St.

Paul University Dumaguete

Dumaguete City

Students’ Perceptions of Academic

Writing: A Needs Analysis Report
1

Stephanie F. Alob
Author
Dr. Titchie Ann Baena
Co-author

November 18, 2019

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INTRODUCTION

These days, teaching languages – English in particular – has become an ever more complex

and challenging task due to the fact that groups of students are eclectic in terms of knowledge of

English and level of competence. Teachers try to adapt to this challenging environment by

providing a wide variety of activities and materials so as to satisfy the students’ demands.

This may sometimes prove counterproductive, is usually time consuming, and requires material

and financial resources that are not always available. Under the circumstances, the researcher

considered that a needs analysis would benefit all parties involved: teachers on the one hand, in

that it would somewhat simplify their effort and make it easier to work with the aforementioned

groups of students, and the students on the other hand, in that the activities would be better

tailored to suit their needs and requirements in terms of knowledge, abilities and skills.

On the one hand, Academic writing remains a prominent issue for students and teachers.

Students are often faced with a gap between their limited command of L2 English academic literacies

and their much more developed L1 academic literacies.

Non-English majors, except for the minority who want to apply for study abroad, do not

seem to have much practical need to learn academic writing, as most colleges in mainland China

do not require these students to write undergraduate or graduate theses in English, and some require

theses to be written in Chinese only (personal communication with students in various disciplines).

While some departments have taken the initiative to change textbooks for core courses to imported

ones from the United States, answering the call for bilingual education in colleges (Department of

Higher Education, 2001), most of these courses are still taught solely in Chinese due to the limited

English proficiency of instructors. Students are thus free to choose which language to use in writing

their assignments (Liang, 2006).

Needs Analysis (NA), i.e., identifying students’ needs, is the essential initial step in

developing an appropriate specialized English syllabus, as asserted by many researchers (e.g.,

Dudley- Evans & St. John, 1998; Hyland, 2006; Kavaliauskiene & Uzpaliene, 2003; West,
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1994). It is the technique used to evaluate the how and what of a course. NA has been

regarded as the most appropriate method as it “can tell us a lot about the nature and content of

the learners’ target language needs” (Hutchinson, 1988, p. 71). Generally speaking, in NA, the

course designer has to gather information about students’ present and target situations (Dudley-

Evans & St. John, 1998), through present situation analysis (PSA) and target situation analysis

(TSA). Hutchinson and Waters (1987) developed TSA and PSA into a more manageable

framework, adopted in the present research. They identified three components of target needs:

necessity (needs identified by the requirements of target situation), lacks (the necessary

proficiency for the target situation compared to what the students already know), and wants

(what the students desire to learn).

This research was guided by the following two questions:

1. What are the students’ perceptions of the importance of academic writing to their

current studies and future career?

2. What are the students’ perceptions of the difficulties of academic writing skills?
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Results and Discussion

Research Question 1: The Importance of Learning Academic Writing

In Section I, students were asked to indicate on a 5-point scale (1 being the lowest value and 5

the highest) how important they considered academic writing to be to their current studies, future

career, and publishing, and how much intrinsic interest they had in academic writing.

Results generally indicate that while students’ imposed needs for learning academic writing are

huge, they have little intrinsic interest in learning academic writing. The score of learning

academic writing for the purpose of completing studies is the highest, with a mean of 4.55 (SD =

0.50), as students reported the need to write “for the courses, and for graduation” (focus group

comment). While the need for learning academic writing for publication during study is slightly

lower (M = 3.98, SD = 0.80), it is slightly higher. Students find little inner pleasure in academic

writing, presenting an average score of only 1.80 (1 = not interested at all).

