The Academic Writing Performance of Novice EFL Student Teachers

Aziza Restu Febrianto

doi:10.53416/electrum.v1i1.5

Authors

Aziza Restu Febrianto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53416/electrum.v1i1.5

Keywords:

Academic writing performance, EFL, Novice student teachers, IELTS writing test

Abstract

Academic writing is an important skill that university students need to develop in order to be successful in their study and career after graduation. This article reports descriptive qualitative information about the performance of academic writing of novice EFL student teachers at an Indonesian private university. Thirteen students at the beginning semesters were involved in the study to constitute the sample. In collecting the data, IELTS writing test along with its assessment analysis and interviews were used. The study revealed that the mean of the students’ overall scores in the IELTS writing test is 5.0, which is equivalent to B1 level according to Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Learners at B1 level are considered as independent users of English or intermediate in using the language. In general, they can produce simple and coherent texts, but only on the topics they are familiar with. The study also unveiled the major issues and challenges faced by the students that include lack of vocabulary and knowledge of grammar in use as well as finding ideas and organizing them in communicative
paragraphs. Unfamiliarity about the test is also another issue hindering the students in writing. These findings resonate some related theories and other empirical studies especially on the issues of communicative competence. This article finally suggests a new upcoming paradigm in the teaching of academic writing particularly when preparing students to take the IELTS test for the sake of their education and career success

References

Afrin, S. (2016) Writing Problems of Non-English Major Undergraduate Students in Bangladesh: An Observation. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 4, 104-115. doi: 10.4236/jss.2016.43016.

Agustien, H. (2004). Setting Up New Standards: A Preview of Indonesia's New Competence-Based Curriculum. TEFLIN Journal, 15(1), 1-13. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15639/teflinjournal.v15i1/1-13

Boardman, C. A., & Frydenberg, J. (2008). Writing to Communicate: Paragraphs and Essays (3rd ed.). London, UK: Longman.

Celce-Murcia, M., Dörnyei, Z., & Thurrell, S. (1995). Communicative Competence: A Pedagogically Motivated Model with Content Specifications. Issues of Applied Linguistics, 6, 5-35.

Celce-Murcia M. (2008) Rethinking the Role of Communicative Competence in Language Teaching. In: Soler E.A., Jordà M.S. (eds) Intercultural Language Use and Language Learning. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5639-0_3

Chan, S., Bax, S., & Weir, C. (2017). Researching participants taking IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 (AWT2) in paper mode and in computer mode in terms of score equivalence, cognitive validity and other factors. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.042718161130515

Cotton, F., & Wilson, K. (2011). An investigation of examiner rating of coherence and cohesion in the IELTS academic writing task 2.

Cloud, Nancy; Genesee, Fred & Hamayan, Else. (2009). Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners: A Teacher's Guide to Research Based Practices. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Connell, P. (2000). A Technique for Examining the Severity of Student Errors in Communicative English. The English Teacher, 3(2): 95-103.

Council of Europe (2020), Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion volume, Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg, available at www.coe.int/lang-cefr.

Creswell, J. (2012). Education research: planning, conducfing and evaluafing quanfitafive and qualitafive research. Pearson, Boston, MA.

Dewi, R. Winda Herdisa. (2016). A Systemic functional linguistics (SFL) analysis of exposition texts as teaching materials written by pre-service teachers. Journal of English and Education, 4(1), 73-91. Retrieved from http://repository.upi.edu/27011/

Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies (Oxford applied linguistics). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Faradhibah, R. N., & Nur, N. A. (2017). Analyzing students’ difficulties in maintaining their coherence and Cohesion in writing process. Eternal, 3(2), 179-189.

Fareed, M., Ashraf, A., Bilal M.(2016). ESL Learners’ Writing Skills: Problems, Factors, and Suggestions. Journal of Educa- tion and Social Sciences. 4(2): 1-10. https://doi.org/10.20547/JESS0421604201

Feast, V. (2002). The impact of IELTS scores on performance at university. International Education Journal, 3 (4), 70-85.

Greco, H., Sherman, M., & Brewer, M. (2006). Grammar on the Go! Victoria: Open Book BC.

Haider, G. (2012). An insight into difficulties faced by Pakistani student writers: Implications for teaching of writing. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 2 (3),17-27.

