Investigation into Common Errors in English Writing among Non-Academic Staff at a Malaysian Public University

The Malaysian government has long recognized the significance of mastering the English language among its citizenry. The government has planned, and subsequently, implemented many policies to ensure Malaysians master the English language. Although civil servants have a strong desire to master the English language to perform their duties more efficiently, poor English communication skills have become a major concern in this regard. Therefore, this research aims to investigate common errors in writing the English language among non-academic staff at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), a public university in Malaysia. The study employed an Error Analysis approach by conducting document analysis where every respondent was required to write a paragraph in the English language in about 150-200 words on the topic“My greatest challenge as a UniSZA officer”. The findings revealed that a sizeable number of non-academic staff committed different types of errors in writing the English language, including errors related to subject-verb agreement, passive voice, plurality, choice of word, omission of word, use of article, tense sequence, word ordering, gerund, addition of word/redundancy, and comparison of adjective. It was observed that lack of linguistic skills, lack of exposure, and inadequate practices in written English were the main factors contributing to the English writing errors among the non-academic staff. These findings could help the university management to develop appropriate programs that can assist the non-academic staff to develop English writing competence. However, this study is limited to English writing errors. Further research may focus on other language skills such as speaking and listening.

ESL Students’ Readiness for Self-Directed Learning in Improving English Writing Skills

Self-directed learning among students, particularly at the upper secondary level, is still underexplored in Malaysia. Further understanding of ESL students’ readiness for self-directed learning in improving English writing skills is crucial to exploit the advantages of this learning method for their benefit. Thus, this study aimed to examine the levels of self-directedness among secondary school students and their readiness to apply self-directed learning in improving English writing skills through a survey design. A total of 50 ESL students in a secondary school responded to two sets of questionnaires that measured different variables in this research. The first questionnaire included a self-rating scale of self-directed learning, which consisted of awareness, learning strategies, learning activities, evaluation, and interpersonal skills. The second questionnaire contained questions about students’ readiness for self-directed learning in improving English writing skills. Sampling was done randomly without considering students’ academic level of English. The findings found that most students possessed a medium level of self-directedness with not much difference with the high-level ones. The study then revealed a positive relationship between students’ level of self-directedness and students’ readiness to incorporate self-directed learning in English writing skills. For instance, students with a high level of self-directedness scored higher in students’ readiness for self-directed learning in improving English writing skills than those with a low level of self-directedness. Future studies should consider self-directed learning strategies to promote lifelong effects of positive attributes towards learning experiences, such as discipline, attention, responsible, and creativity in planning learning objectives.

BECOMING A BUSINESS WRITER: OMANI ESP STUDENTS’ SELF-PERCEIVED WRITING CHALLENGES, NEEDS AND WANTS

Today, effective English writing is one of the most valuable professional skills for growth and development in the world of entrepreneurship. In spite of the prominence of English as the leading language of business and business education, writing is still one of the biggest challenges that business students face. The purpose of this paper is to report on a study that explored Omani business student-perceived challenges, needs and wants in writing. The study used an online survey involving seventy students from Sultan Qaboos University who were asked to share their perceptions in regard to these three dimensions specifically related to the skill of business writing. Analysis of the data was conducted using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. Findings reveal that business students place effective writing skills high in terms of their perceived necessity. They also indicate that in spite of interesting and engaging writing activities contextualized in Oman’s world of business, students’ overall enjoyment level of writing is moderate on average due to perceived challenges throughout learning, and lacks in perspectives pertaining to how the writing tasks and assignments could be developed and implemented, including providing more guiding writing practice, more feedback, more interesting topics and more real-world topics and tasks. These student challenges, needs and wants analysis’ findings can direct further developments, leading to a successful English business writing syllabus and teaching practice.

Examining the Skill in Writing Descriptive Text Among Indonesian Learners of English: The Effects of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)

This study aims to examine the learners’ skills in writing English descriptive text by employing The Explanatory-Sequential (QUAN-QUAL) research method. The data collection instruments were Writing Tests and Interview. The written tests were given in the form of pre and post-test to reveal the effect of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) on improving the learners’ English writing skills. Interviews were held to confirm factors affecting the students’ skills in writing English descriptive texts. 27 learners of MA Madani Alauddin Pao-Pao, Gowa were purposively selected to participate in this study. The results reveal two things namely: The first, there is a statistically significant difference between mean scores of the experimental group (64.85) and the control group (55.03) in the test result after the treatment (post-test). The value according to Student's t-test confirms it: t = 5,846; p < 0,001. This result supports the effectiveness of employing Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) as a method in teaching English writing skills. The second, the interviews indicate that there are 5 determinants affecting the learners’ skills in writing English descriptive texts, i.e. Learners’ Interest, Teacher’s Strategy, Teacher’s Media, Classroom Environment, and Learners’ Learning Strategy. Our results revealed that using TBLT has led to significant increases in the students’ skill in writing descriptive texts. We believe, our findings could have a profound impact on the way English writing is taught around the world. Therefore, English language teachers should provide more opportunities to learn this method to enable them apply it in their English pedagogy.

The Use of YouTube As A Medium for Teaching English Writing Skill During Covid-19 Pandemic

A popular video sharing site, YouTube, could be used as an alternative teaching medium in online learning activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is useful to help students to keep on learning and get materials well in the difficult circumstance caused by the pandemic. This study aims to describe how Youtube is used as a learning medium in English teaching, especially the writing skill at MTs Ma'aarif NU 01 Kemranjen during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses a qualitative approach. Data are collected through the triangulation of interview, observation, and documentation. The data are then analysed by applying Miles and Huberman’s (1994) model of data reduction, data display, and verification. The results of this study reveal that Youtube is seen to be a good learning medium to cope with the learning difficulties in the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis. The asynchronous nature of the Youtube videos enabled students to repeat the video as much as they want to. The implementation of Youtube in online learning was done in three stages: 1) preparation, the teacher makes and uploads the videos; 2) implementation, the teacher shares the link and provides brief explanation on WhatsApp; and 3) evaluation, the teacher gives quizzes to ensure that the materials are well-received. Meanwhile, the obstacles in the implementation are poor Intenet network, insufficient facilities, and unmotivated students. The pedagogical implication from this study is that Youtube is a good fit for online learning, it is highly recommended for teaching during the pandemic.