowledge (Kellogg
& Raulerson,2007). In addition, it will be convenient for language and content teachers
to monitor their students from broad perspectives (Nik, Sani, Kamaruzaman, Hasbollah,
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et al.,2010). Most importantly, it is necessary that attitudes towards writing and dealing
with its issues are changed. Teachers must employ strategies to elicit ideas from students
to be penned down on a piece of paper to promote their verbal ability. Moreover, instant
and critical feedback needs to be given on their output, so that their confidence is elevated
(Haider,2012).
Methodology
This study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the writing problems, factors that
hamper writing development, and suggestions to improve writing skills of Pakistani un-
dergraduate ESL learners. The research was carried out to answer the following research
questions:
What are the major problems in Pakistani undergraduate ESL learners’ writing skills
at undergraduate level?
What are the factors that affect Pakistani undergraduate ESL learners’ writing skills
at undergraduate level?
How can Pakistani undergraduate ESL learners’ writing skills be improved?
To answer these questions, data were collected through four focus group interviews with
undergraduate ESL learners and English language teachers. A focus group collects data
through interviews with a group of four to six people. It is advantageous when the respon-
dents are similar and their interaction yields the best information (Creswell,2012). Eleven
students and ten English language teachers were selected as the sample of the focus group
interviews. The ESL learners’ groups comprised of 18% male and 82% female participants
whereas the teachers’ group consisted of 50% male and 50% female respondents. The re-
spondents’ consent was obtained prior to the interviews; they were also assured of complete
confidentiality. The interview questions were carefully designed and checked for self and
expert validity as (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison,2013) states that validity is an important
requirement and a touchstone for both qualitative and quantitative research. The ques-
tions were piloted on a similar group before the actual data collection. Besides ensuring
that an instrument works well with respondents, piloting also helps in verifying the clarity
of questions, and removing ambiguous language (Cohen et al.,2013). In addition to the
focus group interviews, writing samples (descriptive, narrative and argumentative essays)
of 30 undergraduate ESL learners from four public and private sector universities were also
collected. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data since thematic analysis identifies
the emerging themes and patterns in the qualitative data. The researcher immerses in the
data and recognizes the relationship between ‘codes, concepts and themes’ (Savin-Baden
& Major,2013).
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Findings
Findings of this study have been categorized into following three major areas: problems in
Pakistani undergraduate ESL learners’ writing, factors responsible of these writing prob-
lems and suggestions to improve ESL learners’ writing skills. The findings of the writing
samples analysis is also discussed under writing problems section.
Problems in ESL Learners’ Writing
The students and teachers delineated several problems in the writing of undergraduate ESL
learners. They agreed that ESL learners lack knowledge of appropriate vocabulary:‘I can-
not come up with the words like how to express my (thoughts).’ (FS3). ‘They don’t know the
appropriate use of words.’ (FT2). Learners also have difficulties in grammar and syntax.
They make mistakes in subject-verb agreement, pronouns, tenses, articles, prepositions
and basic sentence structures. ‘The major problem is with the uses of tenses and articles
and preposition.’ (FT5).‘I always have issues with sentence structure.’ (FS2).Additionally,
lack of ideas affect learners’ writing skills.‘Until and unless students have information with
them, they will not be able to pour any idea through their pen onto the page.’ (MT3).
Organized writing is also a challenge to learners as their writing lacks coherence, consoli-
dation of knowledge and use of formal transitional and cohesive devices. ‘(Students) do not
organize’ (MT5).‘Most of them are not able to consolidate their knowledge. When you ask
them to write about themselves, they (cannot).’ (FT1). ‘Writing is different from speech,
(students’) writing is actually speech put on the page.’ (MT4).
