4.1. Students’ Experience of Taking the Academic English Writing Class
The first part of the survey centered on the students’ thoughts about their experience of taking the academic English writing class. Question 1 asked how satisfied the students were with the class in general. The vast majority (83%) responded that they were satisfied (61.5%) or very satisfied (21.5%), and the rest took a neutral stance (10.8%) or said they were dissatisfied (6.2%). The students were asked about the reasons for their satisfaction in Question 2. The most frequently mentioned reasons were the content knowledge, a sense of achievement, and the instructor’s teaching style (
Table 2).
<Table 2>
Students’ reasons for their satisfaction of the academic English writing class
Reasons for Satisfaction |
Student’s Comments |
Content |
Expertise in academic English writing (24) |
- There were many difficulties as it was the first time, but it was great to learn many things about English academic writing, such as how to write an essay and how to use in-text citation. - It was interesting to learn how to write systematically for the first time. - It was my first time writing an academic paper in English, but it was a good experience to write my thoughts in a more advanced and professional way in English. - I’ve been doing nothing but writing my thoughts in English without thinking about a format, but I was glad to learn how to write in English through professional citation and formatting. |
Usefulness during university life (14) |
- In this class, I learned English that can be used for my academic activities such as writing an essay or a thesis. - What I learned in this class, such as paragraph organization and APA style will be very helpful for future school assignments. - I felt it was a useful lecture because I learned something I can use a lot later. - I used to write my thoughts in English without any particular structure, but through this class, I learned how to write in English using citations and proper formats. I think I’ll use these skills again and again. |
New knowledge (13) |
- It was the first time I tried to write in English according to the academic standards, so it was a fresh experience. - Unlike the classes I have usually taken, I was able to learn academic writing in-depth, so it was new, and I realized that there were many things to fix in my usual writing habits. - I learned something I hadn’t learned in middle school or high school, so it was nice to approach English from a different angle. |
Sense of accomplishment |
Gaining of much knowledge (4) |
- It seems that I have gained substantial knowledge about writing. - It was my first academic writing, so it was difficult, but I learned a lot. - It was a lot of work to do, but there was so much to learn. |
Emotional rewards (3) |
- It was difficult, but I was happy to get my essay finished successfully. - I have gained a bit of confidence in my writing. I am glad that I have overcome my vague fear of writing in English. - I was surprised that there was a more systematic way of writing than I expected, and I felt proud of what I had learned. |
Improved writing (3) |
- I think I can write better than before through this class. - It was nice to be able to improve my overall ability to write an English essay. |
Instructor’s teaching style (6) |
- In the beginning, there were parts that were new and difficult, and I did not understand well. However, the professor continued to explain them kindly, and I was able to understand them well through her constant repetition. - Actually, writing in Korean was still difficult, so it was more difficult to write in English. Under the guidance of the professor, however, I was able to keep up with the class without any major problems. - The class was well-structured, so I was able to follow the class with less difficulties. |
The most frequently stated reason for their satisfaction with the class was the content about academic English writing covered in the class. Students were pleased to learn about academic English writing because they believed it made their English writing more “professional.” They were glad to have a chance to gain specific knowledge about academic English writing, such as essay structure, in-text citation, reference formatting, and writing mechanics, which they saw would enable them to write more “academically” in English and would make their writing more “professional” to be accepted as proper writing in academia. In addition, participants highly valued the content taught in the class since it included knowledge and skills that would be needed “a lot more later,” towards the end of their university life when they would have to write academic texts like a thesis. For some students, the content they learned in the class was different from what they had learned in English classes during their secondary school years, so learning about academic English writing was a “new experience” and they felt “fresh” about learning English. All three interview participants also noted that writing a long text like an essay and learning about the formal format of writing felt new to them. Minjae stated:
This was the first time that I wrote an academic essay in which I expressed my arguments and opinions in a standardized format. This formal writing was different from the English I had previously learned, and I felt it was a fresh, new way of learning English.
The next main reason for students’ satisfaction with the academic English writing class was their sense of achievement. Although they acknowledged that the content was difficult and the class required a lot of work, some students commented they were satisfied because they eventually learned “a lot” and gained “substantial knowledge” about academic English writing. Through the knowledge and practices covered in the class, some students even enjoyed their improved writing skills. Emotional rewards were also found to be an attributable factor. Some students reported that they “overcame a vague fear of English writing” and “felt proud” of what they learned.
