Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 14. Number 1 March 2023 Pp. 409 -427
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol14no1.26
Academic Writing of Saudi Graduate Students: Issues and Improvements
Fawaz Al Mahmud
Department of English Language and Translation
Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Khulais
Jeddah University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Corresponding Author: falaswad@uj.edu.sa
Mohammad Afzal ur Rahmanu
Department of English Language and Translation
Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Khulais,
Jeddah University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Received:12/30/2022 Accepted:03/11/2023 Published: 03/24/2023
Abstract:
This study investigates research writing difficulties encountered by Saudi graduate students at a Saudi university and seeks to offer interventional guidelines accordingly. A fuller understanding of these difficulties will contribute to the development of instruction aimed at improving students’ research writing skills. The main question this study addresses is this: What are the major academic writing problems facing Saudi graduate students? The investigation used an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach involving 87 participants at the University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The data were collected through a 20-item Likert scale questionnaire completed online by 85 Saudi graduate students (37 males, 48 females; 69 majoring in English, 16 majoring in other subjects) and semi-structured interviews conducted with two faculty members. The quantitative data were analyzed statistically using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), and the qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results revealed that most students experienced difficulties related to language, argumentation, and research-article genre when composing research reports in English. Both the participating students and teachers thought the most serious academic writing challenges for Saudi graduate students were presenting complex information in clear sentences and building strong arguments. In contrast, the least problematic task was finding and documenting sources. Regarding evaluating sources, writing Literature reviews, and using technical vocabulary, most students were unsure of their abilities. Besides, English majors and other majors had similar perceptions of difficulties in three out of four significant aspects of research writing. As far as documenting sources is concerned, the perception varied significantly between the English-major and other-major students. The findings of the present study can assist stakeholders in identifying instructional needs in research writing in the Saudi Arabian context, and our guidelines will make research writing less difficult for Saudi students.
Keywords: Academic writing, English as a Foreign Language, Foreign Language, English as a Second Language,
graduate students, research writing difficulties
Cite as: Al Mahmud, F., & ur Rahman, M. A. (2023). Academic Writing of Saudi Graduate Students: Issues and Improvements.
Arab World English Journal, 14 (1) 409 -427.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol14no1.26
References
Al Fadda, H. (2012). Difficulties in Academic Writing: From the Perspective of King Saud University Postgraduate Students. English Language Teaching, 5(3), 123-130.
Alharbi, M. A. (2019). Saudi Arabia Efl University Students’ Voice on Challenges and Solution in Learning Academic Writing. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(3), 576-587.
Alsied, S. M., & Ibrahim, N. W. (2017). Exploring Challenges Encountered by Efl Libyan Learners in Research Teaching and Writing. IAFOR Journal of Language Learning, 3(2), 143-160.
Alzamil, A. (2020). An Investigation of Writing Errors Made by Saudi English-Major Students. International Journal of English Linguistics, 10(2), 92-97.
Bacon, N. (2018). The Well-Crafted Sentence: A Writer’s Guide to Style. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Bitchener, J., & Basturkmen, H. (2006). Perceptions of the Difficulties of Postgraduate L2 Thesis Students Writing the Discussion Section. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 5(1), 4-18.
Broadhead, G. J. (1981). Sentence Skills for Technical Writers. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 11(2), 139-150.
Casanave, C. P., & Hubbard, P. (1992). The Writing Assignments and Writing Problems of Doctoral Students: Faculty Perceptions, Pedagogical Issues, and Needed Research. English for Specific Purposes, 11(1), 33-49.
Cooley, L., & Lewkowicz, J. (1995). The Writing Needs of Postgraduate Students at the University of Hong Kong: A Project Report. Hong Kong papers in Linguistics and Language Teaching, 18, 121-123.
Cooley, L., & Lewkowicz, J. (1997). Developing Awareness of the Rhetorical and Linguistic Conventions of Writing a Thesis in English: Addressing the Needs of ESL/EFL Postgraduate Students. In A. Duszak (ed.), Culture and Styles of Academic Discourse (pp. 113-140). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Dong, Y. R. (1998). Non-Native Graduate Students’ Thesis/Dissertation Writing in Science: Self-Reports by Students and their Advisors from Two U.S. Institutions. English for Specific Purposes, 17(4), 369-390.
Faigley, L., & Selzer, J. (2018). Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments. New York, NY: Pearson.
Ferguson, G., Pérez-Llantada, C., & Plo, R. (2011). English as an International Language of Scientific Publication: A Study of Attitudes. World Englishes, 30(1), 41-59.
Finn, H. B. (2018). Articulating Struggle: Esl Students’ Perceived Obstacles to Success in a Community College Writing Class. Journal of Second Language Writing, 42, 101-106.
Flowerdew, J. (2019). The Linguistic Disadvantage of Scholars Who Write in English as an Additional Language: Myth or Reality. Language Teaching, 52(2), 249-260.
Freedman, S. W., Hull, G. A., Higgs, J. M., & Booten, K. P. (2016). Teaching Writing in a Digital and Global Age: Toward Access, Learning, and Development for All. In D. H. Gitomer & C. A. Bell (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Teaching (pp. 1389-1450). Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.
Haggis, T. (2006). Pedagogies for Diversity: Retaining Critical Challenge Amidst Fears of ‘Dumbing Down’. Studies in Higher Education, 31(5), 521-535.