Among the eight text types which participants prioritized by preference, research papers / reports

are of the highest concern (75%), followed by case studies (67.5%). The reason, indicated from the

focus group interview, seems to be that research papers are the most widely assessed text type for

their studies. Additionally, students perceive that a research paper is like a mini thesis and is

closely related to academic publishing. As for case studies, they are the text type the students

“know the least about” but prefer to write, since they find that “doing experimental or empirical

research is much harder because it is very difficult to control the variables” (focus group comment).

Review articles, critiques, and theses are of similar importance; all were checked by about 60% of

the students. The students explained that learning to review and critique is a basic skill for doing

research; it is fundamental for developing research topics and identifying research gaps, a skill

that might transfer to helping them write thesis literature reviews, one of their largest concerns.
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Research Question 2: Students’ Perceptions of Difficulties of Academic Writing Skills

Section II listed 18 important academic writing skills for which students indicated their

perceived difficulty on a scale from 1 (very easy) to 5 (very difficult). The skills were divided

into two parts: general academic writing skills and language problems.

The findings suggested that students experienced greater difficulty (M = 3.42 out of 25) in writing

the structure and content than language-related problems (M = 3.38).

As seen in Table 1, the three most difficult general academic writing skills for these students are

reviewing and critiquing the previous research and creating a research space (gap), designing

research methods, and commentaries and discussions on the data. In contrast, writing references

and the introduction posed little difficulty.

With regard to language problems, students were generally confident about their grammar but

found it difficult to achieve appropriateness in an academic context, e.g., by using appropriate

lexical phrases to build sentences and paragraphs and by understanding the specific language

features of the genre (such as the research paper). However, it should be noted that the students’

perceptions varied conspicuously in terms of language problems, as indicated by the divergent

SD scores in the items about grammar and lexical phrases (SD = 1.03 and SD = 0.98,

respectively).
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Table 1
Means of Perceived Difficulty of Academic Writing Skills
Items Means SD
(difficulty)
Writing introductions 2.83 0.96
General Searching for appropriate literature using databases
academic 3.53 0.85
and library resources
writing skills
(M = 3.42) Referring to sources 3.28 0.82
Reviewing and critiquing the previous research and
4.30 0.88
creating a research space (gap)
Designing the research methods 4.08 0.69
Writing the methods section 3.74 0.88
Summarizing and presenting the data 3.53 0.91
Commentaries and discussions on the data 3.85 0.74
Writing references / bibliography 2.38 0.90
Writing conclusions 3.10 0.79
Proofreading written assignments 3.08 0.96
Language Understanding the specific language features of the
3.48 0.85
problems academic genre (such as research paper)
(M = 3.38) Using appropriate lexical phrases (such as on the basis
of, it should be noted that) freely to build sentences 3.80 0.98
and paragraphs
Summarizing / paraphrasing 3.28 0.82
Writing coherent paragraphs 3.41 0.88
Linking sentences smoothly 3.25 0.84
Using proper “academic” language and vocabulary
3.70 0.91
(style)
Using the proper grammar such as correct tenses,
2.79 1.03
agreements, reporting verbs, and prepositions

Overall Mean Score 3.40 0.47

Research Question 3: Previous and Future Academic Writing

What they learned. Section III enquired about students’ perceptions of previous and future

academic course design and curricula. Results show that 70% had never taken an academic

writing course.
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Among the 12 students who had taken academic writing courses as undergraduates, eight

found the courses “just so-so,” one was “not satisfied at all,” while four were “generally

satisfied.” Additionally, in the focus group interview, two students mentioned that “we have

almost forgotten what we have learned in the previous academic course.” Their teachers did

not tell them how to write the sections of academic papers in detail, i.e., the moves and steps in

each specific part of a piece of academic writing. Language features such as lexical phrases,

academic vocabulary, and coherence were even less frequently addressed. The courses or

lectures on academic writing only provided students with “a vague and general picture on

what a thesis should be composed of” (focus group comment).

