Open AccessTHE CHALLENGES OF DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE WRITING SKILLS FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES IN STUDENTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA
Author(s) -
Ivana Trajanoska,
Marija Andonova
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
knowledge
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2545-4439
pISSN - 1857-923X
DOI - 10.35120/kij3204455t
Subject(s) - academic writing , clarity , mathematics education , conversation , academic year , psychology , pedagogy , higher education , professional writing , point (geometry) , sociology , political science , chemistry , biochemistry , geometry , mathematics , communication , law
Leonard J. Rosen defines academic writing as an “informed, logical, clear, well structured, and based on evidence” (Rosen, 2009) prose style which serves to describe, understand, and further investigate the world around us. Academic writing rests upon common standards of logic and clarity which enable writers to enter into a conversation through their writing. Developing effective writing skills for academic purposes is a crucial aspect of higher education. These skills are indispensable for the students since they affect their overall academic success, but also their life outside the university. The present paper deals with the challenges of developing effective writing skills for academic purposes in the Macedonian language in students in the Republic of North Macedonia. It presents a part of the findings of a five-year research conducted at the higher education institution University American College Skopje (UACS). The aim of the research is to explore the gap between the expected already acquired writing skills at secondary school and the writing skills for academic purposes the students should develop in higher education. The present paper presents the data obtained from the self-evaluation process conducted from spring semester 2015 until spring semester 2019. The quantitative research method was used in the research and the quantitative data obtained were analyzed, textually interpreted, and visually presented. Twenty nine point three percent of the students said that they knew how to write a short essay where they would present evidence for a point of view and 32.4% said that they are not sure how to do this. Even though writing an essay (titled “project assignment”) is a required part of the mandatory State Baccalaureate (Matura) exam since 2010 and all students had completed it in order to enroll at University, 38.3% of the students involved in the research said that they do not know how to do this.