Topic common problems in english writing skills of freshmen at the foreign language department in saigon university and some suggested solutions to address these problems

SAIGON UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES TOPIC: COMMON PROBLEMS IN ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS OF FRESHMEN AT THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT IN SAIGON UNIVERSITY AND SOME SUGGESTED

SAIGON UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

TOPIC: COMMON PROBLEMS IN ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS OF FRESHMEN AT THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT IN SAIGON UNIVERSITY AND SOME SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS

RESEARCH METHOD Ngô Thanh Tuyền Mai Thịnh Hòa Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Nhi Supervisor: Ph.D Bùi Nguyễn Nguyệt Minh

May 2023

G OUP MEMBERS

No MEMBER STUDENT

ID

PERCENT (%)

SIGNATURE

1 Ngô Thanh Tuyền 3121380015 100%

2 Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Nhi 3121380202 100%

3 Mai Thịnh Hòa 3121380104 100%

MARKING BOARD

5 Notion of Orignal Speech

6 Key Assertions / Objectives

TABLE OF CONTENT

Page

Abstract 1

1 Introduction 1

2 Literature Review 3

2.1.Conceptualization of Writing skills 3

2.2.Cooperating between the teachers and the learners 4

3 Notion of Original Speech 4

4 Key Objectives 5

5 Research Methods 5

5.1.Procedure 5

5.2.Participants of the study 6

5.3.Data Collection 8

5.4.Instruments 8

6 Analysis 15

7 Proposed Chapter Outline 15

8 Research Limitations 16

9 Proposed Timescale 17

Reference 18

English is widely recognized as a global language with significantcontemporary demand Among the four fundamental language competencies, theskill of Writing is particularly intricate and challenging to acquire.Consequently, students frequently encounter difficulties and errors whenengaging in written expression Our present study aims to identify and addressthese writing-related problems by conducting a paper survey over the course of asingle day Employing a quantitative approach, data was collected from a group

of 50 students studying English as a foreign language (EFL) at SaigonUniversity, primarily consisting of first-year students The questionnaire resultswere analyzed through deskwork, revealing the prevalent errors made by thesefirst-year EFL students at Saigon University and the corresponding solutionsthey find effective Based on our research findings, it was observed that slightlyless than half of the participants made mistakes involving sentence fragments,while over half acknowledged their inefficiency in using linking words Whenprovided with solutions to generate writing ideas, three-quarters of theparticipants opted to read reference materials related to the topic, highlightingthe beneficial role of reading English texts in enhancing their writing.Additionally, approximately 50% of the participants believed that utilizingwriting assistance applications represented the optimal strategy for erroridentification in writing In light of these aforementioned outcomes, it can beinferred that first-year EFL students at Saigon University frequently encounterwriting errors Moreover, the enhancement of writing skills can be accomplishedthrough the implementation of two effective practices, namely engaging inreading English materials and utilizing technological aids

1 Introduction

English is a language that is spoken around the world A number ofcountries consider English as second language owing to its benefits including

improving the ability to communicate with foreigners, assimilating into a globalworkplace environment, and accessing to a wide range of entertainment, etc.Proficiency in English has emerged as a significant advantage in moderntechnology, particularly in the pursuit of employment opportunities.

To effectively fulfil communication purposes, a combination of four corecompetencies is essential When we assert that someone is fluent in a particularlanguage, it typically implies their expertise in all four language skills, namelylistening, speaking, reading, and writing Commonly, the sequential acquisition

of these skills follows a developmental pattern, beginning with listening,progressing to speaking, then reading, and culminating with writing.Collectively, these proficiencies are referred to as the four "language skills".Proficiency in writing is an essential aspect of language acquisition thatshould not be overlooked Just emphasizing oral communication is insufficient,

as learners must also achieve expertise in writing in their target language.According to Linse (2005), writing is a productive skill because it aims atimparting information Notwithstanding, while writing, individuals cancontemplate their intended message more thoughtfully due to the abundance oftime at their disposal, as opposed to speaking, where they have limited time toreflect on their thoughts This is the reason why our sentences should becorrected Oshima and Hogue (1997) supported that writing is a progressiveactivity Consequently, when learners commence the writing process, they havetypically already formulated a clear idea of the message they intend to convey,

