Arab World English Journal, August 2015 Bejaia University, International Conference Proceedings – 2015
Pp.42-53
Suggesting a Support Centre for Dissertation Writing in EFL at Bejaia University
Nadia Idri
Faculty of Arts and Languages, University of Bejaia
Algeria
Abstract:
In the Algerian higher education context, Master students in foreign languages are required to write a dissertation to get their final degree. However, through observation, the author noticed the students’ difficulty to get engaged in their r Research from the initial step of choosing a topic to the final research outcome of writing the dissertation according to an academic style. During the supervision process, teachers waste a lot of time on the problem of language adjustment and correction instead of monitoring the learners’ research skills, critical thinking abilities and mastery of concepts related to the field of interest. This exploratory study comes to classify the problems both learners and teachers face when working jointly on the final product of the Master. The study took place in the Department of English, Bejaia University. The present research is the result of seven years collaborative work with students preparing their Master dissertations. The author used observation and analysis of students’ works, and focus groups to collect data from students. In addition, online journals with ten university EFL teachers were used. Results confirmed the existence of writing problems students face when preparing their research papers. The final product of the ethnographic research is the suggestion of a Writing Support Centre.
Keywords: Dissertation Writing, ELT, EAP, Academic Writing, Tutoring, Language Support Centre.
