Exploring National University students' challenges of academic writing at the Master's level

Abstract

The researcher has asserted academic writing’s importance and demanding nature for EFL postgraduate students at the master’s level. The study explored the challenges faced by national university students in academic writing at the master’s level and also identified potential solutions. A qualitative case study approach was utilized to provide a rich and in-depth understanding of the participants’ experiences. For the selection of participants who meet the criteria of the study and possess specific knowledge regarding the topic, purposive sampling technique was employed. Semi-structured interviews guided by an interview protocol were used to bring out the participants’ responses. Study findings through thematic analysis indicated distinct challenges in the academic writing of the students including knowledge gap in linguistics and writing, lack of critical thinking skills, difficulties in dealing with psychological factors, and inadequate practices at the bachelor’s level. Self-directed learning, technological help, reading articles and expanding vocabulary, and seeking help and feedback emerged as potential solutions to cope with these challenges. The current study is significant in filling the gap of the challenges faced by National University students of Bangladesh in academic writing at the master’s level and also provided the strategies they used to overcome the challenges, which is less explored in the existing scholarly literature.