This point is supported by the findings displayed in Table 2. The average frequency for the

academic writing skills included in previous academic writing courses is only 2.69 (5 = most

frequent). For general academic writing skills, designing and writing research methods were

least frequently included in previous academic writing courses (proofreading skills were also

ranked low). Language problems were introduced less frequently ( M = 2.56) than general

academic writing skills (M = 2.78), with lexical phrases, academic vocabulary, and style the

least frequently taught (M = 2.07 for each).

Furthermore, a significant negative Pearson correlation coefficient ( r (50) = -0.51, p = .032)

was found between the students’ perception of difficulty of academic writing skills and the

frequency of these aspects in writing courses; this suggests that the less these skills are taught,

the more difficult the students feel they are.

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Table 2
The Frequency of Academic Writing Skills Taught in Previous Academic Writing Courses
Items Means SD
(frequency)
General Writing introductions 3.36 1.34
academic
writing skills Searching for appropriate literature using databases and
2.57 1.28
library resources
(M = 2.78)
Referring to sources 2.79 1.12
Reviewing and critiquing the previous research and
2.93 1.33
creating a research space (gap)
Designing the research methods 2.36 1.39
Writing the methods section 2.21 1.25
Summarizing and presenting the data 2.86 1.29
Commentaries and discussions on the data 2.71 1.14
Writing references / bibliography 2.93 1.27
Writing conclusions 3.31 1.25
Proofreading written assignments 2.50 1.09
Language Understanding the specific language features of the
2.50 1.09
problems academic genre (such as writing research paper)
(M = 2.56) Using appropriate lexical phrases (such as on the basis
of, it should be noted that) freely to build sentences and 2.07 1.00
paragraphs
Summarizing / paraphrasing 2.64 1.08
Writing coherent paragraphs 2.79 1.05
Linking sentences smoothly 3.00 1.18
Using proper “academic” language and vocabulary
2.07 0.92
(style)
Using the proper grammar such as correct tenses,
2.86 1.17
agreements, reporting verbs, and prepositions

Overall Mean Score 2.69 0.37

The frequency of other teaching activities in previous academic writing courses also

confirmed that language-related activities were rare. Academic grammar and vocabulary

drills were the least employed (M (freq) = 1.88 and 2.06, respectively). Reading authentic

papers was usually not included as a task in the courses (M (freq) = 2.20). Generally, teacher-

centered lecture was the most frequent teaching method (M (freq) = 4.19).
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What they want to learn. All survey participants indicated the necessity of taking academic

writing courses during their studies. For the focus of the proposed new academic writing course,

58% of them chose “general academic writing skills,” and 42% chose “language problems.”

Students further emphasized in the focus group interview that even though what they need

most at present are general writing skills, they were, according to one member, “very

unconfident about their use of [academic] language.” They noted that it would be more

efficient if academic language features were explicitly taught in class rather than learned from

model papers.

Students were asked to brainstorm and write the five most important skills they wanted to learn

in the new course. The results are presented in Table 3. Four general categories emerged from

the answers: thinking, organization, searching for information, and language and vocabulary.

Among the 31 respondents, 77% mentioned learning how to write the different sections (e.g.,

introduction, literature review, discussion). Commenting on and summarizing findings was

also identified in particular (58%); this may be because students are “not sure what should be

presented and how to organize data after analyzing them.” They were never taught such skills,

and are thus unsure how “to explore on their own after collecting data”.
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Table 3
The Most Important Skills Students Want to Learn in the New Course

Category %

Critical thinking 32%

Thinking Creating research gap 32%
Designing research method 45%

Writing different sections of RA (move / steps) 77%

Writing and organization Referring to sources 13%
Commenting and summarizing findings 58%
Searching for information Finding academic resources, using E-databases 32%
Academic language (Style and academic vocabulary) 30%
Language Coherence and cohesion 16%
Chunks and phrases 31%

Preferred teaching activities and materials. Table 4 shows the students’ preferences towards

possible teaching activities and materials that had been applied in the previous course or

that could be used in the new course. Students regarded reading exercises, especially

reading authentic research papers, as the most preferable (M = 4.32), as well as other kinds

of

activities, such as group discussion (M = 3.81) and academic writing exercises (M = 3.75). For

teaching materials, students prefer supplementary authentic research papers as models

and supplementary handouts slightly more than other materials.