Findings from Written Samples
The analysis of ESL learners writing samples revealed a total of 1217 problems in grammar,
syntax, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, word form and word order, spoken expressions,
contracted forms, cohesion, repetition of ideas and L1 influence. (See Table 1)
The highest number of errors was made in grammar. Grammatical errors included
errors of different word classes, subject-verb agreement, and forms of singular and plural,
for example, ‘these applications gives a proper protocol to communicate others’, ‘these
channels provide numerous number of information’, ‘every day the situation goes bad to
bad’ and ‘their personality impress by everyone’.
Grammar was followed by syntax. Syntactical errors show learners’ lack of command
over structure of a sentence. They wrote sentences like, ‘I am going in weekend and more
enjoy our family and see previous struggle.’ The third highest number of errors belonged
to vocabulary, for example, ‘Using the connection between the student and teacher, this
(psychological) error from our society can evaporate’.
Spelling and punctuation errors were also found in abundance. Some spelling errors
were ‘invension’ (invention), ‘indivisually’ (individually) and ‘fascility’ (facility), whereas
punctuation errors included capitalization, use of comma and apostrophe, as in the follow-
ing examples: ‘I see more school students.’; ‘In this Era we cannot even imagine’; and ‘I
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had with my friends family and cousin.’
Table 1
Reliability and Validity Values
Writing Problem Frequency of Occurrence
Grammar 551
Syntax 171
Vocabulary 157
Spelling 113
Punctuation 95
Verb Form and Word Order 55
Spoken Expressions 61
Others 14
Total 1217
Learners also used incorrect word forms like (psychological) disorderness, energetic
drinks and ‘I was feeling such a greatness’. Similarly, the order of words was also found
to be inappropriate causing difficulty in expression of meaning. They wrote: ‘That was
probably my unforgettable day of life’, and ‘after completing the long 2 hours journey.’
As pointed out by the respondents, the use of spoken and informal style of writing was
also observed. Spoken expressions like ‘lets talk about television first’ and ‘now if we talk
about life without them’ were used by learners in their writing. Moreover, the learners
used the contracted form mostly in their negative sentences using don’t, won’t, and can’t.
Another set of errors belonged to cohesion, repetition of ideas and influence of Urdu.
Although they did not occur as frequently as other problems, they also need to be ad-
dressed. Repetition of ideas indicates lack the ideas whereas lack of cohesion and rare use
of transitional devices lead to lack of unity and coherence. The influence of Urdu was also
evident in sentences like, ‘Chain of tears comes outside’ and ‘Increase the hateness in their
hearts’ which reflects student’s thinking process in Urdu.
Factors Responsible of ESL Learners’ Writing Problems
The data revealed that there are various factors at play hindering the development of un-
dergraduate ESL learners’ writing skills. First of all, writing is not given much importance
in our society. It is considered as a secondary skill to speaking. Consequently, the cul-
ture of reading and writing does not flourish at academic and social level and these skills
remain ignored. ‘(Students) have never been given the idea that they need to be good
writers. Writing does not get maximum of instruction’ (MT4). ‘Writing is one of the skills
which is least liked in our society’ (MT2). Similarly, the examination system does not
encourage learners’ creative writing. Instead, it encourages memorization and plagiarism.
‘Our examination system does not encourage our students to be analytical or critical. We
give them twenty minutes for writing 200 words essay, so we encourage them to memorize’
(MT2). Writing anxiety is also considered to be a hindrance in learners’ production of
well-organized text. ‘There is so much tension that give mental difficulty’ (FS8). ‘They
must be facing debilitate anxiety because of which they may not be able to write’ (MT3).
Similarly, reliance on Urdu for processing thoughts and ideas also results in weak writing.
‘They think in Urdu and then they try to translate into English’ (FT4).