as well as the most effective means of expressing it

In response to the demand for proficient human resources capable ofcontributing to the process of international integration, the Department ofForeign Language at Sai Gon University trains students’ writing skills in fourcourses: Writing I in the first semester, Writing II in the second semester,Writing III in the third semester and Writing IV in the fourth semester These

writing courses are specifically structured to equip students with the necessarycompetencies to effectively communicate through written English, enablingthem to enhance their writing skills and develop their ideas into written form.Learning and mastering English is not straightforward Many learnersbelieve that the most challenging skill is writing because of a variety ofobjective and subjective factors Consequently, students, particularly those intheir first year at the Department of Foreign Language in Sai Gon University,who may not fully comprehend the significance of honing their writing skills,frequently encounter challenges when engaging in English written expression.The objective of this study was to examine the difficulties experienced by thesewriters during English writing and subsequently identify viable solutions toovercome these obstacles and foster the development of their writing abilities.

2 Literature review

2.1 Conceptualization of Writing skills

People can convey their thoughts, feelings, and opinions in writing;therefore, writing skill is a significant aspect of the communication process.Fareed, Ashra, and Bilal (2016) stated writing is a practical skill for languageproduction However, it is also considered as the most difficult one, particularly

in English as a second language contexts where students face many challenges

in writing Their study was conducted with an aim to investigate the problems ofEnglish as a Second Language (ESL) in the writing skills of undergraduates andthe factors that hinder their writing skills Therefore, writing samples were taken

by 30 ESL undergraduate students in order to identify the primary issues withtheir writing According to their research, the findings reveal that insufficientlinguistic ability (including mastery of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary),writing anxiety, lack of ideas, dependence on their first language, and badstructure organization are among the key issues in writing Students madenumerous errors in academic writing, according to Nasser's (2018) study, in

terms of sentence structure, vocabulary, and articulating ideas, as well aspunctuation, prepositions, spelling, usage of articles, and use of irregular verbs.The flaws in this paper varied from the most common to the least common interms of components of academic writing issues Lacking of confidence has anegative effect on writing since it can prevent the students from performing all

of their potential ability That is the reason why teaching technique does notconform to pupils' learning styles and cultural backgrounds also contributes totheir lack of confidence - Ramadani (2014)

2.2 Cooperation between the teachers and learners

Insufficient opportunities to write and inadequate writing instructionsfrom professors have been identified as contributing factors to poor writingskills among students This problem is compounded by ineffective collaborationbetween teachers and learners, with the current pedagogical approach used byteachers often falling short in providing prompt and useful feedback, as well asmotivating students Students often encounter difficulties such as grammaticalerrors, lack of coherence and cohesion, and limited vocabulary while teacherstend to provide only quick feedback, which fails to address these issuescomprehensively According to Adas and Bakir (2013), language cannot betaught, but rather conditions must be created in which foster its spontaneousdevelopment in the mind Thus, effective writing instruction must encompassnot only clear instruction and guidance, but also motivation Anh (2019)recommended implementing remedial measures such as raising students'awareness and motivation, developing writing materials, improving the Englishcurriculum, and adopting technology to manage student work and providefeedback and corrections Additionally, the integration of writing activities intothe blended learning outcome, as well as the teaching and learning context, arealso described in Adas and Bakir's research study A plan with specific goalsand objectives for learning outcomes is essential to determine the extent to

which students can achieve their intended outcome and the effectiveness ofteachers' instructions.

3 Notion of Original Speech

Generally, the principal concerns of the other authors regarding thewriting proficiencies of first-year students encompassed insufficient languageproficiency, overreliance on their mother tongue, limited engagement betweeninstructors and learners, and the weak structural organization In addition toexploring insufficient language proficiency and ineffective teacher-studentcollaboration, which were previously examined by researchers, this studyidentified several other crucial factors that influence writing quality Theseinclude the amount of time learners spend on writing, their response to thewriting prompt, pre-writing outlining, background knowledge, and self-awareness of errors It is recommended that these novel findings be incorporatedinto the writing pedagogy, as it is believed that doing so would prompt learners

to take into consideration additional factors beyond insufficient languageproficiency, which are also pertinent to improving their writing proficiency

4 Key objectives/ Research question:

1 What are the common problems that freshmen at the Department ofForeign Language in Sai Gon University face in writing English?

