scholarly journals International Postgraduate Student’s Challenges in Academic Writing in Malaysian Public Universities

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sedigheh Sahkib Kotamjani
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
English Medium Instruction

The purpose of this study is to investigate International postgraduate perceptions of difficulty with academic writing in Malaysian public universities. This research employed survey and semi-structured interview to collect data. A survey was used to collect demographic data and students’ perceptions of difficulties in general writing and language-related skills. The results revealed that students had a positive attitude towards academic writing; however, they were not well-prepared in terms of academic writing skills in their home country. Moreover, students perceived greater difficulty with language related problems than general writing skills.  This study implied that international postgraduate students who graduated from non-English medium instruction universities should be supported in terms of general writing and language related skills through computer-assisted writing instruction to be autonomous writers.

scholarly journals International Postgraduate Students’ Perception of Challenges in Academic Writing in Malaysian Public Universities

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 191
Author(s):  
Sedigheh Shakib Kotamjani ◽  
Arshad Abd Samad ◽  
Mehrnaz Fahimirad
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Academic Language ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Lexical Phrases

The purpose of this study is to investigate international postgraduate students’ perceptions of difficulty with academic writing in Malaysian public universities. A survey was used to collect students’ perceptions of difficulties and challenges in general academic writing skills and language-related skills. The results revealed that students perceived greater difficulty in language-related problems than general academic writing skills. In terms of language-related skills, they ranked writing coherent paragraph, summarizing and paraphrasing, applying appropriate lexical phrases, utilizing proper academic language and vocabulary respectively as the most difficult areas in writing. However, with respect to general academic writing skills, they perceived the most difficulties in reviewing and criticizing the literature, writing introduction and research gap. The results of this study implied that international postgraduate students who graduated from non-English medium instruction universities should be supported in terms of English for Academic Purposes (EAP), critical thinking skills and language-related skills to become self-directed in learning to write.

scholarly journals PREVALENCE OF NON-COMPLETION AMONG POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN SELECTED PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophia Mwende Mugendi ◽  
Eunice Njango Githae
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Attribution Theory ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship

<p>Non-completion among university students is a common phenomenon in many parts of the world. Many causes of this problem have been advanced and among them are institutional and individual reasons like financial ability, gender and motivation to complete studies. Psychological distress though not investigated thoroughly has been cited as one of the problems leading to non-completion. The study sought to establish the prevalence of non-completion among postgraduate students in selected public universities in Kenya. Weiner Attribution theory (1985) informed the study. The study adopted a correlation research design, and it was conducted in two selected public universities in Uasin Gishu and Nairobi counties targeting a population of 945 postgraduate students. A sample of (N=273) was obtained from the two selected public universities through systematic random sampling. The study used questionnaires, focus group discussions and document analysis in collecting data. Reliability of the questionnaire was established using Split half method from a pilot study conducted in Uasin Gishu County. Statistical package for the social sciences SPSS 23 was also used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics to analyze demographic data while Pearson correlation was employed to test the relationship between psychological distress and non-completion. Regression analysis was used to clarify the nature of relationship with the variable. Findings indicated an average non-completion rate of 2.5 years with most students citing financial constraints as the primary cause of their non-completion. The study recommended that students who wished to further their studies should first establish a financial channel or safe for the education journey before they registered for their studies. This would ensure that they would avoid dropping out of school due to a lack of school fees. The study further recommended that students should choose a study model that would favour their schedules to ensure that they did not go through a lot of stress trying to accomplish several tasks simultaneously. </p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0972/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

scholarly journals Developing Collaborative Academic Writing Skills in English in Call Classroom

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Leysan Shayakhmetova ◽  
Liliya Mukharlyamova ◽  
Roza Zhussupova ◽  
Zhanargul Beisembayeva
Keyword(s):  
Cooperative Learning ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Collaborative Writing ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Qualitative Change ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Language Resources ◽  
Experimental Teaching