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Table 4
Students’ Preference Towards Possible Teaching Activities and Materials
Items Means SD
(preference)
Teaching Teacher centered lectures 3.83 1.15
activities
Student oral presentations 3.55 1.21
Group discussions on tasks 3.81 1.28
Academic grammar drills 3.41 1.32
Academic vocabulary drills 3.38 1.34
Academic writing exercises 3.75 1.08
Academic reading exercises (reading text books) 4.00 0.88
Reading and analyzing authentic research papers 4.32 1.01
Teaching The key text book used in class 2.57 1.16
materials
Other supplementary hand-outs 3.53 1.11
Supplementary authentic research papers as models 3.84 1.08
Supplementary exercises 3.47 1.05
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hutchinson, T. (1988). Making materials work in the ESP classroom. In D. Chamberlain & R. J.

Baumgardner (Eds.), ESP in the classroom: Practice and evaluation (pp. 71-75). Oxford,

England: Modern English Publication in Association with the British Council.

Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for specific purposes: A learning-centered

approach. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511733031

Hyland, K. (1997). Is EAP necessary? A survey of Hong Kong undergraduates. Asian Journal of

English Language Teaching, 7, 77-99.

Hyland, K. (2006). English for Academic Purposes: An advanced resource book. London,

England: Routledge. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2006.07.005

Kavaliauskiene, G., & Uzpaliene, D. (2003). Ongoing needs analysis as a factor to language

learning. Journal of Language and Learning, 1(1), 4-11.

Liang, Y. (2006). Gaoxiao shuangyu jiaoxue xianzhuang ji duice [The current situation of

bilingual education in China and possible counter measures]. Higher Educational

Research and Evaluation, 5, 46-47.

Swales, J. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings . New York, NY:

Cambridge University Press.

Swales, J., & Feak, C. (2004). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills

(2nd ed.). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

West, R. (1994). Needs analysis in language teaching. Language Teaching, 27(1), 1-19.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0261444800007527
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STEPHANIE F. ALOB
MAED-ELT
EDUC 240- EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Teaching is generally considered as only fifty percent knowledge and fifty percent
interpersonal or communication skills. For a teacher, it is not just important to give a
quality lecture but it is more important for the presentation of a lesson or lecture in class.
Communication skills for teachers are thus as important as their in-depth knowledge of
the particular subject which they teach.

Teachers should be aware of the importance of communication skills in teaching.

They must also realize that all students have different levels of strengths and
weaknesses. It is only through communication skills that a teacher can introduce creative
and effective solutions to the problems of the students. Thus, a teacher can enhance the
learning process.

Following are some of the communication skills that a teacher must possess so that they
interact properly with the students –

Positive Motivation

This is one of the important things that a teacher must possess. In a class, students
always have different kinds of taste and preferences over subjects. So it is the job of the
teacher to create enthusiasm and interest in the minds of the students towards a subject.
It is also a teacher’s role to remove any fear and inhibitions that a student may have
towards a subject.

Effective Body Language

This is the most powerful communication skill that a teacher must possess. Good
presentation skills include a powerful body language supported by verbal skills. This can
create a long lasting impression in the minds of the students. Thus, a teachers lectures
will inevitably become more interactive and interesting for the students. Besides, a
teacher should maintain the volume, tone and rhythm of their voice during a lecture.

Sense of Humor

The importance of this factor has been regularly underestimated. A good sense of humor
keeps the students active and interested in the teacher’s class. A teacher who is dour and
lacks humor doesn’t contribute to the overall well-being of the students.
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Understanding the Students

Teachers should encourage students to communicate openly. There should be emphasis

on cultivating a dialogue rather than a monologue. So while solving any kind of
problems in the classroom, it is always wise to hear the opinions of the students also.

