The Academic Writing Challenges of Undergraduate Students: A South African Case Study

Abstract

<p>This article discusses the academic writing challenges of undergraduate students at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), South Africa. It examines challenges such as lack of a mastery of academic writing conventions, analysis of writing topics, using writing to construct social identities; ability to research and apply knowledge across different context and poor sentence skills. It also focuses on the implications of these challenges for students’ academic development and possible strategies to address these challenges. The article draws on sustained interviews with twenty 2^nd year students, 1^st year student reflections and discussions with four Communication lecturers. The data revealed that academic writing challenges of students in universities of technology are consequences of students’ linguistic and general literacy backgrounds, their attitudes toward academic writing and the privileging of middle-class literacy practices in South African higher education. To mitigate these challenges, this article proposes the following strategies: the integration of academic literacies in disciplinary curricula, the promotion of multimodalities of the teaching and assessment as well as collaboration between language lecturers and core course specialists. It also recommends intensive academic reading and writing workshops, and increased formative feedback. </p

Error Analysis of Students Essays: A Case of First Year Students of the University of Health and Allied Sciences

“…On the other hand, Pineteh (2013) from the South African perspective, shed light on the kind of difficulty that undergraduate students face in applying the rules of usage of the English Language to communicate in writing. Specifically, the study had as its focus to explore challenges that students of Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa, face in their writing.…”

“…The researcher had as his prime objective to explore this concept from six main perspectives which included aspects such as lack of mastery of academic writing conventions, analysis of writing topics, using writing to construct social identities, ability to research and apply knowledge across different contexts and poor sentence skills. Aside these, Pineteh (2013) also explored the implications associated with these challenges for students' academic development and possible practices that can help eradicate these challenges in students writing. The qualitative research design was used to collect empirical data.…”

“…The analysis revealed that the reasons for the academic writing challenges of students in the University of Technology are as a result of students' linguistic and general literacy backgrounds, their attitudes towards academic writing and the privileging of middle-class literacy practices in South African higher education. Pineteh (2013) further suggested that to curb this situation, there should be the need for the integration of academic literacy in disciplinary curricula, the promotion of multimodalities of teaching and assessment as well as collaboration between language lecturers and core course specialists. Pineteh (2013) further stressed the need for the students to engage in intensive academic reading and writing workshops, as well as increased formative feedback by the respective lecturers who handle the academic writing courses at the University.…”

“…Pineteh (2013) further suggested that to curb this situation, there should be the need for the integration of academic literacy in disciplinary curricula, the promotion of multimodalities of teaching and assessment as well as collaboration between language lecturers and core course specialists. Pineteh (2013) further stressed the need for the students to engage in intensive academic reading and writing workshops, as well as increased formative feedback by the respective lecturers who handle the academic writing courses at the University.…”

Contextual factors affecting university students' English writing performance: A comparative study

“…There is a gap between what happens in the school life and that in the university life as for teaching ESL. This view is supported by many researchers (e.g., Ahmed, 2010;Al-Seyabi & Tuzlukova, 2014;Fareed et al, 2016;Gonye et al, 2012;Haider, 2012;Kellogg & Raulerson, 2007;Pinetch, 2013;Rico, 2014;Sajid & Siddiqui, 2015). Due to such a gap, writing is one of the most neglected skills in both Saudi schools and Saudi universities, although controlled writing and guided writing are dominant in intermediate and secondary schools while free writing is supposed to be practiced in university classes.…”