Lastly, the instructor’s teaching style also appeared to contribute to students’ satisfaction with the class. In the beginning, students seemed to feel that the class was confusing because the content was unfamiliar and difficult to learn, but they successfully completed the class in the end thanks to the instructor’s considerate guidance. They were impressed with the instructor’s continued effort to offer feedback to students even when many questions were asked and with her ability to plan out the lessons so that they were easy to follow. One student even commented that “the class system was optimized enough to fulfill the goals of the class.”
Reasons for students’ dissatisfaction with the class were also explored in Question 3, and the following four were distinctly mentioned: difficult content, unfamiliar content, heavy workload, and low English proficiency (
Table 3). Many students were satisfied with the class because the content was about academic English writing and because it was new and different from what they had learned so far. However, for some students, the same reason caused dissatisfaction because it made the content more “difficult” to learn. On top of that, the amount of content and homework assignments was perceived to be “heavy,” given that the class was a two-hour, two-credit course. Lastly, the medium of instruction in the class was English, and some students pointed out that the English-only policy made it harder for them to keep up with the class.
<Table 3>
Students’ reasons for their dissatisfaction of the academic English writing class
Reasons for Dissatisfaction |
Student’s Comments |
Content |
Difficult (8) |
- The content was difficult, so it was hard for me to follow. - It was a little difficult because there was a lot of content to learn. |
Unfamiliar (7) |
- It seems that there were many things that I was unfamiliar with because I had never done academic writing. - When I first learned academic writing, I felt it was difficult because it was very new to me. |
Heavy workload (7) |
- It felt like there was too much to learn during a short period of time. - There were too many assignments. |
Low English proficiency (7) |
- I found the content itself difficult, and I felt even more so because it was taught in English. - If my English skills were a little better, I think I could have understood the class better. |
The next survey questions focused on exploring students’ improvement in writing after taking the class. Question 4 asked whether their English writing ability had become better than before they took the class. About 77% of the students responded that they agreed or strongly agreed that their current English writing skills improved, and the rest were neutral (20%) or disagreed (3.1%). The agreement rate shows that the students felt improvement of their English writing by the end of the semester in general, but not many students seemed to be strongly certain about their improvement, given that a relatively small percentage of students (20%) strongly agreed compared to those who agreed (57%). In the same vein, Questions 5 and 6 asked students to self-evaluate their own English writing levels before and after the class, respectively. The meaning of each writing level was operationally defined in the survey based on ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Proficiency Guideline for writing (n.d.) and the course objectives. As
Table 4 shows, about 29% of the students responded that their writing was at level 1 or 2 before taking the class, but it dropped to 4.6% at the end of the class. This shows that many students believed that they were able to do at least paragraph-level writing in English by the end of the class. In addition, 10.7% of the students rated their writing at level 4 or 5 before the class, but it increased to 50.7% at the end. This also shows that more students felt that they were able to do essay-level writing than before they took the class.
<Table 4>
Students’ self-perceived writing levels before and after taking the academic English writing class
Writing Level |
Level Description |
Before (%) |
After (%) |
Level 1 |
Can write words and phrases with inadequate grammar and/or vocabulary |
6.2 |
0 |
Level 2 |
Can communicate simple facts and ideas in a series of loosely connected sentences with minimal control of basic structures and vocabulary |
23.1 |
4.6 |
Level 3 |
Can combine and link sentences into texts of paragraph length and structure showing good control of basic structures and vocabulary |
60.0 |
44.6 |
Level 4 |
Can write a series of paragraphs with occasional mistakes with formal writing conventions (e.g., APA styles), grammar, syntax, vocabulary, spelling, cohesive devices, and punctuation |
9.2 |
49.2 |
Level 5 |
Can write analytically on academic and societal issues in an essay format following formal writing conventions (e.g., APA styles) with a high degree of control of grammar, syntax, vocabulary, spelling, cohesive devices, and punctuation |
1.5 |
1.5 |
Question 7 inquired about what class activities and assignments students perceived to be helpful for improving their writing skills. Their responses are presented in order from most to least helpful in
Table 5. A task to write an essay was the most highly rated activity (53.8%), followed by the writing task to practice APA referencing and citing styles (47.7%), the instructor’s lectures (43.1%), and the instructor’s feedback (43.1%). It was also found out that the essay writing task (53.8%) was perceived to be more helpful than the task to write a paragraph (36.9%), and the instructor’s feedback (43.1%) was considered more beneficial than the peer feedback activity (29.2%). In addition, the individual writing tasks such as essay writing (53.8%) and paragraph writing (36.9%) were perceived as more helpful than the group writing activities carried out during the class time (20%).