The modern system of foreign language teaching impacts a qualitative change in the new methodological approaches with using innovative technologies in the educational process. Spencer Kagan created Cooperative learning structures that make collaborative learning easy to use. It provides students with valuable and ample opportunities to combine language resources and collaboratively build knowledge and writing through interaction. Cooperative learning methods do not require a detailed study of plans, educational materials, and special training. Hence the article depicts University students' implementation of collaborative academic writing skills in a Computer-assisted Language Learning environment. Collaborative writing is interpreted as an action in which students communicate, consult, and make collective decisions during the writing process through computer and create a unique text with shared accountability and co-ownership. In this paper, the crucial types of academic writings are highlighted, and experimental teaching results have proved Kagan's collaborative model as a useful technique for improving students' academic writing skills.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Challenges in Writing Academically: Iranian Postgraduate Students’ Perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sedigheh Shakib Kotamjani ◽  
Habsah Hussin
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Doctoral Degree ◽  
Doctoral Degrees ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Academic Assignments

Academic writing skills are essential tools that postgraduate students reading for their doctoral degree have to master to be able to produce dissertations, research reports and academic assignments of quality in the course of their studies; and publish research-based articles in established journals. This paper discusses the perceptions of a group of Iranian postgraduate students pursuing their doctoral degrees at UPM (Universiti Putra Malaysia) on the challenges they face in writing academically. They provided the data for this paper via their responses to a survey.  The findings indicate that these postgraduate students perceived some academic writing skills to be more challenging than the others.  The paper concludes with a discussion on the implications of the findings; and recommendations on how the situation can be improved.

scholarly journals Second Language Learner Perceptions on Web-Based Language Learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 457
Author(s):  
WMUSK Walisundara
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Second Language Learner ◽  
Class Environment ◽  
Negative Effect

<p><em>The focus of the current study was to investigate the perceptions of English as a second language learners on using computer assisted language learning (CALL) for improving academic writing skills. The study was conducted for thirteen weeks with 82 second year undergraduates from General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University in Sri Lanka. Switching Replication was used for the research design. The data were analyzed using mix method approach. The findings indicate that the participants preferred the in-class environment more than the CALL environment for academic writing skills.  Participants’ lack of experience in CALL, poor writing and vocabulary skills and the negative interference from the technical issues were some of the issues that had a negative effect on the participants in the CALL environment. Yet the success of the intervention both in the first and second phases indicates the effectiveness of CALL for developing academic writing skills</em></p>

scholarly journals University Students’ Attitude towards Affective Domain of Academic Writing: Gender Differences and Association with Achievement

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-102
Author(s):  
Bashir Hussain ◽  
Imtiaz Ahmad Warraich ◽  
Aiman Mumtaz
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
University Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Affective Domain ◽  
Cluster Method ◽  
Basic Language ◽  
Basic Source

Language is the very basic source of transferring ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and feelings to others, and, therefore, plays highly important role in academic life of a student. Among the four basic language skills, the role of writing skill is considered the strongest for the development of the learners. Of the writing skills, students’ academic writing skills is highly focused area, as it is a mean of written communication and, therefore, essential for the academic and professional achievement of learners. Research demonstrates that students’ academic writing skills are also linked with their attitude towards writing in all domains of Bloom’s taxonomy i.e., cognitive, affective, and the behavioral. Considering the importance of the affective domain of students’ academic writing, this research is especially focused on examining university students’ attitude towards affective domain of academic writing. Furthermore, current research study would also examine students’ attitude towards affective domain of academic writing from the perspectives of gender differences, discipline-wise differences, undergraduate and postgraduate differences, and its association with students’ achievement. The current study is descriptive in nature and uses survey research design. For sampling, multistage cluster method was adopted. Total sample size of the current study comprised 972 university students. Tool of the study was a questionnaire, which comprised two sections. The first section of questionnaire focused on collecting demographic data from the participants, while the second section comprised five-point Likert scale, with a set of ten statements regarding students’ attitude towards affective domain of academic writing. First comprised arithmetic mean and SD, while t-test was used from inferential statistics. The results showed that although university students from Multan City have low moderate positive attitude towards Blooms’ affective domain of academic writing, but some gender and discipline-wise differences exist.

scholarly journals "I can't say it any better": Critical reading as a threshold concept in helping postgraduate Arab students become critical and original writers

