Abstract

A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITY-LEVEL STUDENTS' REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGLISH WRITING EDUCATION

SYED WAZID SYED RASHID

Volume: 4 Issue: 2 2014

Abstract:

This thesis reports on a case study concerning Indian student's needs for English writing instruction at Gujarat University. Through survey and interviews, the study investigates the English writing instruction the subjects had received, their needs for English writing and expectation of English writing instruction. Moreover, the research examines the current situations in the writing instruction at the university analyzing the gaps between the students' need and the instructors' real practice. The results of the study indicate that the students need to learn some practical writing such as emails, CVs or statement of purposes and so on. They wish to improve sentence-level skills such as finding appropriate English expressions and developing ideas and wish the instructors focus on these in class accordingly. Besides, the students expect the instructors focus on word choice, content and organization instead of grammar issues. By comparing the students' survey and interviews with the instructors' interviews, it is suggested that the gap between the students' needs and the real practice is not very serious. Possible explanations for the research results are discussed and implications for teaching are offered.

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