<Table 5>
Class activities and assignments helpful for writing skills
Class Activities and Assignments |
% |
Essay writing (Writing project) |
53.8% |
Reference and citation (Writing project) |
47.7% |
Instructor’s lectures |
43.1% |
Instructor’s feedback on writing |
43.1% |
Paragraph writing (Writing project) |
36.9% |
Feedback exchange among group members |
29.2% |
In-class group writing activities |
20.0% |
Summary writing (Writing project) |
15.4% |
In the light of favoring essay writing over paragraph writing, the three interviewees mentioned that it was because the former required more attention to what they had learned about academic writing due to its longer text. In addition, essay writing took a longer time to complete than paragraph writing, so Yuna mentioned that she had enough time to review what she had learned in class more thoroughly.
Unlike paragraph writing which was easier because I just needed to find sources for only one argument, I had to search for different sources for multiple arguments with APA citations and references. Through essay writing, many students may have felt that they have learned more from more advanced tasks. (Minjae)
I thought that students can improve their English writing ability while writing the complete content whereas a paragraph is to write only a part of my argument. (Joonsu)
I was able to write with more time to prepare for the essay writing activity, taking a lot of time to think and frequently referring to what I have learned. Besides, since I have to look for more evidence to support my argument in the essay than in the paragraph, I should stay more alert to the things that I have learned so far. (Yuna)
Regarding the less helpful group activities, the three interview participants pointed out a lack of time to build rapport with group members and types of group activities. Joonsu and Yuna stated that if group work had started much earlier, not in the middle of the semester, they could have been closer to one another, which would have created a more “comfortable environment” for group activities. Furthermore, Yuna and Minjae mentioned that some group activities like peer-reviewing were helpful, but those like in-class writing tasks were not because of the limited time they were given; every in-class writing task required each group to present their writing outcomes at the end of the task, so students were pressed for time and therefore a few students who had high English proficiency ended up contributing to the task.
I remember that this activity didn’t happen in the first place. It happened after the mid-term course evaluation. If this activity had been carried out from the beginning, I think the intimacy with the members would have increased and more active group activities would have been made. (Joonsu)
I think the reason may be that group activities started after the middle of the semester. I think people can express their opinions well in a comfortable environment, but for example, there was a shy group member in my group and she didn’t say a word. And each group had to share their group writing at the end of each class, and group members seemed to rush just to get it done. (Minjae)
In terms of creating sentences with group members, there was not enough time given. That’s why only a few efficient group members did the tasks, so the meaning of the group work could not be found. However, peer feedback activities were very helpful because it eventually made me realize the problems in my own writing. (Yuna)
Participants were also asked what difficulties they experienced during the class in Question 8. Their answers overlapped with the reasons for their dissatisfaction in many aspects (
Table 6). Out of 28 respondents who left comments about their difficulties, 15 noted that they had difficulties accurately and instantly comprehending what they were learning in class because the medium language of instruction was English and they sometimes ended up missing out on some important content. As a student stated in his comment, “Hardship already began as lectures were given in English,” it was not easy to follow the academic English writing class taught in English for some students. The next type of difficulty was related to the content: 11 participants reported that learning content about academic English writing and applying it to writing tasks were already difficult, and it was made more complicated because too much new content was covered within a short period of time. As for minor difficulties, a relatively high volume of assignments and communication difficulties between group members were also commented on.
<Table 6>
Difficulties students faced while taking the academic English writing class
Difficulty |
Student’s Comments |
English-only policy (15) |
- Hardship already began as lectures were given in English. |
- The class was in English, so it was difficult to understand right away. |
- I had to talk in English in class, but I don’t think speaking could be improved after only a couple of classes. So it was hard to follow the class. |
Content (11) |
- The amount [of content to learn] was too much and it was difficult because the content was complicated. |
- It was difficult to write a reference. ㅠㅠ[sobbing] |
- Although the professor used examples of APA format, it was difficult to cite the source when actually writing. |
In line with their difficulties, Question 9 asked specifically about the writing skills taught in the class that were difficult to learn. As seen in
Table 7, citing and referencing in APA style (41.5%) and developing paragraphs or essays in a logical order (41.5%) were the most difficult tasks, followed by paraphrasing (30.8%), using proper vocabulary in writing (30.8%), using grammatical forms (19.2%), and using proper mechanics of writing (12.3%).