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Untrained teachers and ineffective teaching method are also influential in developing
learners’ writing skill, absence of which affects writing adversely: ‘(Institutes) are not
having trained teachers who can develop the (writing) skill’ (FT4). ‘The teaching style
is outdated’ (FS6). Exposure to receptive skills and writing practice are also required to
develop one’s writing skill. The amount of these provided to learners inside and outside
the classrooms is not enough to master the skill. ‘Receptive skills are not considered very
important for the writing’ (FT1). ‘(Students) do not practice. If practice starts (at school),
then they will have developed (writing) sufficiently to meet the requirements of a university’
(MT3). Large classrooms and lengthy courses are also potential factors; our classrooms fail
to provide conducive environment to learners resulting in poor writing skill development.
‘Writing always needs peaceful environment, our classrooms are not peaceful.’ (MT4).
‘The course outline is not good enough. They are outdated’ (FS6). Lack of motivation on
the learner as well as teachers’ part was also put forth as a potential challenge faced by
learners. ‘Teachers expect the students to write very well but the teacher never motivates
them to write by themselves’ (FT2). Additionally, lack of ideas and concentration was
also discussed as factors resulting in writing problems. ‘Because we don’t (have) the actual
knowledge of the topic’ (FS1). ‘I think lack of concentration also affects our writing’ (FS7).
Suggestions to Improve ESL Learners’ Writing Skills
To improve undergraduate learners’ writing skills, the respondents suggested several reme-
dies. To begin with, reading was suggested in order to develop better writing and to enrich
vocabulary. The conscious teaching of vocabulary was also emphasized: ‘We can do some
good reading so that we can get good vocabulary, and improve our writing’ (FS7). ‘(Stu-
dents) should be taught words, either through incidental vocabulary learning or intentional
vocabulary learning’ (MT3). Developing a writing culture and providing opportunities for
writing practice were also suggested. For respondents, importance should be given to writ-
ing as it is given to speaking skill: ‘By making students write daily for fifteen or twenty
minutes we can improve their writing skills’ (MT3). ‘From early classes, we need to incul-
cate at least the culture of writing as we do with the speaking part’ (FT3). A change is
also required in the examination system. According to respondents, it should not promote
memorization and plagiarism. ‘Our education system shouldn’t be about rote learning’
(FS2).
Similarly, the importance of effective teachers cannot be denied. Therefore, it is very
important that they are trained not only in effective teaching practices but also in providing
positive and constructive feedback.‘Institutes should provide skillful teachers for the writing
and should provide trainings, particularly for language teachers’ (FT1). ‘If we are going
to appreciate and motivate their efforts, (it will) encourage them to write more (FT4). To
motivate learners towards writing, changes in writing courses and arrangement of writing
competitions were also emphasized: ‘We can arrange some extra courses based on tenses,
articles, and structure and some creative writing competition’ (FT5).
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Discussion
The major language issues in the learners’ writing were of grammar and syntax. These
errors included incorrect use of prepositions, articles, tenses, singular/plural, verbs, sen-
tence structure, and the use of informal and spoken expressions. Vocabulary also poses
a problem for learners as they are not aware of collocational and connotational meanings
of the words. Haider (2012) also found similar problems of vocabulary in their studies.
Corresponding to the finding of (Megaiab,2014), spelling and punctuations errors were
also found in abundance in writing samples. However, these errors were not highlighted as
a problematic area by any of the present research participants during the interviews. ESL
learners tend to spell words according to their sound, a process referred to as phonetic
perception by (Al-Khairy,2013) resulting in incorrect spelling. Similarly, learners do not
possess topic-related knowledge. When students do not possess knowledge, they cannot
write well.
