Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2226-6348

Exploring Writing Difficulties in the Composing Process: A Case Study of ESL Writing

Sofea Azlena Tung, Afina Nazira Afnizul, Maryam Azizan, Shazan Khan Omar

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v13-i1/20991

Open access

Writing is one of the skills alongside listening, speaking and reading that determine the ESL learners’ capabilities to be proficient in English language. The skill is essential in ESL learning because it helps to facilitate the learners’ expression of ideas, thoughts and emotions on a topic. However, even with a proper guidance on composing a piece of writing, it remains the most challenging skill that most ESL learners are struggling with. In order to identify the core challenges that ESL learners are facing in their writing competency, this study aims to investigate the perceptions regarding their utilisation of learning strategies to explore writing difficulties in the composing process among undergraduates at a public university in Malaysia. This study is conducted as a quantitative method and 137 participants from a public university in Malaysia responded to an online survey, administered through Google Form. The instrument used is a 5-point Likert-scale survey and rooted from Flower and Hayes (1981); Petric and Czalr (2003) which consists of 5 sections, which include: (A) respondent demographics, (B) Writing difficulties, and (C) Composing process (Before-, While-, After writing). The result of this study shows that there is a correlation between the respondents’ writing difficulties during the composing process and achieving their writing goals due to their inadequate knowledge of the convention of writing in tertiary education. Based on the data obtained in this study, it could be assured that it could benefit future researchers to expand and identify other factors that influence the difficulties of writing for ESL learners.

