scholarly journals Paraphrasing challenges faced by Malaysian ESL students

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Fatimawati Adi Badiozaman
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Text Comprehension ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Business Majors ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Writing Practice

This study examined the challenges faced by Malaysian second language (L2) learners when paraphrasing an academic text. Drawing on interviews with two diploma students from two business majors, I explored the types of challenges they faced when attempting paraphrasing tasks. The findings revealed that the students faced multiple challenges that ranged from text comprehension, poor L2 proficiency to referencing problems. In addition, there were significant differences between paraphrasing strategies adopted by a competent student and one with a lower proficiency level. Overall, the findings suggest that there is a need to utilise Content-Based Instruction to make the links between writing skills and learners’ disciplines tangible and that pre-degree preparation needs to include extensive writing practice which would help students become familiar with academic writing demands. Preliminary results also show that there is a need for teachers to be aware that the design of the materials for English language teaching should be tailored to the purpose of university study and academic vocabulary.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of the Challenges and Solutions of ESL Students‟ Academic Writing

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5C) ◽  
pp. 1169-1171
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
English Language ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Teaching Writing ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Learning Collaborative ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Malaysian Students

Research studies on ESL writing are more interested in providing operational writing strategies for academic writing. However, there are not many studies on challenges faced by students and their solutions. The main aim of this paper is to provide a systematic literature review of academic writing studies which focused on investigating students’ academic writing challenges and their solutions. The papers used in this study were published from 2010 until 2019. A systematic search of literature proposed in this paper employs the exploratory approach for identifying and evaluating twenty-seven articles published in the authentic Journals. The themes of the review are divided into two categories, one which is related to ESL Malaysian students and another category is regarding non-Malaysians, this is due to the context of the study which will be conducted in Malaysia and therefore a review of studies done on Malaysian student academic writing is justified. The review shows there is a broader context of ESL students’ academic writing challenges and factors influencing students’ academic writing skills. In addition, as mentioned above, the review clearly shows the highlight of previous studies was on strategies which help improve students writing skills. As a conclusion, the review signifies that there are three major enormous challenges faced by ESL students in academic writing, such as teaching methods, students’ attitude towards English, and language ability. And the solutions to the challenges are to employ active learning English language teaching methods, for example, Task-Based learning (TBL), Blended learning, Collaborative learning and cognitive approach, in teaching writing.

scholarly journals A Discourse Analysis: Cohesion of the Introduction Section of Research Article

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Anis Firdatul Rochma ◽  
Sulis Triyono
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Semantic Meaning ◽  
Lexical Cohesion ◽  
Research Article ◽  
English Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Competence

<em>As an effort to give contribution to the existing knowledge, it is expected for the undergraduate students to compose an engaging research article in order to convince the readers about the importance of the research article. However, there is only a little attention given to the articles written by the undergraduate students although it is considered very critical to examine whether the exposure of English academic writing has significantly enhances the writing competence of the students. Furthermore, as it is also very crucial to build a meaningful semantic meaning among the sentences in order to disclose the worthiness of the research article, it is essential to analyze the cohesion of the research article written by the undergraduate students. Henceforth, the present research is projected to investigate the cohesion of the research articles written by the undergraduate students of English Language Teaching. As the introduction section of research article is likely to be an area to portray the logical explanation of the research, the present research solely focuses on examining the cohesion of the introduction section of research article. By adopting a qualitative design and involving several steps to analyze the introduction section, it is revealed that the grammatical cohesion is considered to be the most utilized type of cohesion in writing the introduction section. Still, the lexical cohesion is also necessary to build an eloquent semantic meaning about the topic as well the importance of the research article.</em>

scholarly journals Problems of Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language in South Yemen: A Case Study of Lahj Governorate

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-492
Author(s):  
Sabri Thabit Saleh Ahmed ◽  
Bushra Thabit Ahmed Qasem
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Teaching Aids ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Efl Teaching ◽  
Learning English ◽  
Language Teaching And Learning

