A Case Study－Korean University Students’ Experience with and Perceptions of an Academic English Writing Class

Abstract

The purpose of this case study is to examine Korean university students’ perceptions about the academic English writing class they took during the Spring semester of 2022. More specifically, this study aims to understand how satisfied students were with their learning experiences in the academic English writing class, and how they perceived its appropriateness as a mandatory English general education offered in the Korean higher education context. A survey questionnaire consisting of Likert-scale, multiple choice, and open-ended questions was the main source of the data, and a total of 65 freshmen taking the course responded. To triangulate, in-depth interviews were also conducted with three focal participants via email or Zoom upon their choice. Descriptive statistics were calculated to analyze the responses to the Likert-scale and the multiple-choice questions, and the content analysis method was applied for open-ended survey questions and interviews. Analysis of data showed that students viewed their academic English writing experiences positively due to the content knowledge and sense of achievement gained through the class as well as the instructor’s teaching style. Some participants were dissatisfied with their learning experiences because of content difficulty, relatively heavy workload, and their insufficient English proficiency which hindered them from following the class. Most students self-evaluated that their writing skills after the class somewhat improved. Students chose writing an essay, learning about academic writing conventions, such as APA styles and in-text citations, and instructor’s feedback as class activities that helped them improve their academic English writing. To the question about the appropriateness of academic English writing as a mandatory general education subject, a vast majority of students hold a positive view. Their reasons include their belief of academic English writing as essential knowledge that they need to possess as a university student belonging to an academic discourse community as well as transferable knowledge needed not only in an English class but also in various disciplines. They also recognize its practicality for their academic activities and its rarity to learn anywhere else except university. The findings suggest that school administrators should allocate more credit hours for an academic English writing course and offer it for students in their 2nd or 3rd year of university. The findings also emphasize the importance of instructors’ effort to tailor their instruction according to their students and to provide supplementary learning materials, such as pre-recorded videos so as to effectively guide students to improve their skills for English writing for academic purposes.