Revising strategies in ESL academic writing

2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachiko Yasuda
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Esl Writing ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Writing Instructions ◽  
Revising Strategies ◽  
L1 And L2

This article presents a case study that analyzes the revising processes of three Japanese ESL students in academic writing contexts. Much previous research into the revision strategies used by L1 and L2 writers has been conducted in experimental-like settings rather than naturally occurring situations. In contrast, the present study seeks to show what writers are doing during revision in their L2 academic essay writing in naturally occurring situations. The results indicate that the three students had very different revising strategies and very different perceptions of the role that revision played in the entire composing process. The results further demonstrate how ESL students struggle with their academic writing tasks in a new academic discourse community. Implications for ESL writing instructions are discussed from the viewpoint of literacy skills, second language proficiency, and students’ past learning, writing and professional experiences.

Toward the understanding of Chinese ESL writing

English Today ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Hu
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
The United States ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Academic Environments ◽  
English Writing ◽  
The Usa

It is worth noting that an increasing number of international students, especially Chinese students, have been flooding into English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States or Australia in pursuit of advanced knowledge and better academic environments. As ESL students are enrolling in writing courses in colleges and universities, teachers are confronted with problems that non-native speakers bring to the class when it comes to their academic writing. The problems are more serious than they appear to be. For one thing, according to Reid (1993: 774), there is a dramatic difference between native students and ESL students in ‘the needs, backgrounds, learning styles, and writing strategies’. For another, the situation becomes worse due to ‘considerable diversity even among ESL students in terms of language and cultural backgrounds, prior education, gender, age, and ESL language proficiency’ (Reid, 1993: 774). Although there is not a single solution which is effective in solving complex ESL issues, teachers would be in a better position to understand their ESL students' writing problems if they were to learn about the distinct nature of L2 writing shaped by linguistic and cultural differences. In this article, the author, who was once a Chinese ESL student in the USA and is now an EFL teacher in China, explores how English writing differs from Chinese writing and how these differences lead to Chinese ESL students' difficulty with English writing. This article is expected to increase ESL practitioners' awareness of the urgency for them to recognize and deal with these differences in order to teach L2 writers effectively, to treat them fairly and thus provide them with equal opportunities to achieve academic and professional success.

Writing Strategies Utilized by Successful and Unsuccessful ESL Undergraduate Students in Writing Classroom

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalaivaani Aluemalai ◽  
Mahendran Maniam
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Writing Strategies ◽  
Writing Classroom ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Esl Writing ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Social ◽  
Revising Strategies

<span>The study examined the writing strategies used by undergraduate students in the ESL writing classroom. Three strategies were involved in the writing process which was; pre-writing strategies, while writing strategies and revising strategies. Specifically, the objectives were; (1) </span><span>to </span><span lang="EN-MY">examine the </span><span lang="IN">student's preferred strategies of successful and unsuccessful ESL students in the writing process</span><span>. In this cross-sectional study, 50 undergraduate ESL students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) were the targeted sample for this study. Three strategies of the writing process; pre-writing, while writing and revising were measured via a standard questionnaire that adapted from previous studies. The data obtained were analyzed by using the software of Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). The findings of this study indicated ESL students have preferred planning strategies then while writing strategies and revising strategies. Meanwhile, the findings of this study will have significant implications for ESL undergraduate students in their writing. Contributions, limitations, and implications of the study are also discussed.</span>

A Study on Students' Problems in ESL Writing Classes in the Arts College/ Kuwait University

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Mona Salem Rashed
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Word Choice ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Esl Writing ◽  
Kuwait University ◽  
Writing Classes ◽  
The Arts ◽  
The Difference ◽  
At Home

This paper discusses the influence of the first language (Arabic) on the second language (English) in the writing pieces of ESL students in Arts College/ Kuwait University. Going over some writing papers taken from the students' work in class, the reader would notice a 'different English'. The overall layout of the paper, the ideas presentation, the personal expression, the syntax and word choice, the punctuation and other elements make this new language on students' papers. From papers written in class and at home, I conducted an analysis to see the difference between the two languages techniques, and to find solutions for that. I also interviewed students and they assured that Arabic has a massive influence on them. They disclosed that they read the topic in English, and think/analyze in Arabic. Some participants mentioned that their limited competence of vocabulary in English hindered them from expressing well on paper. Another group mentioned that the idea of 'being explanatory' prevailed their thinking while writing. They said that they wanted to explain their ideas well and repeatedly so that the reader/teacher would understand their points. They also had troubles in organizing the sentences according to the English paragraph style.

