LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching
Vol 26, No 2 (2023): October 2023

NON-ENGLISH MAJOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING AT MAE FAH LUANG UNIVERSITY THAILAND

Dian Arihasta (Mae Fah Luang University)



Article Info

Publish Date
25 Oct 2023

Abstract

Argumentative writing has always been challenging for the majority of EFL learners across the globe. Many researchers have investigated English major students’ difficulties in argumentative writing. However, little did we know about the difficulties non-English major students experienced. Thus, this qualitative study aimed to discover the difficulties faced by non-English major EFL learners taking the English for Communication 2 course at Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand, in argumentative writing and its contributing factors. There were 201 students from 10 different majors from Thailand and Myanmar who were purposely selected as the participants of this study. A closed-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interview were used as the data collection instruments. The data analysis indicates that the majority of the students experienced difficulties in content (generating and developing ideas), grammar (using correct tenses and various sentence structures), organization (creating a claim, convincing evidence, a concluding sentence, etc.), vocabulary (lack of vocabulary and difficulty in using academic vocabulary), and mechanics (spelling, punctuation, and capitalization). Limited practice time, topic unfamiliarity, and pre-university writing class experience are among the contributing factors to these difficulties. This finding demands further research dealing with the recommended strategies to improve argumentative writing instruction in the future.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

LLT

Publisher

Subject

Arts Humanities Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Description

LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching, to be published twice a year, namely in April and October, is a scientific peer-reviewed journal published by the English Language Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta. The ...