Halliday, M. A. K., & Hasan, R. (1976). Cohesion in English. New York: Longman Group UK Limited

Hyland, K. (2003). Second Language Writing. Ernst Klett Sprachen.

Hymes, D. H. (1979). On Communicative Competence. In C. J. Brumfit, & K. Johnson (Eds.), The Communicative Approach to Language Teaching. Malta: Oxford University Press, 5-26.

Ismail, N. M., & Linda, L. (2018). Cohesion in foreign language writing. Eternal, 4(2). Retrieved from http://journal.uin-alauddin.ac.id/index.php/Eternal/article/view/4952

IELTS. (n.d.). IELTS Scoring in detail. Retrieved January 10, 2021 from https://www.ielts.org/ielts-for-organisations/ielts-scoring-in-detail

IELTS. (n.d.). Test Format. Retrieved January 12, 2021 from https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/test-format

IELTS. (2019).Test Taker Performance.2019. Retrieved January 12, 2021 from https://www.ielts.org/research/test-taker-performance

Kellogg, R. T. (2001). Long-term working memory in text production. Memory & cognition, 29 (1), 43–52.

Kellogg, R. T., & Raulerson, B. A. (2007). Improving the writing skills of college students. Psychonomic bulletin & review, 14 (2), 237–242.

Kemendikbud. (2016). Silabus mata pelajaran sekolah menengah atas/madrasah aliyah/sekolah menengah kejuruan/madrasah aliyah kejuruan (SMA/MA/SMK/MAK). Jakarta: Kemdikbud..

Kemendikbud. (2020). SE Pelaksanaan Pendidikan dalam Masa Darurat Covid-19. Retrieved January 16, 2021 from https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/main/blog/2020/03/mendikbud-terbitkan-se-tentang-pelaksanaan-pendidikan-dalam-masa-darurat-covid19

Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. London: Sage Publications.

Lee, Sy-ying. (2005). Facilitating and Inhibiting Factors in English as a Foreign Language Writing Performance: A Model Testing With Structural Equation Modeling. Language Learning, 55:2, 335-374.

Mickan, P. (2003). `What's your score?' An investigation into language descriptors for rating written performance. Canberra: IELTS Australia.

Moore & Morton, J. (2007). Authenticity in the IELTS Academic Module Writing test: a comparative study of Task 2 items and university assignments. Taylor (Ed.). Falvey (Ed.). IELTS Collected Papers: Research in speaking and writing assessment, (1), pp.197- 248. Cambridge University Press

Moore, T., & Morton, J. (2005). Dimensions of difference: A comparison of university writing and IELTS writing. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4(1), 43-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2004.02.001

Nunan, D. (2003). Language Teaching Methodology: A Text Book for Teachers. London: Prentice Halls International.

Peha, S. (2002). Looking for quality in student writing. Retrieved January 8, 2021 from https://www.ttms.org/writing_quality/writing_quality.htm

Révész, A., Michel, M., & Lee, M. (2017). Investigating IELTS Academic Writing Task 2: Relationships between cognitive writing processes, text quality, and working memory. (IELTS Research Reports Online Series). British Council, Cambridge English Language Assessment and IDP

Rico, L. J. A. (2014). Identifying factors causing difficulties to productive skills among foreign languages learners. Opening Writing Doors Journal, 11 (1), 65–86.

Taboada, M. T. (2004). Building coherence and cohesion: Task-oriented dialogue in English and Spanish. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Toba, et.al (2019). The Current Issues of Indonesian EFL Students’ Writing Skills: Ability, Problem, and Reason in Writing Comparison and Contrast Essay. Dinamika Ilmu: Jurnal Pendidikan. Retreieved 1 January 2020 from https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v19i1.1506

Witte, S., & Faigley, L. (1981). Coherence, Cohesion, and Writing Quality. College Composition and Communication, 32(2), 189-204. https://doi.org/10.2307/356693

Yu, G., He, L., & Isaacs, T. (2017). The cognitive processes of taking IELTS academic writing task one: An eye-tracking study. The British Council.

Uysal, H. H. (2010). A critical review of the IELTS writing test. ELT Journal, 64(3), 314-320