An Analysis of Master 2 Students’ Exam Copies in Research Methodology and Written Expression: The Case of Department of English at Batna 2 University

Abstract

Experts in writing, most notably in writing research reports, papers, and theses, emphasize both the utility and the complexity of writing in the academic context. The development of an ability to write effectively needs time and practice. It was observed that Second Year EFL Master’s students at Banta 2 University face difficulties in respecting academic writing features despite a good deal of instruction in written expression. Hence, the paper analyzes Master Two students’ exam copies in two subjects, written expression, and research methodology. This study seems appealing because its primary purpose is to investigate the natural causes behind students’ failure in academic writing. It aims to identify students’ lacunas in writing research reports, papers, and theses. To address these objectives, the current study inquires: “Why do so many students fail to write correctly?” To consider the research query as mentioned earlier, an explanation is attempted through content analysis of 196 students’ exam excerpts of research methodology and 191 copies in the exam of written expression. Besides, the research proposal is looked at in a step-by-step chronological order. The combination of good writing and good thinking is presented as the key to academic success. Results indicated that students failed to demonstrate a good command of academic writing norms.