Assessing Academic Writing Challenges facing Undergraduate Students at Teofilo Kisanji University in Mbeya Region, Tanzania

Abstract

This paper investigated the academic writing challenges facing undergraduate students at Teofilo Kisanji University (TEKU) in Mbeya Region. This study used Qualitative research approach and the interpretivist paradigm. Data were collected through semi-structured open ended interview and documentary analysis methods. Data were analyzed through content analysis method to obtain themes. Twenty participants formed a sample for research in the following categories educational officers, lecturers, teachers, and undergraduate students. Findings revealed that undergraduate students mostly fail to write academic papers at higher learning institutions despite having good teachers at the university. It was found that educational institutions in Ordinary and Advanced Secondary Schools failed to provide students with good basis for academic writing due to various factors, such as incompetent teachers, inadequate working environments, improper education qualifications, lack of creativity of teachers, lack of knowledge on the use of technology and the dilemma in academic instructional language. The study found that most undergraduate students failed to write academically due to poor foundation from lower levels of education. It was therefore recommended that, strengthening academic writing for students in lower-level institutions the government should review the educational curriculum to focus entirely on competence-based teaching methods.