A Study on Major Elements of Writing Difficulties and the Effectiveness of Using EZ Writing Template in Writing Process of ESL Writers

Composing a well-produced piece of writing is quite challenging for most writers, especially for ESL writers who need to sync and blend with some writing techniques and writing elements. This situation portrays the fact that writing is a complex skill to learn, which causes writing difficulties among the ESL writers. Hence, the writers should be guided properly by the writing instructors to regulate them throughout the entire writing process. The main objective of this study is to investigate the major elements of writing difficulties faced by ESL writers in the writing class. Also, the study aims to identify the effectiveness of using writing templates while composing the essays. A pilot study involved a sample of 30 participants from a local tertiary institution. To obtain pertinent data, an adapted questionnaire was distributed to the participants. Findings from the study revealed that the participants found writing difficult because they are not familiar with different types of writing. Findings also showed that the goal for the essay writing is sometimes hard to achieve and students need to know what to write in each paragraph (mean score=2.7). It was also found that the overall mean of how the respondents perceived the writing template being used in the writing process was high. The insights obtained are also crucial to improve teaching and learning of ESL academic writing.