The study revealed many diverse reasons such as, society, culture, the teaching-learning
context and the learners themselves affecting the development of writing skills in one way
or the other. The writing part in an exam paper usually has repeated topics encouraging
the learners to memorize the ready-made essays on the recurrent topics. Ahmed (2010) also
observed similar effects of examination on ESL learners’ writing skills. Likewise, the class
room environment is not conducive to learning; congested rooms situated at noisy locations,
large number of learners, and lack of other basic facilities hinder the process of writing skill
development. The teachers also fail to impart effective writing skills and strategies to the
learners. On the other hand, as identified by (Nik, Sani, et al.,2010), undergraduate
ESL learners are not motivated to improve their writing skills. The concentration and
efforts are limited only to attempt the writing section of the exam papers. This trend
further reflects in lack of interest in reading and writing practice. There can be various
reasons: workload of different subjects, domestic and financial responsibilities, absence
of motivational feedback, family background and simply lack of interest. The learners
also rely on their first language as a backup strategy when they find difficulty in writing
in English. They tend to translate words and borrow syntax of Urdu which varies from
English to a great extent; this eventually results in poor writing as observed by (Myles,
2002). Effective feedback from peers and teachers can also play an important role, however,
the concept of feedback is not correctly recognized in the current context. It is considered
to be highlighting mistakes in writing without taking into consideration the level, needs,
and proficiency of the learners. Only trained teachers can carry out these responsibilities
in an effective and productive way.
These problems and challenges can be resolved by several remedial measures at indi-
vidual as well as institutional level. The participants suggested teachers should increase
learners’ exposure to all four skills with specific emphasis on reading and writing. Al-
Khairy (2013)’s findings also emphasize the need of qualified, trained and motivated teach-
ers. Constructive feedback should be provided by the teachers to help learners, criticism
on their writings should be minimized, and writing competitions should be organized to
motive the learners. It was also suggested that these modifications should be implemented
at secondary and intermediate levels so that learners face less difficulties in writing skills
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at tertiary level.
Conclusion
The research was conducted with an aim to explore undergraduate ESL learners’ writing
problems, factors hampering development of their writing skills and suggestions to improve
their writing skills. Hence, considering the problems, factors and suggestions this study
has explored, it can be concluded that Pakistani undergraduate ESL learners face various
problems in their writing but their writing skills can be improved by taking into account the
reasons of these problems. The findings of the study can be generalized to the ESL learners
and English language teachers at tertiary level in Karachi; however the small sample size
is a limitation of this study.
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... Several researchers also have identified various linguistic challenges that affect language learning, including grammar, vocabulary, and interference from the first language (L1). Fareed et al., (2016) mentioned difficulties related to grammar, and syntax. Similarly, Dhuli et al. (2023) found that vocabulary posed a significant challenge in developing writing skills. ...
... Lack of knowledge in grammar and vocabulary affects the learning of student's writing skills. Students have difficulties in grammar and syntax, they make a lot of mistakes in the use of subjects, pronouns, tense, article, and basic structure (Fareed et al., 2016). As a result, the research affirms that students have found some factors like the article challenging. ...
... As shown in Table 1, the students scored low on the proficiency test, particularly in their use of definite and indefinite articles in writing skills. These findings align with the results of Fareed and Ashraf (2016), who reported that students face significant linguistic challenges in grammar syntax, pronouns, and articles when writing in English. The findings are similar in writing skills, which suggests that both groups of students struggle with grammar, which is crucial for accurate and coherent written communication. ...
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Writing in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) continues to pose significant challenges for senior high school students, primarily due to linguistic difficulties in writing skills. This study aimed to identify the linguistic challenges that affect students´ writing skills and to determine the correlation between these challenges and their performance on an English writing proficiency test. The research involved a sample of 81 third-year students from a public high school. Data was collected using a 30-item proficiency test that assessed knowledge of definite and indefinite articles, count nouns, and false friends. A structured questionnaire was also administered to examine difficulties focused on grammar, vocabulary, and L1 (first language) interference were the main linguistic challenges influencing students’ writing performance. However, the correlation analysis showed weak relationships between linguistic challenges and overall writing proficiency. This indicated that although linguistic competence impacts writing, it is not the only factor affecting students’ performance. The implication of this finding is that writing instruction should not focus solely on correcting grammar or vocabulary errors but should include broader instructional strategies that address cognitive and contextual. aspects of writing. In conclusion, overcoming EFL writing difficulties requires a comprehensive teaching approach that supports multiple dimensions of language learning, including linguistic, psychological, and environmental factors.