<Table 7>
Areas of writing difficulty perceived by students
Writing Skills |
% |
Logical development of writing |
41.5% |
APA referencing and citing styles |
41.5% |
Paraphrasing |
30.8% |
Vocabulary |
30.8% |
Grammar |
29.2% |
Mechanics of writing |
12.3% |
4.2. Perceptions about Academic English Writing as a Mandatory Course
The second half of the survey sought to examine how students perceive offering an academic English writing class as a mandatory general education course at university. In an attempt to understand their general thoughts on English writing, Question 10 first asked what areas of English should be taught at university. Speaking was selected the most (81.5%), followed by writing (56.9%), listening (29.2%), and reading (27.7%). Students were also asked what areas of English could be effectively taught in a limited environment like a university classroom setting during a class time of two hours a week (Question 11). Writing was perceived to be most effectively taught (61.5%), followed by listening (38.5%), speaking (30.8%), and reading (26.2%). To Question 12 asking whether English writing skills are important in university, 81.5% affirmatively said that they agreed (56.9%) or strongly agreed (24.6%), and the rest were neutral (16.9%) or disagreed (1.5%).
The responses to these three questions show that students viewed English writing skills as important to learn in university. They considered output-oriented English classes (i.e., speaking and writing) to be more suitable for Korean university students to take than input-oriented English and believed that more effective results would be had in a writing class in a university setting than in listening, speaking, and reading classes. Regarding the reasons for choosing writing as an area of English to be effectively taught in a limited learning environment, Joonsu and Minjae commented that it was because students would be able to learn “tangible skills,” such as how to organize thoughts logically and how to write in APA style, and to produce a “tangible result” (i.e., an essay) that showed their progress:
I think that writing can be learned more effectively in a short period of time compared to other areas. Although it is still hard to write in English and I don’t think my writing in general has noticeably improved even after the class, I now know how to use APA styles in writing and I can also write logically in English. (Joonsu)
Just by following what I learned in class even without using much extra time, I was able to produce an essay consisting of five paragraphs. Many students were also satisfied that they wrote an essay that expressed their arguments in an efficient manner at the end of the class. I think that is one of the reasons why writing is a good subject to teach within the limited class time like the one we had, two hours per week for 16 weeks. (Minjae)
The next batch of questions (Questions 13-15) explored how helpful students think academic English writing skills would be for their academic activities in general (Question 13), across various academic fields of study (Question 14), and in their preparation for and/or after employment (Question 15). As shown in
Table 8, about 89% of the students answered that an academic English writing class would help with their studies and academic activities in their major fields, and about 92% felt that it would help across various academic fields. In comparison to these high agreement rates, the students seemed to agree less on its usefulness for employment preparation and job performance at work; 69.3% said they agreed or strongly agreed, but 30.8% chose “neutral” and 6.2% “disagree.”
<Table 8>
Students’ thoughts on the usefulness of academic English writing classes
Questions |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Strongly Disagree |
|
|
|
Strongly Agree |
13. I agree that what I learn and experience in an academic English writing class will help with my studies and academic activities in my major. |
0% |
3.0% |
7.7% |
61.5% |
27.7% |
14. I agree that what I learn and experience in an academic English writing class will be beneficial across various academic fields. |
0% |
3.0% |
13.8% |
61.5% |
30.8% |
15. I agree that what I learn and experience in an academic English writing class will be helpful in preparing for employment and in performing at work. |
0% |
6.2% |
24.6% |
46.2% |
23.1% |
In the last two questions (Questions 16 and 17), students were asked their opinions about whether it is appropriate to have an academic English writing class as a mandatory general education course at university and what their reasons are behind their answers. More than four-fifth of the students responded that they agreed (46.2%) or strongly agreed (38.5%) with having academic English writing as a mandatory curriculum for university students; only 10.8% of the students remained neutral and 4.6% disagreed. In response to the open-ended question asking about the reasons for their choices, 37 comments were made in total, all of which except for one were in favor of making it mandatory. The main reasons for their agreement are set out in
Table 9.