Hamzaoui, C. (2021). Scrutinizing Algerian Efl Students’ Challenges in Research Teaching and Writing. Hungarian Educational Research Journal, 11(4), 478-488.
Hanauer, D. I., & Englander, K. (2013). Scientific Writing in a Second Language. Anderson, Carolina: Parlor Press LLC.
Hanauer, D. I., Sheridan, C. L., & Englander, K. (2019). Linguistic Injustice in the Writing of Research Articles in English as a Second Language: Data from Taiwanese and Mexican Researchers. Written Communication, 36(1), 136-154.
Harris, K. R. et al,(2017). Teaching Spelling, Writing, and Reading for Writing: Powerful Evidence-Based Practices. Teaching Exceptional Children, 49(4), 262-272.
Harris, R. A. (2018). Writing with Clarity and Style: A Guide to Rhetorical Devices for Contemporary Writers. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hirano, E. (2014). Refugees in First-Year College: Academic Writing Challenges and Resources. Journal of Second Language Writing, 23, 37-52.
Hirvela, A., & Belcher, D. (2001). Coming Back to Voice: The Multiple Voices and Identities of Mature Multilingual Writers. Journal of Second Language Writing, 10(1-2), 83-106.
Hyland, K. (2016). Academic Publishing and the Myth of Linguistic Injustice. Journal of Second Language Writing, 31, 58-69.
Kao, C.-W., & Reynolds, B. L. (2017). A Study on the Relationship among Taiwanese College Students’ Efl Writing Strategy Use, Writing Ability and Writing Difficulty. English Teaching & Learning, 41(4), 31-67.
Khadawardi, H. A. (2022). Saudi Learners’ Perceptions of Academic Writing Challenges and General Attitude Towards Writing in English. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 13(3), 645-658.
Komba, S. C. (2015). Challenges of Writing Theses and Dissertations among Postgraduate Students in Tanzanian Higher Learning Institutions. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 5(3), 71-80.
Lahuerta, A. (2017). Analysis of Accuracy in the Writing of Efl Students Enrolled on Clil and Non-Clil Programmes: The Impact of Grade and Gender. The Language Learning Journal, 48(2), 121-132.
Lin, L. H. F., & Morrison, B. (2021). Challenges in Academic Writing: Perspectives of Engineering Faculty and L2 Postgraduate Research Students. English for Specific Purposes, 63, 59-70.
Lunsford, A., Ruszkiewicz, J., & Walters, K. (2022). Everything’s an Argument. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Mahammoda, S. A. (2016). Factors Affecting the Quality of Undergraduate Research Work in Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. International Journal of Innovative Research and Development, 5(12), 23-27.
Manchishi, P. C., Ndhlovu, D., & Mwanza, S. (2015). Common Mistakes Committed and Challenges Faced in Research Proposal Writing by University of Zambia Postgraduate Students. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education, 2(3), 126-138.
Maxwell-Reid, C., & Kartika-Ningsih, H. (2020). Nominal Expansion in L2 Adolescent Writing: Functions and Realizations of Clausal Embedding in Argumentative Texts. Journal of Second Language Writing, 49, 100751.
McDonough, K., & Crawford, W. J. (2018). Identifying Effective Writing Tasks for Use in Efl Write-to-Learn Language Contexts. The Language Learning Journal, 48(4), 469-480.
Owler, K. (2010). A ‘Problem’ to be Managed? Completing a Phd in the Arts and Humanities. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 9(3), 289-304.
Parry, S. (1998). Disciplinary Discourse in Doctoral Education. Higher Education, 36(3), 273-299.
Phuong, W. T. N. (2021). Difficulties in Studying Writing of English-Majored Sophomores at a University in Vietnam. European Journal of Education Studies, 8(10), 313-330.
Qasem, F. A. A., & Zayid, E. I. M. (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, 4(1), 32-47.
Riadil, I. G., Rahman, A. N. I., & Chonpracha, P. (2023). Investigating EFL Learners’ Difficulties and Strategies in Academic Writing Skill: A Qualitative Study. ELP (Journal of English Language Pedagogy), 8(1), 66-76.
Rosário, P., et al. (2019). The Impact of Three Types of Writing Intervention on Students’ Writing Quality. PLoS One, 14(7), e0218099.
Ruscetti, T., Krueger, K., & Sabatier, C. (2018). Improving Quantitative Writing One Sentence at a Time. PLoS One, 13(9), e0203109.
Sadeghi, K., & Khajepasha, A. S. (2015). Thesis Writing Challenges for Non-Native Ma Students. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 20(3), 357-373.
Saldana, J. (2021). The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. SAGE Publication.
Salkind, N. (2018). Exploring Research. New York, NY: Pearson.
Singh, M. K. M. (2017). International Efl/Esl Master Students’ Adaptation Strategies for Academic Writing Practices at Tertiary Level. Journal of International Students, 7(3), 620-643.
Thompson, P. (1999). Exploring the Contexts of Writing: Interviews with Ph D Supervisors. In P. Thompson (Ed.), Issues in Eap Writing Research and Instruction (pp. 37-54). Reading, PA: Centre for Applied Language Studies, University of Reading.
Williams, J. M., & Bizup, J. (2014). Lessons in Clarity and Grace. New York, NY: Pearson.
Yassin, O., & Hamed, P. K. (2023). Difficulties Saudi, Undergraduate, Male Students Encountered in Topic-Sentence Writing and Bloom’s Cognitive Competencies They Relate to: A Case Study of (PMU). World, 13(2).