... Writing also provides students opportunity to use vocabulary and language structure of English. As English is a compulsory subject in all the high schools in Pakistan, writing skill plays important role in the academic success of students (Fareed, Ashraf and Bilal, 2016). According to Fareed, Ashraf and Bilal (2016), the English language users increased in Pakistan in 2003 to 49% among the high school students. ...
... As English is a compulsory subject in all the high schools in Pakistan, writing skill plays important role in the academic success of students (Fareed, Ashraf and Bilal, 2016). According to Fareed, Ashraf and Bilal (2016), the English language users increased in Pakistan in 2003 to 49% among the high school students. However, majority of educated people in Pakistan still faces difficulty in writing. ...
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The current study primarily focuses on what types of errors are commonly made by ESL learners, and their frequency of occurrence. A quantitative approach is used for error analysis on data collected through written tests of 10th grade students. For this purpose, data-driven categories are used and analyzed using the Gass and Selinker (2008) model of error analysis. The findings according to the research questions are that multilingual ESL learners make errors in structure, composition, vocabulary, and grammar in English. The frequencies of errors related to vocabulary and grammar are the highest among ESL learners in 10th grade. Students depend on rote learning instead of understanding the basics of English composition. Secondly, the teachers are not properly trained to teach ESL students according to the linguistic requirements. Data analysis has shown that there is a significant difference between the performances of 10th grade ESL students in English composition in government schools with the result that these students make more errors in their English writing.
... Improving grammar and spelling proficiency was essential for clarity and building writing confidence. According to Fareed et al. (2016) and Nyang'au Benard (2014), strengthening grammar knowledge helped reduce student anxiety and improve writing competence. ...
... Extensive reading equips students with vocabulary, sentence structure, and content ideas, which they can transfer into their writing (Foster, 2015). Fareed et al. (2016) noted that students who regularly read gain more access to ideas and expressions, making writing more effective. Moreover, Murray (2020) argued that reading comprehension depends on decoding skills and background knowledge, vocabulary, and awareness of linguistic patterns-skills that are equally essential for competent writing. ...
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Writing is an indispensable skill in various life contexts. Improving students' writing skills is necessary for effectively communicating ideas, persuading others, and self-expression. However, writing is considered the most difficult skill, requiring massive effort and mastery of the rules. Students should possess knowledge of grammar, structure, meanings, vocabulary, and other prerequisites for effective writing. Hence, this study used the transcendental phenomenological research design to describe the lived experiences of Grade 12 students in writing English at Kapingkong National High School. The researcher collected data through criterion sampling, in-depth semi-structured interviews, and documentation. Content experts validated interview questions. Thematic analysis revealed relevant themes: Positive outlook, Goal-oriented writing, Writing proficiency, Self-assessment in writing, Grammar problems, Disheartening organizational skill, Scarcity of time, Inevitable ambiguity, Problems on highfalutin terms, Age and learning gap, Technology and communication, Language barrier, Negative outlook, Academic help-seeking behavior, Learning and writing styles, Language resource, Writing routines, English writing competence, Learning and writing styles, and Teacher's feedback. The research findings suggested that many Grade 12 students struggled to compose grammatically accurate English paragraphs. The study revealed that students' English writing was mostly hindered by a lack of proficiency in English tenses, grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and other related factors. Furthermore, the primary factors contributing to students' inadequate writing skills in English included a lack of imaginative concepts, anxiety related to writing, insufficient structural organization, and an overreliance on peers. This highlighted the need for a learning and development program for students who required assistance enhancing their writing skills.
... Organizing ideas using essential properties of texts are crucial for students to learn writing so that their essays are comprehensible. Harjanto (2011Harjanto ( , 2014, Fareed et al. (2016), and Karjono (2020) claimed that students had difficulty to develop and organize ideas. Many students often had difficulties in organizing ideas in coherent and unified texts. ...