scholarly journals Working With Younger-Arriving ESL Learners in High School English: Never Too Late to Reclaim Potential

2002 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hetty Roessingh ◽  
Pat Kover
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
High School English ◽  
Academic Language Proficiency ◽  
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency ◽  
Basic Vocabulary ◽  
Esl Learners

Younger-arriving ESL learners often come to high school ill prepared for the demands of English literature courses. Although they may have acquired the phonological and grammatical system of English with relative ease and developed a basic vocabulary, they lack the breadth and depth of vocabulary and the related concepts that are necessary to engage with the abstract nature and cultural embeddedness of literature study. In probing behind this linguistic facade, we have been able to help our students make gains in the development of cognitive academic language proficiency as reflected in standardized achievement measures of academic writing. The acquisition of the cultural capital necessary for success in literature studies, however, is more problematic. New questions arise about student identity and cultural understandings that are central to the success of ESL learners in high school.

scholarly journals UTILIZING PEER AND TEACHER FEEDBACK IN ACADEMIC WRITING CLASS

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Taufiqulloh Yuvita Imam Yuliarto
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Education ◽  
Peer Feedback ◽  
Teacher Feedback ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Writing Achievement ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
Central Java ◽  
Writing Class ◽  
Experimental Group

A process approach is usually employed in the classroom instruction of academic writing, particulary essay writing, in the Indonesian colleges or universities. This study investigates the role of teacher and peer feedback inserted in the steps of writing process on students’ writing achievement. It is an experimental research conducted at the English Education Department of Pancasakti University Tegal Central Java Indonesia, in the seven semester of the  academic year 2015/2016. The participants of this study are 40 students who attended essay writing class. The instrument is essay writing test which was administered before and after treatment to both experimental and control group. By using paired-sample t-test and f-test, it was found that the use of teacher and peer feedback were effective to teach essay writing. Such a technique contributed a significant improvemental to the students writing achievement in the experimental group. The result also showed that the writing achievement of the students in the experimental group was better than that of those in the control group. To conclude,  utilizing teacher and peer feedback is considered to be one of the effective ways for the students in learning essay writing. However, some drawbacks were found that need to be taken into account in the next related researches.Keywords: Teacher feedback, peer feedback, essay writing

scholarly journals PREPARATION TECHNIQUE FOR WRITING ESSAYS AT INTERNATIONAL EXAMS IN ENGLISH

2020 ◽  
Vol 224 ◽  
pp. 72-79
Author(s):  
E.V. Bessonova ◽  
◽  
I.K. Kirillova ◽  
YU.A. Tarabarina ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Task Orientation ◽  
Preparation Technique ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
High Level ◽  
International English

Today experts with a high level of proficiency in a foreign language are considered in demand in the labour market. The level of foreign language proficiency is confirmed by a high test result of international exams in a foreign language. The essay is a mandatory part of international English language exams such as TOEFL, IELTS, and Cambridge Advanced English. We examined the requirements and assessment criteria for the essay writing exam task. The task assesses the level of speech skills formation necessary to create your own pieces of writing in a foreign language. As part of the research, we developed a technology for teaching writing based on a product-oriented approach. According to the technology we have identified the following stages of text production: task orientation, text planning, text writing, and text self-editing. We have also proposed a set of exercises aimed at developing following skills: task understanding, formulating the author’s point of view and its proving with relevant examples, planning a cohesive and coherent text, text division into paragraphs, highlighting of the paragraph’s main idea, development of the idea in the text, expressing ideas in the text logically in accordance with the rhetorical structure of English essay, usage of lexical cohesive means, text self-editing. This technology was tested during experimental training; its results prove the effectiveness of the proposed technology for teaching essay writing according to international English language exams requirements.

scholarly journals Effects of Process-Genre Approach on Writing Anxiety among English Academic Writing Learners in Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 741-752
Author(s):  
Abrar Ajmal ◽  
Humaira Irfan
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Esl Writing ◽  
Writing Anxiety ◽  
Student Writers ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Product Approach ◽  
Writing Instructors