The task of teaching and learning English as a foreign language is not an easy task as there are many factors that may contribute positively or negatively to its success. In the context of this study, most school-leavers have very poor English, especially when looking at their oral skills. This indicates that there are some problems that EFL learning and teaching encounter, and then such problems are reflected in students’ proficiency level. This study, therefore, explored the problems encountering EFL teaching and learning in Lahj primary and secondary schools to identify such problems and suggest some solutions that may help in improving English language teaching and learning in the concerned schools. Data were collected from 32 EFL senior teachers and supervisors of Lahj governorate. Findings showed that large classes, lack of teaching aids, teachers’ low proficiency in English, teachers’ limited experience with communicative language teaching, late beginning of learning English, lack of focus on oral communicative English, use of mother tongue in classroom, students’ low motivation and interference between English and Arabic are considered as major problems encountering English language teaching and learning in the concerned South Yemeni schools and contribute negatively to students’ proficiency level. The study has provided some recommendations that may help in improving EFL teaching and learning in the concerned schools and in Yemeni schools generally.

scholarly journals Scope of Cooperative Learning (CL) Strategies in Teaching English to Saudi Adult EFL Learners: A Study of Practical Barriers and Possible Implications

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ishtiaq ◽  
Muhammad Sabboor Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cooperative Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Educational Administration ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Efl Teachers

This study aims at investigating the teachers’ practices and perceptions in teaching English in Saudi Arabia by viewing their stance on Cooperative Learning (CL) — an innovative teaching approach proposed to raise the language proficiency level of adult EFL learners. The study has been conducted in Qassim University, Saudi Arabia—a vibrant and flourishing EFL context. A quantitative tool (a questionnaire) has been used to collect data and to serve qualitative purposes. It reports 80 EFL teachers’ (40 males and 40 females) perceptions about CL using a 17-items comprehensive survey covering all the possible barriers in the way of implementing CL strategies in EFL classes. The survey items also explore how the EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia foresee the implications of making such an innovative move in their classes. The responses have been analyzed on a 5-point Likert scale which ranges from strongly disagree-disagree-neutral-agree-strongly agree. Major findings are that CL strategies have practical barriers but their implications are far more positive. The barriers are mainly due to the wrong learning habits of the adult EFL learners in Qassim University and lack of will and vision of the educational administration. The study recommends that CL strategies need to be given due consideration and support by the administrators and policy makers to raise the proficiency level of adult EFL learners. The study also allays the misconception that majority of the practitioners in English language teaching field are not ready to practice and implement CL strategies in their classes.

scholarly journals What to Accommodate to Develop Students' Academic Writing? Need Analysis for a Research-Based Textbook Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-98
Author(s):  
Rizka Safriyani ◽  
Rakhmawati Rakhmawati ◽  
Lisanul Uswah Sadieda
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Writing Strategies ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Teaching Context ◽  
Need Analysis ◽  
The World ◽  
Good Article

The development of research-based learning proliferates throughout the world, and it depicts the growth of an academic article's publication globally. To strengthen the paper's quality, particularly in Indonesia, the students need a guideline on writing an academic article. This qualitative and quantitative research would portray the needs analysis in developing a research-based textbook in academic writing. Fifty students and thirty lecturers were involved in the interview, documentation, and survey. The result shows that the skills needed to accommodate are referencing skills, writing the research's significance, and writing the conclusion. This study also suggested nine units of an Academic Writing Textbook needed by the students to produce a good article, namely  Introduction to Academic Article Writing, Strategies in avoiding plagiarism, Writing an introduction, writing a literature review, writing a research method, Presenting Findings and Discussion, Writing a conclusion, Tips on Referencing, choosing the title, and writing an abstract. These findings strengthen the previous studies, which states writing a conclusion of an academic article is challenging, particularly in the English Language Teaching context.

scholarly journals The selection of learning materials from Youtube resources for a Maritime English Course

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 460-470
Author(s):  
Nurmala Elmin Simbolon ◽  
Yusnita Febrianti
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Learning Materials ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Maritime English ◽  
Visual Materials

The use of YouTube resources as learning materials becomes increased in English language teaching (ELT), especially when implementing the content-based instruction (CBI) approach. In addition to its importance during the recent global restriction caused by the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19), one of the benefits of using YouTube is perceived to provide authentic learning, which can improve the student learning experience, hence prepare graduates in the future career. While several studies have shown the benefits of using videos in ELT classrooms, this study argues that consideration for suitability and relevance of the visual materials should include the contained meaning potentials; experiential, interpersonal, and textual aspects. The study analyzed three videos used as teaching and learning materials in a Maritime English course at a vocational university where the research was conducted. Foregrounded by SFL theories, the analysis of the videos utilized Multimodal Video Analysis (MMA) Software to present a selection process of teaching and learning materials in the form of YouTube videos. Findings show the specifics of the meaning potentials in the videos used for the teaching and learning materials of the Maritime English course. The results also highlight the positive qualities and drawbacks identified in the videos. Additionally, the findings of the study provide guidelines for selecting video materials suitable and relevant to the Maritime English course in vocational higher education in Indonesia.