Article
All language skills, including writing requires practices. One of the writing practices is writing journals. Of the challenging practices is organizing ideas. Although the students are good at grammar, vocabulary, mechanics, and idea development, they can be in difficulties in organizing their ideas. The purpose of this study is to describe the organization including coherence and unity of journal writing. The data sources of this study are 76 journals written by the third semester students of an English Department in Surabaya. The data were collected from Schoology since the students submitted all the journals in Schoology. The findings showed that most of the journals written by the students were organized completely consisting of orientation, sequence of events and re-orientation chronologically. The findings also showed that the students tended to use grammatical cohesion rather than lexical cohesion to achieve coherence. Lastly, the journals written by the students were mostly unified in which each paragraph has a main idea supporting ideas.
... Many factors contribute to this anxiety, such as negative self-evaluation and worry about criticism from peers and instructors, which result in being reluctant to engage in a task and create barriers to successful interaction (Cheng, 2004;Solangi et al., 2021). In addition, ESL learners often experience high levels of writing anxiety due to poor instructional strategies and demanding writing standards that students need to achieve (Fareed et al., 2016;Pratiwi, 2021). ...
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Writing, whether in the first or second language, is often regarded as a challenging process. On top of that, the feelings of fear, anxiety and worry would make the learning process more difficult as these negative feelings will affect the learners' focus. Hence, this study aims to explore Diploma Engineering students' level and causes of writing apprehension, as well as their preferred learning strategies to reduce writing apprehension. A total of 125 Diploma students from 4 engineering faculties at a local public Malaysian technical university were involved in this study and the data was collected through an online questionnaire that consists of 22 items adopted from the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI), 10 items on the Causes of Writing Anxiety Inventory (CWAI), and another 10 items on strategies to reduce writing apprehension. The findings revealed that 44% of the students experienced a high level of writing apprehension, while 36.8% experienced moderate level of writing apprehension, and only 19.2% were reported to have low level of writing apprehension. In addition, it was discovered that fear of the teacher's negative comments, linguistic difficulties and pressure for perfect work are the top 3 factors contributing to the students' writing anxiety. As for the strategies to reduce writing apprehension, it was revealed that interactive pedagogy, scaffolding students' writing skills and clear instructions were crucial in helping the students to overcome their fear of writing. The findings of this study may alert English language instructors of the negative effects of writing anxiety, and the need for differential instructional methods and materials to support highly anxious writers to gradually improve their writing skill performance.
... In the same vein, Nguyen et al. (2023) surveyed 45 first-year students, and the findings showed that they met obstacles such as vocabulary, grammar, and prior knowledge. Fareed et al. (2016) added one more difficulty for students, which was their writing anxiety. ...
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Writing plays an important role not only in academics but also in life. Investigating the impact of reading online newspapers and magazines on writing skills is essential at a rural university in the Mekong Delta, South of Vietnam. This research experiment, conducted over eight weeks, involved ten English majors from this institution's Faculty of Foreign Languages. The findings showed that all participants agreed that their writing skills improved when they applied this mode. However, they encountered several difficulties with English vocabulary and grammar, finding suitable newspapers for their level, and selecting ideas for their essays.
... However, it was observed that L2 learners face many challenges in this learning context. In terms of individual writing skills, students needed to gain better command over grammar, vocabulary, and syntax (Fareed et al., 2016), which could be categorised as insufficient linguistic proficiency. According to the responses of written activities and interviews, the influence of thinking in L1 before writing in L2 was clearly evident. ...