2 What are the solutions adopted to help freshmen at the Department ofForeign Language in Sai Gon University to overcome these problems andimprove their English writing skill?

5 Research Methods

5.1 Procedure

Our study was conducted over a period of nine weeks, during which time

we undertook several tasks Initially, we spent the first week selecting a topic,identifying dependent and independent variables, and making a research plan

After careful consideration of the issues facing by freshmen at the Department

of Foreign Languages in Sai Gon University, we focused on the topic of writingproblems in English Realizing the significant challenges that students encounter

in writing during their first year, we aimed to help freshmen by investigatingthese issues and proposing feasible solutions to improve their writing skills Inweek two, we began researching and wrote the abstract, all team members readand recorded information from relevant sources Weeks two to five involvedextensive discussion and investigation, during which we outlined theintroduction, literature review, original speech, key assertions, and objectives ofour study The remaining weeks (i.e., weeks five through seven) was used togather data and conduct a survey which involved a set of ten questions related toEnglish writing We observed and documented first-year student interactionsduring the survey The following week, we analyzed our findings and completedthe theoretical sections of our research proposal, including the analysis, researchlimitations, and research methods During the final week, we synthesized all thesegments, checked the whole research composition, designed and edited thecover of our research paper Finally, we printed our work in book form, therebyconcluding our research project

5.2 Participants of the study

Sai Gon University has a well-deserved reputation for exceptionalteaching quality, which is a plausible explanation for why it is consistently thedream destination for many high school students or a location that parents candependably send their children to

The formation of the Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) at Sai GonUniversity was driven by the goal of training students who possess both moralvirtues and advanced English language proficiency in four skills - listening,reading, speaking, and writing This department comprises two distinct sections,namely the English Pedagogy and English Language sections While the former

section prioritizes the provision of pedagogical methods, classroom managementtechniques, and mental recognition skills to students, the latter emphasizesfundamental knowledge of subjects such as basic marketing, tourismmanagement, and trading laws Despite their different focuses, certain courses,including British-American culture, Morphology, Syntactics, Semantics,Listening – Speaking skills, and Reading – Writing skills, are offered to bothsections in a shared classroom environment.

The Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) employs a writingpedagogy that focuses on the two tasks of IELTS Academic Writing to instructstudents In addition to using "Longman Academic Writing Series Volume 4,"the primary resource for teachers and students is "Improve your skills - Writingfor IELTS 6.0 - 7.5." To achieve high scores, students are required to meet several criteria, including task achievement (for task 1) or task response (for task2), coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, grammatical range, and accuracy

The teaching methodologies implemented for instructing writing skill inboth sections are indistinguishable; hence, there is no need to segregatedepartmental participants into two distinct experimental groups

In order to gather data, our research team conducted a paper survey whichtook place on Thursday, April 27th The subjects involved in this investigationwere first-year students enrolled in the Reading-Writing 1 class at Sai GonUniversity At C.E104 room, with the permission of teacher, all students wereinvited to participate, and the survey took approximately five minutes tocomplete The study did not include name, age, or gender as variables and wasexclusively comprised of first-year students who commenced their studies at SaiGon University in September 2022.

5.3 Data collection

Types of problems in writing are variable among individuals; therefore, tocollect objective data, this research was carried out using the quantitativemethod according to the following pattern:

One questionnaire with a set of 10 questions, each question contains multiple-choice answers plus 1 option which the participants could type in casetheir idea was not included in the multiple-choices This questionare wasdesigned on word, printed and given to students at C.104 room on ThursdayApril 27 to collect the answers After the participants had completed all 10th

3-questions in the questionnaire, their answers would be saved on the researchers’paper

The majority of the activities involved in data collection, such asquestionnaire design, response acquisition, and analysis of results, wereprimarily carried out through desk-based procedures, with researcher-participantinteraction spanning a course of nine weeks The study initially sought to obtain

a minimum of 50 participant responses, ultimately culminating in the collection

of the entire dataset at the conclusion of the data collection period