Abstract:
The ability to communicate competently in writing is a major facet of language
development and academic success among university students. However, students are
not able to write academic essays appropriately as stated in related literature (Adika,
2010). The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of communication skills
and academic writing as a required course on undergraduate students’ writing in
University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani. The objectives are to: accentuate
the major components of the course, investigate the infractions students commit in
writing essays, determine the causes and establish strategies to enhance writing. The
study was based on the discourse community theory. A mixed method design was
adopted and 150 level 200 students and 3 lectures were sampled through stratified
random sampling as respondents. The data for analysis were gathered using
questionnaire, semi-structured interview and students’ project essays. Quantitative
analysis was conducted using descriptive statistical techniques while qualitative data
was thematically analysed. The findings showed that students commit various
infractions: including incorrect referencing, inaccurate write-up of introduction,
content/ body and conclusion, use of non-academic resources, repetition of expressions,
and breach of grammatical structures. The causes of these shortfalls include transitional
issues, lack of feedback, lack of reading culture and reading resources and inadequate
practising opportunities, inadequate lecture periods as well as student under preparedness. Some interventional strategies to address these infractions are that
lecturers should give multiple writing opportunities, give constructive feedback, and all
lecturers should be involved in assisting students to write academically.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Foreign Languages
Education and Communication, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in
partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Teaching English as a Second Language)
in the University of Education, Winneba
AUGUST, 2019