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This paper examines the influence of first language (L1) on learning English as a Second Language (ESL) from the teachers’ perspective of their students. The study employed a questionnaire to obtain data from ESL teachers about the influence of first language in ESL writing, the flow of thoughts, and how students process their thoughts in writing during English lessons. The discussion also included questions related to students’ involvement in writing activities during class time, teachers’ perspectives on explicit teaching, task types and approaches/ strategies students use in ESL learning, and difficulties encountered by students in writing. The interview consisted of 25 structured questions. The data obtained from the interview responses were analysed using thematic analysis. The coding method by Saldana (2021) was used as the analytical guide. The results indicated that teaching writing has become challenging due to various complexities encountered in the classroom. Teachers often find their students to be disengaged in writing tasks. Students face challenges due to limited reading skills and low motivation. Teachers have observed that students who are emergent writers often struggle with learning a second language (L2) due to processing difficulties in the target language. Common concerns relate to vocabulary retrieval, grammar and syntax, fluency and speed, comprehension, and idiomatic expressions. L2 students resort to using their first language (L1) in L2 writing to overcome these challenges and processing difficulties in the target language.
... Writing anxiety often stems from poor writing skills and limited language proficiency, which hinders students' ability to fully express their ideas. This limitation fuels self-criticism and lowers confidence, as students fear making mistakes and worry about being perceived as unsuccessful (14). English language learning is difficult when teaching students in the classroom. ...
Article
Teaching and learning materials are essential to fostering students’ academic success. To improve writing skills, a challenging area often overlooked in classrooms, educators must explore creative strategies and incorporate innovative resources into lesson planning. This study introduces the use of R.K. Laxman’s cartoons engage graduate students in writing exercises to make the process more enjoyable and stress-free. The selected cartoon illustrations served as tools to enhance creativity and promote effective writing practices. Writing anxiety often hinders students’ ability to effectively express their ideas. This study addressed these challenges by leveraging cartoons to create a more engaging and less intimidating learning environment. This approach helps students build confidence, while improving their writing proficiency. This study employs a product-and-process approach; emphasizing structured activities that integrate the R.K. Laxman’s cartoons encourage creativity and foster gradual improvements. This method enabled students to refine their writing skills while reducing the stress associated with the process. These findings indicate that using the R.K. Laxman’s cartoons in writing exercises significantly enhanced engagement, reduced writing anxiety, and improved students’ overall writing abilities. These structured, creative exercises encourage critical thinking and promote positive attitudes toward writing. The results underscore the effectiveness of integrating visual resources such as cartoons into academic writing instruction.
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This research paper investigates the challenges the teacher trainees face when writing for academic purposes. The main goal of this paper is to identify the writing challenges that the teacher trainees face. As well as the factors contributing to these challenges and propose strategies to address them. This study utilized a mixed method approach, specifically a questionnaire, relying on both qualitative and statistical data. 32 teacher trainees from the CRMEF Ibn Rochd, Marrakech, Morocco participated in this study by filling out this questionnaire. This research revealed that teacher trainees encounter many challenges when writing; mainly, vocabulary and word choice, grammar and structuring ideas and paragraphs. The participants in this study suggested different ways to improve their level in writing, for instance: Workshops, assignments related to academic writing, integrating academic writing into the curriculum and using practice-based methods. Article journal : Echo des Jeunes Chercheurs (ISSN : 3009-5441) https://journals.imist.ma/index.php/EJC/article/view/3410
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The purpose of this research was to analyse the gaps in teaching writing skills for English teachers in Central Kalimantan. This research belonged to explore four main analyses: 1) Target need, 2) Present situations, 3) Learner factor, and 4) Mean. The subjects involved were the high school teachers who teach English in the Eastern, Western and Middle region of Central Kalimantan. Data needed in this mixed-method research was collected through observation, interview, and questionnaire. The result showed that English teachers in Central Kalimantan need to strengthen understanding about various teaching models and methods in helping to improve students' writing skills. In addition, they also need to optimally manage their teaching process. Since there were found that several teachers were reluctant to change their teaching style, they need further guidance and training to update their teaching approach. Last but not least, the teachers need to be continuously trained to adapt towards the development of technology nowadays.