<Table 9>
Students’ reasons for their agreement on learning an academic English writing at university
Reasons for Agreement |
Student’s Comments |
Essential knowledge for university students (16) |
- I think academic writing in English is something that students must learn at some point in university because we are university students. - Since not only Korean writing but also English writing is required [at university], I think that training in writing formally and logically in English is essential. - Writing in English is very essential, and I think it’s right to learn at university. If there are students who don’t know about academic English writing yet, they should make the time to learn. |
Utility (16) |
Future-oriented (8) |
- I will be doing a lot of English writing in the future, and I will encounter a lot of academically written pieces to read and use. That’s why I think it is better to learn academic writing. - I believe it’s a useful lesson that will be used someday. - Later, when I write a thesis in English, what I have learned here will be very helpful. |
Practical (5) |
- I believe that the university is the place where we learn what we actually need, and I think this class was in line with that intention. - I have systematically learned how to write academically, so I think it has helped me a lot in writing the English essay properly. - This is because English writing classes can help students learn English that can be used for real. |
Transferable (3) |
- Academic English writing classes are necessary because no matter which department you belong to, you can use English writing skills. - This is because the experience of academic English writing can positively affect Korean writing too. And I now read English textbooks in my major, so what I have learned here can help me read those English textbooks better. |
Rare opportunity (3) |
- It is difficult to find places where students can learn the APA style. |
- I didn’t have a chance to do something like this before. I can still sign up for a private academy to learn academic English writing, but it is somewhat burdensome in my busy college life. |
Participants’ agreement that academic English writing is appropriate as a mandatory course at university was rooted in their strong belief that it is a genre of English that all university students should know. Academic English writing was recognized as “required,” “unavoidable,” and “essential” knowledge at university; some students stated that university students should learn it “at some point” of their university life and even “make time to learn [it]” if they haven’t learned it yet. As a student commented, “We live in a global world. Thus, if we are anything of a university student, we should be able to write at least an essay in English,” the ability to write academically in English was considered as an integral part of their identity as a university student.
All three interviewees also agreed that academic English writing is what university students do, and therefore it is appropriate to offer it as a mandatory general English course at university:
University is a place where academic writing is taking place. And academic English writing is often necessary, so I think it’s appropriate for university students to learn in that area. (Yuna)
Before coming to university, the majority of students had no direct experience with academic writing. However, it is difficult to avoid the situation of having to deal with academic writing, so it is appropriate for university students to learn it. We have just started our academic study, and we can feel at ease in the process of completing the study in the future because we learn it as a foundation now. (Minjae)
In middle school or high school, we prepared for the Korean Scholastic Ability Test by answering multiple-choice questions, so what we needed back then was not academic writing skills. But we need them now. (Joonsu)
Participants also cited the usefulness of academic English writing, considering that the content taught in academic English writing classes is practically useful because it helps them unfold their thoughts not in whatever format they please but according to academic standards. They seemed to be aware that writing in English according to the academic format is the matter at hand as they enter the university; thus, it becomes “practical” and “real” knowledge that they can make good use of during their university life. The appropriateness of mandatory academic English writing training was also found in the future- oriented nature of academic English writing skills. Some students saw that academic English writing skills will be needed in the future, particularly when they will have to read a lot of English academic journals and write a thesis in English at the end of their school year, so learning these useful skills in advance was still beneficial. Participants also noted the value of the transferable nature of academic English writing. The knowledge they gained in an academic English writing class could be applied not only to English study, but also to various fields of study. Respondents mentioned that knowledge about how to write academically in English would also make their Korean writing better and help them read major textbooks in English. Since what they learn would transfer beyond an academic English writing class itself, it was regarded as appropriate to make it a mandatory general English course at university.
The last reason was related to the rarity of the opportunity to learn academic English writing. Despite its importance and usefulness during their university life, some students acknowledged that they had not seen any classes where they could learn academic English writing systematically in particular. It might be possible to find university elective courses or rely on private academies to learn about it, but there was a concern that it would be “burdensome.” In this matter, Yuna commented that there could be even a backlash from students if the school just sat on their hands and shifted all responsibility to develop these skills only to the students:
How to write academic writing in English could also be learned by taking an elective course or attending a private academy, but for many students, investing even their extra time in finding where to learn academic English writing rather than in focusing on their major can be discouraging. However, if it is taught as a required course, there will be less burden on students in their time management.