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radhika Iyer-O'Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Student Writing ◽  
Critical Reading ◽  
Critical Thought ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Critical Writing ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Threshold Concept

Many studies on plagiarism issues across the globe have arrived at the consensus that in dealing with plagiarism, universities need to do more than provide students with policies and procedures. Education, via academic support classes, has been touted as the way forward in teaching students to develop academic writing skills and avoid plagiarism. Teaching postgraduate students to produce academic writing that is analytical while retaining their individual expression has been a challenge at the British University in Dubai (BUiD). Most of the students at the university come from mainly Arab educational backgrounds. This could mean that their education may not have been in English but more importantly, that they may also have been entrenched in different learning and teaching styles. Previously encouraged to rely on restating exactly what they have read may contribute to students' inability to express critical thought through their writing. Based on analysis of students' critical writing through faculty feedback, samples of student writing and Turnitin reports, this paper seeks to demonstrate that teaching critical reading skills as a threshold concept that translates into critical thinking skills will help students adopt a different approach to reading, which will subsequently help develop critical writing skills. This paper will show how pedagogy was developed to enable students to read critically and produce coherent and thoughtful critical writing while retaining academic integrity.

scholarly journals Learner autonomy, self-regulation skills and self-efficacy beliefs – How can students’ academic writing skills be supported?

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-402
Author(s):  
Åsa Mickwitz ◽  
Marja Suojala
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Efficacy Beliefs ◽  
Traditional Learning ◽  
Multiple Choice Questions ◽  
Regulatory Strategies ◽  
Academic Settings

Abstract High self-efficacy beliefs and effective self-regulatory strategies are increasingly important in academic settings, and especially in developing academic writing skills. This article deals with how students develop academic writing skills in two different pedagogical settings (as autonomous learners and in a traditional learning environment), and how this is associated with the students’ self-regulatory strategies and self-efficacy beliefs. In the study, self-regulatory skills referred to the ability to take charge of, manage and organize the learning process, while self-efficacy beliefs were defined as the strength of students’ confidence to accomplish an extensive task and sense of succeeding. The method was quantitative, including some qualitative elements, and data was elicited through a survey answered by 150 students, after they had attended courses in academic writing. The survey consisted of 1 open-ended question and 16 multiple-choice questions (a five-point Likert scale). The data was analyzed using SPSS. The results show that self-regulatory skills and self-efficacy beliefs have a greater impact on learning academic writing skills in traditional learning settings than in learning settings where the students are supposed to work more independently, and where teacher support is not available to the same extent.

scholarly journals Need for Assessment of MDS Paper I Examination at the End of the First Year of MDS: A Survey

2021 ◽  
pp. 030157422097623
Author(s):  
Shweta A. Kolhe ◽  
Shivani S. Khandelwal ◽  
Amol A. Verulkar ◽  
Twinkle D. Bajaj ◽  
Niyati Bhupesh Potode
Keyword(s):  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Dental Surgery ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
New Learning ◽  
Patient Work ◽  
Clear Information ◽  
Gain Access ◽  
New Framework

Introduction: Pursuant to the notification published by Dental Council of India, dated May 17, 2018, no. DE-14-MDS-2018/2131, the committee amended the regulation on postgraduate (PG) Masters of Dental Surgery (MDS) students and made provision of giving MDS paper I at the end of the first year. Assessment of this survey will provide clear information between the responses of PG students and teachers. The focus of this article is to report and discuss the characteristics of new learning process. Material Method: A total of 150 sample sizes and 50 PG teachers were included. Questions were generated using Google Form to gain access and establish rapport with participants and to obtain open, honest understanding of the participants’ “learning experience.” The link was sent to the participants, using emails or WhatsApp number. Result: The analysis of survey data was carried out using Likert scale. The comparison of mean scores was carried out using unpaired t-test. Figures 1 to 10 provide responses of participants. Conclusion: Postgraduate students and PG guides are neutral toward the initial protocol of examination. The participants have a positive attitude toward new framework. But curriculum activities such as library dissertation (LD), dissertation selection, and patient work get disturbed somewhere. It might take time for both students and guides to get familiar with the new framework.

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