Abas, I. H., & Aziz, N. H. A. (2016). Indonesian EFL students’ perspective on writing process: A pilot study. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.3p.21
Akhtar, R., Hassan, H., & Saidalvi, A. (2020). The effects of ESL student's attitude on academic writing apprehensions and academic writing challenges. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24(05), 5404-5412.
Alemu, M. (2020). The role of pre-writing strategies to enhance the students’ idea generating abilities: The case of first-year computer science students of Haramaya University. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 8(1), 40. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.8n.1p.40
Aldabbus, S., & Almansouri, E. (2022). Academic Writing Difficulties Encountered by University EFL Learners. British Journal of English Linguistics, 10(3), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.37745/bjel.2013/vol10n3111
Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (1987). The psychology of written composition. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Bitchener, J., & Basturkmen, H. (2006). Perceptions of the difficulties of postgraduate L2 thesis students writing the discussion section. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 5(1), 4–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2005.10.002
Bizzell, P. (1982). Cognition, convention, and certainty: What we need to know about writing. PRE/TEXT, 3(3), 213-243.
Boo, Z., Dörnyei, Z., & Ryan, S. (2015). L2 motivation research 2005–2014: Understanding a publication surge and a changing landscape. System, 55, 145–157
Bulut, P. (2017). The Effect of Primary School Students’ Writing Attitudes and Writing Self-Efficacy Beliefs on Their Summary Writing Achievement. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 10, 281-285. https://doi.org/10.26822/iejee.2017236123.
Ceylan, N. O. (2019). Student perceptions of difficulties in second language writing. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 15(1), 151–157. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.547683
Cheung, Y. L. (2013). Exploring first-year undergraduates’ difficulties in writing the discussion section of a research paper: A Singapore study. The English Teacher, 42(2), 229-248.
Calle-Arango, L., & Reyes, N. Á. (2022). Obstacles, facilitators, and needs in doctoral writing: A systematic review. Studies in Continuing Education, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037x.2022.2026315
Celce-Murcia, M. (2001). Teaching English as a Second Or Foreign Language (1st ed.), Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
Ferguson, G., Pérez-Llantada, C., & Plo, R. (2011). English as an international language of scientific publication: a study of attitudes. World Englishes, 30(1), 41–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971x.2010.01656.x
Finn, H. B. (2018). Articulating struggle: ESL students’ perceived obstacles to success in a community college writing class. Journal of Second Language Writing, 42, 101–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2018.09.001
Flower, H. & Hayes (1981). A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing. College Composition and Communication , 365-387. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.2307/356600.
Flowerdew, J. (2019). The linguistic disadvantage of scholars who write in English as an additional language: Myth or reality. Language Teaching, 52(2), 249-260. doi:10.1017/S0261444819000041
Hamzaoui, C. (2021). Scrutinizing Algerian EFL students’ challenges in research teaching and writing. Hungarian Educational Research Journal, 11(4), 478–488. https://doi.org/10.1556/063.2021.00047
Handayani, R. (2023). Exploring EFL Learners’ Difficulties in Academic Writing: Problems and Solutions. Journal of Linguistics, Literacy, and Pedagogy, 2(1), 59–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.30870/jllp.v2i1.20349
Hanauer, D. I., & Englander, K. (2013). Scientific Writing in a Second Language. Anderson,
Carolina: Parlor Press LLC
Harmer, J. (2008). The Practice of English Language Teaching (4th ed.). Pearson Longman.
Harris, K. R., Graham, S., Aitken, A. A., Barkel, A., Houston, J., & Ray, A. B. (2017). Teaching Spelling, Writing, and Reading for Writing. Teaching Exceptional Children, 49(4), 262–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059917697250
Hashemian, M., & Heidari, A. (2013). The Relationship between L2 Learners’ Motivation/Attitude and Success in L2 Writing. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 70, 476-489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.085.
Herrington, A. J. (1985). Classrooms as Forums for Reasoning and Writing. College Composition and Communication, 36(4), 404–413. https://doi.org/10.2307/357859
Hirvela, A., & Belcher, D. (2001). Coming back to voice. Journal of Second Language Writing, 10(1–2), 83–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1060-3743(00)00038-2
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125. https://doi.org/10.2307/327317
Hyland, K. (2003). Genre-based pedagogies: A social response to process. Journal of second language writing, 12(1), 17-29. DOI: 10.1016/S1060-3743(02)00124-8.
Jackson, S. L. (2015). Research methods and Statistics-A Critical Thinking Approach (5tH Edition). Boston, USA:: Cengage Learning.
Jaleel, A., & Rauf, S. (2023). Exploring the Causes of English Writing Anxiety: A Case Study Undergraduate EFL Learners. Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7498725
Kakhramon, O. P. S. (2023). APPROACHES TO TEACHING ACADEMIC WRITING. Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7608577
Kao, C.-W., & Reynolds, B. L. (2017). A Study on the Relationship among Taiwanese College Students’ EFL Writing Strategy Use, Writing Ability and Writing Difficulty. English Teaching & Learning, 41(4), 31-67
Komba, S. C. (2015). Challenges of writing theses and dissertations among postgraduate students in Tanzanian higher learning institutions. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2015.1280
Kroll, B. (Ed.). (1990). Second Language Writing (Cambridge Applied Linguistics): Research Insights for the Classroom (Cambridge Applied Linguistics). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139524551
Lee, I., Mak, P., & Burns, A. (2015). Bringing innovation to conventional feedback approaches in EFL secondary writing classrooms. English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 14(2), 140–163. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ETPC-02-2015-0004