Team Formation

This is a good method where you can divide the classroom into small teams and ask
them to solve different problems or complete assignments. This practice will increase
not only the interaction among the students but also among the teacher and students.

Technical Skills

It is also important that teachers should be up to date with all the latest teaching aids like
computers, video conferencing and especially the use of internet. This will also help the
students to keep up their interest in the learning process.

Students are the future of every nation. That is why the role of teachers is so important to
the society. It is through a teacher that generations of youngsters are deeply influenced.
Overall improvement in a student can be expected when communication skills for
teachers is given due importance. Thus, it is important that communication skills become
an important ingredient of a teacher’s professional competency.

Teachers have always had the capability to settle on the tendency and path of a
school, to generate excellent worlds within the classroom, and to spoil reorganization
activities that failed to fit their psychological representation. For too long, those events
have taken place without mindful thought or alternative. It’s time for teachers to be
familiar with and agree to their duty in shaping education, to begin mindfully applying
stress where the system is dysfunctional, and to take their rightful place as wise and
kind-hearted experts and conclusion makers.

Effective communication skills are essential for early childhood educators to

ensure a high level of academic care is provided and to develop strong relationships both
inside and outside the classroom.
Without good communication there is no connection and a teacher will struggle to
provide any type of educational experience to the children in their care. As stated by
Johnson (1999)“communication is an ongoing process of sending and receiving
messages that enable humans to share knowledge, attitudes and skills. Effective teaching
depends on successful communication” (p4).
Johnson (1999) believes that “communication is the driving force in any
relationship or situation” (p3), therefore without effective communication the
relationship and learning process will suffer.
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The two types of communication used by teachers are verbal and non-verbal.
Verbal communication is the most obvious form and is used in an early childhood
education setting constantly throughout the day.
This can include teacher to child, teacher to teacher, child to child and teacher to
parent.
In an early childhood education setting, communication between teachers and
children begins with a greeting in the morning as classes commence, and would continue
constantly throughout the day. A typical day in a pre-school or infant’s school classroom
would include activities such as roll call, group discussions and presentations like show
and tell or news. These events would be a daily occurrence working to encourage
communication between the teacher and the students, as well as between the students
themselves, by giving each party a chance to speak and listen and exchange information
and ideas. The day would continue with the teacher presenting new ideas and skills as
part of the curriculum and, on a more casual basis, outside the classroom, during breaks
and sport sessions.
It is important for early childhood educators to be able to recognise the different
learning styles of children and be flexible when communicating concepts and the content
of lessons. A study by Geng (2011) discusses several different techniques that can be
used when communicating with children and these include voice control, for example,
using a certain tone of voice to demand attention at the front of the class or a softer tone
when trying to form a bond in the first phases of a relationship. Another useful technique
when communicating with young children is to use short phrases and deliver instructions
in a clear and concise manner.
By using too many words, or words children do not understand the main message
can be lost as they become confused or lose focus. Another way to ensure children
follow along easily is to repeat instructions and new information, reiterating the main
points to ensure they are heard and understood. Requesting a student to repeat the
instruction back to the class allows the teacher to ensure they understand and is another
chance for the instruction to be given to the class again. Visual clues are also used in a
learning environment and within early childhood education these can include tools such
as flash cards, pictures or posters and can be particularly useful when learning new
words, spelling and basic mathematics, such as times tables.
Non-verbal communication is just as important as the more obvious verbal form.
An early childhood educator must be able to communicate non-verbally. Johnson (1999,
p.6) believes that children react better to this type of communication. Some examples of
non-verbal communication include facial expressions, touching and body movements,
eye contact and use of personal space. By teaching children to understand non-verbal
communication cues, their overall skills are enhanced as the two types of communication
cannot succeed without each other.
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Knott (1979) defines the types of non-verbal communication in three categories:

kinetic; body movements and gestures, paralanguage; voice qualities such as grunting
and yawning, and the use of social and personal space. She states that these types of
communication “play a significant role in the development of effective
communication… they are integral elements in all face to face communication” (p 227).
It is essential that children learn to interpret these types of non-verbal communication.
When combined with verbal communication, these skills will assist them to successfully
communicate throughout life in many different situations, not just in an early childhood
education setting.
To enable educators to be the best they can be they must be able to communicate
well with their peers. Exchanging ideas and information on the curriculum, teaching
strategies, students, and problem solving ideas are daily occurrences for teachers. This
will assist them in developing skills and furthering their knowledge. Both verbal and
non-verbal communication is used between peers. An example of verbal communication
between teachers would be colleagues exchanging ideas in staff meetings and
discussions and a non-verbal example would include written reports and records about
the students.
Teachers play an important role in helping children develop relationships with one
another. As an early childhood educator they are witness to the forming of many
friendships between the children in their care. It is vital that these relationships are
encouraged and guided to ensure all children feel happy, loved and secure with their
place in the class or friendship group. Communication is the key to successful
relationships and Kranyick (1975) believes that the ability to listen well is just as
valuable as being able to project your message well. “The basic premise of the integrated
day and family grouping is based on children learning from each other, they must listen
to each other” (p 4). If children are not taught the importance of listening they may find
their relationships suffer as it will be harder to form a bond if the other child feels what
they are saying is not of value or importance.
To support the education of communication within the early childhood years, the
Australian Government has developed The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). It
is an outline for teachers comprising of five learning outcomes. One of the outcomes is
‘Children are Effective Communicators’. The document states that “communication is
crucial to belonging, being and becoming… children communicate with others using
gestures, sounds, language and assisted communication” (p 38). The document goes on
to say that “Children feel a sense of belonging when their language, interaction styles
and ways of communicating are valued”, which reiterates Kranyick’s (1975) beliefs
discussed earlier.
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The importance of the relationship between teachers and parents must not be
underestimated. A positive partnership is essential in order to ensure that a child’s
education is supported and encouraged from not only inside the classroom but also at
home. As stated by Hughes & MacNaughton (2001) “Communication between parents
and staff is an important part of the daily life in early childhood centres… research has
shown that good staff-parent communication contributes significantly to the success of
early childhood programs”.
An effective way to reach out to a parent or carer is through an information and
feedback session, commonly known as a ‘parent – teacher night’. This allows the teacher
to discuss a student’s progress and development, as well as voice any concerns they may
have. It is also an opportunity for parents and carers to ask questions and learn how to
better support their children on their educational journey.
In conclusion, good communication within an early childhood education setting is
vitally important. It is essential that early childhood educators focus on developing
strong and effective communication skills to be able to ensure a high level and
successful educational experience for the children in their care. It is important that these
skills are passed on to young children as when they develop good communication skills
it can only help to build their foundation for learning and forming relationships as they
go through the journey of life, including their future years of study and work, as well as
their relationships with friends and family. In the words of Geng (2011) “communication
is therefore a fundamental component in promoting positive behaviour”.

REFERENCES

Johnson, M. (1999). Communication in the classroom. Place, stateUS Department of Education.

Geng, G. (2011). Investigation of teachers’ verbal and nonverbal strategies for managing attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) students’
behaviour within a classroom environment. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, Volume 36
(Issue 7), 17-30.

Kranyik, M. (1975). Teaching to listen and listening to teach. Paper presented at the Annual
Meeting of the National Conference on the Language Arts in Elementary School., Boston, MA.
publisher.

Arnold, M. (1979). Early child-child communication. Theory into Practice, Volume 18 (Issue 4),
213-219.

Knott, G. (2011). Nonverbal communication during early childhood. Theory into Practice, Volume
18 (Issue 4), 226-233.
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