An investigation of Arabic speaking learners’ difficulties in the academic writing course
Abstract
Academic writing skills are of vital importance to the success and complete any academic majorat
the university level, yet the development of such skills is a challenge for many Arabicspeaking
students, particularly those who graduated from schools where English is not thelanguage of
instruction. It is essential to develop and evaluate strategies that can supportacademic writing skills
for Arabic speaking students. This qualitative study evaluated a threecredit hours academic English
course for academic writing intervention strategy designed tosupport Arabic speaking students at
Abu Dhabi University. Data from the course showed twomajor areas of difficulty for participants
relating to academic writing: difficulties constructingdifferent types of correct sentences in
English, and problems elaborating and supporting newparagraphs ideas in English. The
participants showed an improvement in terms of organizationand lay out of essays. Courses like
this intervention successfully meet the basic academic needsof Arabic speaking students, although
ongoing support is also needed.
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