Lo, Y. Y., & Yunos, M. M. (2021). Collaborative tools in enhancing ESL writing during Covid 19: A systematic review. (ICBE) Publication, 10–19. https://doi.org/https://www.icbe.my/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lo-Yuok-Yee.pdf
Low, S. J., Pakimathan, P. G., & Edwina, M. (2020). Language Needs of Malaysian Public Relations Undergraduates in ESL Writing. Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA), 49 (1), 27 - 40.
https://melta.org.my/journals/TET/downloads/tet49_01_03.pdf
MacIntyre, P. D., & Gardner, R. C. (1994). The Subtle Effects of Language Anxiety on Cognitive Processing in the Second Language. Language Learning, 44(2), 283–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1994.tb01103.x
Mahammoda, S. A. (2016). Factors Affecting the Quality of Undergraduate Research Work in Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. International Journal of Innovative Research and Development, 5(12), 23-27
Mahmud, F. A., & Rahmanu, M. A. U. (2023). Academic Writing of Saudi Graduate Students: Issues and Improvements. Arab World English Journal, 14(1), 409–427. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol14no1.26
Maringe, F., & Jenkins, J. (2015). Stigma, tensions, and apprehension: The academic writing experience of international students. International Journal of Educational Management, 29(5), 609-626.
Mastan, M. E., & Maarof, N. (2014). ESL learners’ self-efficacy beliefs and strategy use in expository writing. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 2360-2363.
Mastan, M. E. B., Maarof, N., & Embi, M. A. (2017). The effect of writing strategy instruction on ESL intermediate proficiency learners’ writing performance. Journal of Educational Research and Review, 5(5), 71-78.
Maznun, M. D., Monsefi, R., & Nimehchisalem, V. (2017). Undergraduate ESL students’ difficulties in writing the introduction for research reports. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 8(1), 9-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.1p.9
Musa, N. C., Koo, Y. L., & Azman, H. (2012). Exploring English language learning and teaching in Malaysia. GEMA: Online Journal of Language Studies,12(1), 35-51.
NGO Untuk Malaysia. (2023). 90,000 failed SPM Maths, 52,000 failed English, says NGO. Free Malaysia Today. URL: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/06/22/90000-failed-spm-maths-52000-failed-english-says-ngo/
Nunan, D. (1998). Second Language Teaching & Learning. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA41546654
Parry, S. (1998). Disciplinary Discourse in Doctoral Theses. Higher Education, 36(3), 273–299. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1003216613001
Palmer, B. C., & Rowell, C. G. (2005). Reflection and Cognitive Strategy Instruction: Modeling Active Learning for Pre-Service Teachers, Reading Horizons, 45(3), 199-204.
Petric, B., & Czalr, B. (2003). Validating a Writing Strategy Questionnaire. Science Direct, vol. 31(2), pp 187-215. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ668028
Phuong, W. T. N. (2021). Difficulties in Studying Writing of English-Majored Sophomores at University in Vietnam. European Journal of Education Studies, 8(10). https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v8i10.3962
Rahmat, N. H. (2023). Reducing Cogntive Overload in Online Academic Writing: A Case
Study. International Journal of Academic Research in Business & Social Sciences, 13(2), 1377 – 1391. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i2/16365
Rahmat, N. H., Arepin, M., MohdYunos, D. R., & Abdul Rahman, S. A. (2017). Analyzing perceived writing difficulties through social cognitive theory. International Journal of Social Sciences, 3(2), 1487-1499. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2017.32.14871499
Rahmat, N. H., Jauhari, N. H. T., Othman, N. A., & Ramli, N. F. M. (2018). The psychology of audience awareness in the composing process: the case for novice and expert writers. PEOPLE, 4(2), 440-452. https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2018.42.440452
Rahmat, N. H., Thasrabiab, T., Taib, S. A., Jenal, N., Sukimin, I. S., Zamani, N. F. M., & Amir, N. (2022). Perception of Difficulties and Learners’ Reasons in Academic Writing: A Self-Imposed Prophecy. International Journal of Academic Research in Business & Social Sciences, vol. 12(10), 531-543. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i10/14870
Raoofi, S., Binandeh, M., & Rahmani, S. (2017). An investigation into writing strategies and writing proficiency of university students. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 8(1), 191. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0801.24.
Ruscetti, T., Krueger, K. R., & Sabatier, C. (2018). Improving quantitative writing one sentence at a time. PLOS ONE, 13(9), e0203109. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203109
Selvaraj, M., & Aziz, A. A. (2019). Systematic review: Approaches in teaching writing skill in ESL classrooms. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 8(4), 450-473. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v8-i4/6564
Singh, M. K. M. (2016). An Emic Perspective on Academic Writing Difficulties among International Graduate Students in Malaysia. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, 16(3), 83–96. https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2016-1603-06
Singh, M. K. M. (2017). International EFL/ESL Master Students’ Adaptation Strategies for Academic Writing Practices at Tertiary Level. Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.570025
Thompson, P. (1999). Exploring the Contexts of Writing: Interviews with Ph.D. Supervisors. In P. Thompson (Ed.), Issues in Eap Writing Research and Instruction (pp. 37-54). Reading, PA: Centre for Applied Language Studies, University of Reading.
Yu, S., Jiang, L., & Zhou, N. (2023). The impact of L2 writing instructional approaches on student writing motivation and engagement. Language Teaching Research, 27(4), 958-973. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820957024
Zhang, Z., & Hyland, K. (2018). Student engagement with teacher and automated feedback on L2 writing. Assessing Writing, 36, 90–102.

(Tung et al., 2024)
Tung, S. A., Afnizul, A. N., Azizan, M., & Omar, S. K. (2024). Exploring Writing Difficulties in the Composing Process: A Case Study of ESL Writing. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 13(1), 2428–2449.