Writing ability is a prerequisite to be successful in academic pursuits. Pakistani student writers experience a range of issues, including psychological, cognitive, social, and linguistic when they write. Writing instructors need to use appropriate teaching strategies and methodologies to tackle writing-related issues (Khan & Zaki, 2018). Most of the Pakistani ESL writing students are educated through the stereotypical teacher-centered Product Approach focuses on the memorization of ready-made answers. As a result, the learners face great challenges; ESL writing Anxiety is one of the major challenges (Gopang, Bughio, & Pathan, 2018). The aim of this quasi-experimental study based on predominantly the post-positivist and the marginally pragmatic philosophical framework is to explore the effects of the Process-Genre Approach (PGA) on writing anxiety among ESL intermediate/pre-university students in Pakistan. The research tools were included to collect data: Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI), 22-item multidimensional questionnaire, and interviews to investigate the effects of the experiment on writing apprehensions. Data were collected before and after the designed academic writing module based on the Process-Genre approach and pair sample t-test was applied to yield statistically significant results showing that average writing anxiety score was reduced from 77.17 to 66.72 among control group and from 73.57 to 50.25 among the experimental group. Quantities data collected through interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis also supplement that the treatment was effective to reduce writing anxiety.

scholarly journals Using Rubrics in A University EFL Process Writing Program: An Exploratory Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yamin Qian
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Writing Programs ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Writing Classes ◽  
Peer Reviews ◽  
Reflection Data ◽  
Student Cohorts

While rubrics have been widely recognized as an effective instructional tool for teachers to evaluate students’ writing products, fewer studies explored how students use it for their writing process in an EFL university academic writing classes. This study explores the application of process-oriented rubrics in two EFL writing programs, and investigates whether English language proficiency, motivation to writing, and their previous experiences with writing programs would significantly affect the use of the rubrics. The participants (N=190) were from two student cohorts, each of which had 95 participants. The data set includes students’ self-, peer- use and the instructor’s use of the rubrics, and students’ written reflection upon peer feedbacks. The data showed that the rubrics can guide students to practice a writing process, and that the 20-item rubric was statistically reliable.  The data of rubrics also showed that the participants were more critical on their peers’ writing, and the reflection data showed students’ awareness of revision strategies. The qualitative data seemed to suggest that peer reviews and reflections upon such reviews could enhance students' revision strategies. This article will conclude itself by providing some pedagogical suggestions in EFL contexts

scholarly journals The Prevalence and Frequency of Authorial Identity among Undergraduate Students in Fiji

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Jasbir Karneil Singh ◽  
Ben K. Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
First Year ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Student Writers ◽  
Authorial Identity ◽  
National University ◽  
Authorial Voice

Expressing an authoritative voice is an essential part of academic writing at university. However, the performance of the authorial self in writing is complex yet fundamental to academic success as a large part of academic assessment involves writing to the academy. More specifically, the performance of the authorial self can be complex for English as a Second Language (ESL) student-writers. This research investigated the extent to which ESL first-year students at the Fiji National University perform their authorial voice using interactional metadiscourse in their academic writing. The study employed a quantitative analysis of corpus produced by 16 Fijian ESL undergraduate students enrolled in an EAP course. The research found that the ESL authorial voice was predominantly expressed through boosters and attitude markers, with relatively little usage of other interactional metadiscoursal elements such as hedges, engagement markers and self-mentions. Further, the research showed that this particular cohort expressed their authorial voice and identity through boosted arguments and avoiding language that directly mentions the authorial self. The study concludes that the ESL authorial self for this cohort manifests itself in a selected range of selected interactional metadiscoursal elements, requiring the need to raise the awareness of self-reflective expressions for ESL students. The study also encourages further exploration of ESL authorial identity construction in academic writing at undergraduate level and beyond.

scholarly journals Toward an Intercultural Rhetoric: Improving Chinese EFL Students’ Essay Writing through Outline Writing

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Fang Li ◽  
Yingqin Liu
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
Intercultural Rhetoric ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Main Ideas ◽  
English Academic Writing ◽  
Chinese And English

This study explores the effects of teaching EFL students to use an outline in their English essays. The researchers maintain that using outlines can raise students’ awareness of different audience expectations embedded in the rhetoric of the target language (English) and culture and can improve their English academic writing. The study was based on a four-week long case study at a university in Xi’an, China, in which 24 Chinese EFL students at the College of Translation Studies participated. A discourse analysis was conducted by comparing the Chinese EFL students’ English essays produced at the beginning of the study with those produced at the end of the study after learning and practicing outlining for writing the English essays. Email inquiries were used for understanding the participants’ viewpoints on learning how to write English essay outlines. The findings reveal that teaching EFL students to use outlining in their English essays is an effective way to help them improve their essay writing. Not only can it enhance the students’ understanding about using the English thesis statements, but it can also help improve the use of related, logical, and specific detailed examples to support the main ideas in their essays. The email inquiries also revealed that the students believe that outline learning helped them to understand the differences between Chinese and English essay writing. The implications of the study for intercultural rhetoric are also discussed.

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