Bangladeshi Students’ Challenges of English Academic Writing in an International University

Abstract

At present, many Bangladeshi students go abroad to pursue their undergraduate and postgraduate studies. However, most often, it is seen that they have a difficult time in understanding the rules of academic writing in the new institution. This qualitative multiple case study explores challenges related to writing assignments faced by 11 Bangladeshi students from Madrasah, Bengali and English medium schools studying at an international research university International Islamic University, Malaysia. A qualitative thematic analysis of the students’ semi-structured interviews revealed that the students felt that Bangladeshi English curricula should include components of close reading, academic writing, and basic computer skills for writing assignments so that all the students are prepared for writing assignments in academia in future. The study is significant for the education policymakers of an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) country such as Bangladesh where English is taught as a second language to the students.

Keywords: writing challenges, Academic writing, Bangladesh.