scholarly journals Rhetorical styles of Introduction in English language teaching (ELT) research articles

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-314
Author(s):  
Anis Firdatul Rochma ◽  
Anita Triastuti ◽  
A. Ashadi
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Linguistic Resources ◽  
Major Factors

Research articles have been considered as the primary media of knowledge production. Nevertheless, for some undergraduate students, writing a research article can be a challenging task since they need to be aware of its rhetorical styles. Even though previous studies have been conducted to reveal the rhetorical styles of scientific papers, yet tend to focus more on research articles obtained from well-established journals. Hence, this study aims to reveal the rhetorical styles and draw the rhetoric pattern from the introduction section of 73 research articles written by the undergraduate students of English Language Education (ELE) at a state university in Yogyakarta. This is a qualitative investigation whose data were collected by random sampling technique and went through Safnil’s (2013) four analysis stages. As the primary framework for analysis, the modified CARS (Create a Research Space) model (Swales Feak, 2004) was adopted. The results show that Step 2: Making topic generalization in Move 1 and Step 1B: Indicating a gap in Move 2 are the obligatory steps in writing the introduction section. Nevertheless, the results reveal that mostly undergraduate research papers lack 1 step in Move 1, 2 steps in Move 2, and 3 steps in Move 3. The omission of steps in the CARS model by these student-authors seems to happen due to two major factors, namely the scarcity of control over the writing process and linguistic resources, hence suggesting pedagogical implications for academic writing courses.

INTEGRATING LEARNER CORPUS ANALYSIS INTO THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH ACADEMIC WRITING

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-52
Author(s):  
Lavinia Disa Winona Araminta
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Learner Corpus Analysis

Practical implementation of learner corpus research to inform language pedagogy has been common, given the availability of resources, such as a large amount of data about the products of language learning and factual language uses, and the necessary technology, such as concordance programs. This article lays out the typical analyses of learner corpora and the implications of and issues surrounding such studies on second/foreign language teaching based on the existing literature. More specifically, the article captures the need for a more extensive corpus of Indonesian learners’ English other than what is already available to represent more insights about English language teaching in Indonesia. Furthermore, it proposes the development of an in-house learner corpus for direct and indirect uses at Universitas Indonesia. An actual trial on building a sample learner corpus and running a lexical analysis demonstrates the plausibility of integrating learner corpus into the teaching of academic writing on higher-education levels.

Flipping the Academic Writing Classroom

2019 ◽  
pp. 1808-1836
Author(s):  
Steven Kirk ◽  
David Casenove
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Writing Classroom ◽  
Flipped Learning ◽  
Video Content ◽  
Classroom Context ◽  
Writing Class ◽  
Primary Means

Over the past two decades, flipped learning has become a buzz word in education discussions. Flipped learning was first applied to science teaching, where lecture has traditionally been the primary means of delivering new content to students (Bergmann & Sams, 2012). While many teachers have heard the term, it is often not well understood, and its application to English language teaching has not yet been explored in depth. This chapter aims to show how the flipped learning paradigm can be applied to an EFL academic writing class. This will be supported with empirical research involving surveys of students in an EFL scientific writing class, to examine how students interact with the video content, and their perceptions of the flipped learning format. This research differs from most previous research in focusing on how students are interacting with the materials in a flipped classroom context, rather than only focusing on the learning outcomes.

scholarly journals The effectiveness of using scoring rubrics in academic writing to English-majored students

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 76-82
Author(s):  
Linh Hong Trinh
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Writing Class ◽  
Scoring Rubrics ◽  
National University ◽  
Effective Use

English academic writing competences play such an integral part in students’ academic life. Nevertheless, students often deliver poor performances in academic writing class at university or have a great deal of difficulties in writing a composition. The paper presents the results from an action research project on the effectiveness of using scoring rubrics in teaching academic writing to English-majored freshmen in University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University. 150 students coming from 6 different classes, all majoring in English language teaching or English language interpretation participated in this study. The article shows that after a semester using rubrics, the academic writing skills of students improved significantly with the increase in their grades also the decrease in the number of mistakes that they made during the writing process. However, there are still some certain hindrances to the use of rubrics in teaching and learning academic writing. Several recommendations are made concerning the effective use of scoring rubrics in academic writing class.

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