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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 17. Number 2, June 2026 Pp.228-245
Department of English, College of Education, Majmaah University,
Al-Majmaah, 11952, Saudi Arabia
Department of English, College of Education, Majmaah University,
Al-Majmaah,11952, Saudi Arabia
Despite the abundance of research on writing difficulties among Saudi students, few studies consider graduate students’ perceptions of academic writing. This study examines the perceptions of female Applied Linguistics Master’s students and their supervisors at Majmaah University of different aspects of academic writing, including strengths and challenges of academic writing, and its effective learning approaches. Understanding these perceptions influences how educators design evidence-based interventions that enhance students’ writing skills. This qualitative study employed reflective semi-structured interviews with female students and supervisors and were analyzed thematically. The analysis reveals that students view academic writing as crucial to knowledge development and demonstrate willingness to receive feedback. However, they reported major writing challenges, including coherence, critical thinking, synthesis and logical organization. Supervisors address the significance of artificial intelligence integration and genre-based pedagogy. The study recommends encouraging diverse writing practices, establishing a writing center, and integrating artificial intelligence tools to strengthen students’ academic writing skills. The results argue for the need for targeted support that addresses rhetorical and cognitive skills while teaching academic writing to English as foreign language learners.
Alsuhayl, E. M., & Algraini, F. N. (2026). Female Applied Linguistics MA Students’ and Supervisors’ Perceptions of Academic Writing. Arab World English Journal, 17(2):228-245
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Ebtehal Mohammed Alsuhayl (corresponding author) is an English language teacher and vice principal at University Pioneers Schools, Majmaah University. She earned her Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics from Majmaah University. She has been teaching English since 2018. Her research interests focus on second language writing, second language acquisition (SLA), grammatical morphemes acquisition, and code-switching in EFL contexts. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5637-4279
Email: E.alsuhayl@hotmail.com
Farah Nasser Algraini is currently an associate professor of Applied Linguistics at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. She received her MA in linguistics and her PhD in Applied Linguistics. Her research interests include teacher education, teacher professional development, online language learning, and psycholinguistics. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0670-1575
Email: f.algraini@mu.edu.sa