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Teaching English writing skills involves developing linguistic and communicative competence of the learner which is quite a challenging task. Many factors hinder the process of teaching and learning these skills. Most of the students of public sector institutes do not perform well in English writing tasks and ultimately face average or poor results in academics. The purpose of this study is to highlight the problems which hinder the teachers in developing English writing skills. Government sector institutes of district Sargodha are the focus of this study. These institutes contain students from both rural and urban areas. The Population of this study comprises 9 English language teachers. The data has been collected through the tool of structured interviews. The collected data has been analyzed descriptively. This study is not only to point out the problematic factors but also suggest some remedial measures to improve the situation. The research findings and suggestions would facilitate the teachers and the concerning authorities to improve the ELT situation in public sector institutes.
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Pakistan is among the countries where number of English language users is on rapid growth. Despite English has been an influential language in Pakistan since its independence, learners face difficulties in almost every area of English language learning: Listening, reading, writing and speaking referring to just basic skills of English language. This study focuses on one of the four basic skills: Writing. It measures levels of writing anxiety of Pakistani undergraduate students while writing essays on various topics in English. In this study, 418 students participated which represents both public and private sector universities. Cheng (2004) SLWAI’s instrument was adopted to answer the research questions. Data analysis revealed that majority of the total participants, 61.48 percent has average level of English language writing anxiety. On the other hand, 19.38 percent of the total participants at undergraduate level face high level of English language writing anxiety. Minimum 19.14 percent of the total participants belong to low level of English language writing anxiety. It is interesting to note that both participants from the private and public sector universities experienced average level of writing anxiety. Consequently, English Language Teachers have to adopt/adapt those writing approaches and modify their methods of writing instruction which could help learners decrease their writing anxiety.
Book
The book is based on the on author PhD thesis that examined the current language division between the public sector that is in Urdu medium and private sector in English medium. Recommendations are made to adopt a more democratic language in education policy
Book
This volume offers insights in current theoretical discussions, observations, and reflections from internationally and regionally celebrated scholars on the theory and practice of teaching English informed by a new school of thought, English as an International Language (EIL). This volume provides readers (scholars, teachers, teacher-educators, researchers in the relevant fields) with: Knowledge of the changing paradigm and attitudes towards English language teaching from teaching a single variety of English to teaching intercultural communication and English language variation. Current thoughts on the theory of teaching English as an international language by internationally-celebrated established scholars and emergent scholars. Scholarly descriptions and discussions of how English language educators and teacher-educators translate the paradigm of English as an International Language into their existing teaching. Delineation of how this newly emerged paradigm is received or responded to by English language educators and students when it is implemented. Readers have a unique opportunity to observe and read the tensions and dilemmas that educators and students are likely to experience in teaching and learning EIL.
Article
This paper addresses to evaluate and assess the students' competency in writing skills at Secondary school level in the English Language focusing five major content areas: word completion, sentence making/syntax, comprehension, tenses/ grammar and handwriting. The target population was the male and female students of grade 10 of urban and rural Secondary schools from public and private sector. Forty (40) Secondary schools of District Bahawalnagar, Pakistan were taken using stratified sampling. A sample consisting of 440 students (11students from each school) was randomly selected using a table of random numbers. An achievement test consisting of different items was developed to assess the students' competency and capability in sub-skills of writing such as word completion, sentence making/syntax, comprehension, tenses/grammar and handwriting. Mean score and standard deviation were used to analyze the students' proficiency in each sub-skill. The t-test was applied to make the comparison on the bases of gender, density and public and private sector. The overall performance of all the students was better in comprehension as compared to other sub-skills namely word completion, sentence making/syntax, tenses/grammar and handwriting. The analysis, based on t-value, revealed no significant difference between the performance of male and female students and the students of public and private schools, whereas there was a significant difference between the performance of urban and rural students.