ACADEMIC WRITING: CHALLENGES AND WAYFORWARD A PERSPECTIVE FROM UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Abstract

Student perceptions of what constitutes good academic writing (AW) in higher education often differ. This is reflected in written assignments, which frequently fall below the expected standard. In seeking to develop the writing skills of students and propose potential solutions to writing difficulties, a study was conducted in Gedu College of Business Studies, (GCBS) Royal University of Bhutan. (RUB). This paper reports the findings generated using unmoderated focus groups of second-year students and third-year students of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) & Bachelor of Commerce (B. Com) GCBS. The findings indicated that students’ perceptions of what constitutes AW differed. The barriers to academic writing that were identified were lack of time and confidence, lack of extended writing, lack of reading and understanding of academic texts or journals, referencing and academic jargon.