An Investigation of the Challenges that Libyan EFL Postgraduate Students Face in Writing Research Papers: Voices from the Field
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65417/ljere.v2i1.89Keywords:
Academic writing, EFL students, Research skillsAbstract
Writing research papers is one of the most common requirements in postgraduate programs. The present study seeks to investigate the challenges that Libyan EFL postgraduate students‟ face in writing research papers. Through semi-structured interviews with 10 students, the findings demonstrate that students‟ perceived difficulties can be systematically classified into two primary categories. The first category pertains to subject-specific knowledge, particularly difficulties related to analyzing and synthesizing the relevant literature. The second category relates to English language proficiency, including an inadequate mastery of academic writing conventions and insufficient skills to develop research articles effectively at the lexical, syntactic, and discourse levels. In terms of supporting postgraduate students in writing research papers, the participants in this study suggest that the postgraduate programs should offer professional development opportunities through a series of related writing courses and workshops.
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