Academic essay writing in an English medium instruction environment: Indonesian graduate students’ experiences at Hungarian universities

Abstract

Academic writing is a key indicator of academic success in higher education, and high-quality academic text production may pose a great challenge to L2 English students within the framework of English-Medium Instruction (EMI). In Higher Education, one of the genres students are most frequently required to master is the academic essay. This small-scale qualitative study focuses on Indonesian graduate students' challenges when writing high-stakes academic essays in Hungarian EMI environments. The investigation aims to discover what challenges this environment poses to Indonesian students, with a specific focus on in-class and out-of-class support. The participants were four Indonesian graduate students required to write academic essays at Social Sciences Faculties of Hungarian universities. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed by applying the technique of qualitative coding. Findings indicate that the extent and quality of support students receive at institutional and subject course levels has a profound influence on academic essay writing achievements. A major implication is that offering courses in English academic writing and providing access to e-library, ensuring subject teachers' sufficient English proficiency levels and pedagogical skills, clarifying the content and requirements of essay assignments as soon as possible, and providing guidance and training regarding secondary research and online writing tools can effectively contribute to the development of students’ English academic essay writing skills.