Exploring Writing Challenges in Academic Writing and the Use of Graphic Organiser and Instructional Scaffolding in the Writing Process of ESL Writers

Composing essays in academic writing is often challenging for most ESL writers. Writing process in second language is not easy as it requires the writers to plan, draft, monitor, and edit which may take a lengthy time to complete. Numerous research findings reveal that a significant proportion of university students face challenges in developing writing skills as they face difficulties throughout the writing process. Therefore, the writers should be guided properly by the writing instructors to regulate them throughout the entire writing process. The study aims to explore writers’ writing challenges in academic writing using graphic organiser and scaffolding in the process of writing. This quantitative research design involved 30participants from local tertiary institutions. Results indicated achieving the goals of essay writing was sometimes challenging, as students were unsure about what to include in each paragraph (mean score = 2.7). It was also found that the overall mean of how the respondents perceived the graphic organiser and scaffolding being used in the writing process was high. Results of this study have given a great impact on teaching and learning of ESL academic writing.