 |
[email protected] |
 |
3275638434 |
 |
 |
| Paper Publishing WeChat |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Vahid Reza Nasrollahi
Full-Text PDF
XML 103 Views
DOI:10.17265/1539-8080/2025.12.001
Anyang University, Seoul, South Korea
Mastery of academic writing is crucial for achievement in higher education. Nevertheless, the majority of studies on Korean academic writing have concentrated on Chinese learners, neglecting other international learners, including Iranian graduate students. This study examines the academic writing obstacles encountered by Iranian learners in Korean universities, focusing on linguistic, cognitive, affective, socio-cultural, and technical aspects. Employing Straussian grounded theory (GT), in-depth interviews were performed with 30 Iranian graduate students with advanced Korean competence and three to nine years of language acquisition experience. Data gathered from July 2023 to September 2024 were subjected to open, axial, and selective coding, resulting in a paradigm model and a conditional matrix. Identified key concerns include limited understanding of genres, obstacles to integrating discourse, excessive reliance on digital resources, and increased writing anxiety. A self-directed academic environment, little institutional support, and fragile peer networks exacerbate these factors. Notwithstanding these obstacles, students used coping mechanisms such as iterative writing, judicious use of technology, peer collaboration, and emotional regulation. The research presents a developmental process model delineating non-linear stages of confusion, crises, adaptation, and achievement. Findings highlight the necessity for culturally responsive, learner-centered pedagogy, adaptable scaffolding, and equitable technology integration to enhance international students’ proficiency in academic Korean writing.
academic writing development, Iranian learners, Korean universities, grounded theory, writing challenges
Vahid Reza Nasrollahi, From Confusion to Confidence: A Grounded Theory of Academic Writing Development Among Iranian Advanced Korean Learners. US-China Foreign Language, December 2025, Vol. 23, No. 12, 439-461 doi:10.17265/1539-8080/2025.12.001
Al Badi, I. A. H. (2015). Academic writing difficulties of ESL learners. The 2015 WEI International Academic Conference Proceedings, 1(1), 65-78.
Allen, S. (2003). An analytic comparison of three models of reading strategy instruction. IRAL—International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 41(4), 319-338.
Badger, R., & White, G. (2000). A process genre approach to teaching writing. ELT Journal, 54(2), 153-160.
Bae, Y. K., Woo, J. A., Jeong, J. E., & Kang, S. H. (2011). Designing a writing curriculum for academic-purpose Korean language learners: The case of Chinese learners. Journal of Korean Language Education, 22(4), 1-29.
Bailey, S. (2014). Academic writing: A handbook for international students. London: Routledge.
Benesch, S. (2001). Critical English for academic purposes: Theory, politics, and practice. London: Routledge.
Braine, G. (2002). Academic literacy and the nonnative speaker graduate student. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 1(1), 59-68.
Bruning, R., Dempsey, M., Kauffman, D. F., McKim, C., & Zumbrunn, S. (2013). Examining dimensions of self-efficacy for writing. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(1), 25-38.
Campbell, M. (2019). Teaching academic writing in higher education. Education Quarterly Reviews, 2(3), 608-614.
Canagarajah, S. (2002). Multilingual writers and the academic community: Towards a critical relationship. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 1(1), 29-44.
Cennetkuşu, N. G. (2017). International students’ challenges in academic writing: A case study from a prominent US university. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 13(2), 309-323.
Chan, V. (2001). Readiness for learner autonomy: What do our learners tell us? Teaching in Higher Education, 6(4), 505-518.
Chandrasegaran, S., Badam, S. K., Kisselburgh, L., Ramani, K., & Elmqvist, N. (2017). Integrating visual analytics support for grounded theory practice in qualitative text analysis. Computer Graphics Forum, 36, 201-212.
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory. Los Angeles: Sage.
Connor, U. (2002). New directions in contrastive rhetoric. TESOL Quarterly, 36(4), 493-510.
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Coxhead, A. (2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34(2), 213-238.
Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Incorporated.
Deb, J. (2018). Affective factors in second language writing: Is it a matter of concern? The Morning Watch: Educational and Social Analysis, 46(1-2 Fall), 1-11.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2013). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Springer Science & Business Media.
Dewaele, J. M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 237-274.
Dörnyei, Z. (2014). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. London: Routledge.
Ennis, R. H. (2015). Critical thinking: A streamlined conception. In The Palgrave handbook of critical thinking in higher education (pp. 31-47). New York: Springer.
Evans, S., & Morrison, B. (2011). Meeting the challenges of English-medium higher education: The first-year experience in Hong Kong. English for Specific Purposes, 30(3), 198-208.
Flowerdew, J. (1993). An educational, or process, approach to the teaching of professional genres. ELT Journal, 47(4), 305-316.
Girard, D. (1977). Motivation: The responsibility of the teacher. English Language Teaching Journal, 31(2), 97-102.
Glaser, B. (1978). Theoretical sensitivity. Advances in the methodology of grounded theory. Mill Valley: The Sociology Press.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Grabe, W., & Kaplan, R. B. (1996). Theory & practice of writing. Reading: Addison-Wesley.
Griffiths, C. (2020). Language learning strategies: Is the baby still in the bathwater? Applied Linguistics, 41(4), 607-611.
Hamp-Lyons, L., & Heasley, B. (2006). Study writing: A course in written English for academic purposes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Harvey, S., & Goodvis, A. (2003). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding. New York: Routledge.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81-112.
Holton, J. A. (2008). Grounded theory as a general research methodology. The Grounded Theory Review, 7(2), 67-93.
Hong, H. (2008). A study of Korean writing education for academic purposes: Focusing on argumentative writing in Korean (Doctoral dissertation, Seoul National University).
Hong, J. (2005). A needs analysis of Korean writing for academic purposes (Master’s thesis, Ewha Woman’s University, 2005).
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132.
Hyland, K. (2003). Genre-based pedagogies: A social response to process. Journal of Second Language Writing, 12(1), 17-29.
Hyland, K. (2013). Writing in the university: Education, knowledge, and reputation. Language Teaching, 46(1), 53-70.
Hyland, K. (2016). Teaching and researching writing. New York: Routledge.
Hyland, K., & Hyland, F. (2006). Feedback on second language students’ writing. Language Teaching, 39(2), 83-101.
Jamshed, S. (2014). Qualitative research method: Interviewing and observation. Journal of Basic and Clinical Pharmacy, 5(4), 87-88.
Jang, M. (2016). Analyzing Chinese students’ needs for academic writing skills in Korean. Journal of Korean Language Education, 27(2), 251-273.
Jeon, M. H., & Choi, J. S. (2015). The process of content knowledge construction in Korean learners’ writing for academic purposes. Poetics and Linguistics, 30, 149-176.
Jones, M., & Alony, I. (2011). Guiding the use of grounded theory in doctoral studies—An example from the Australian film industry. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 6, 95-114.
Kang, R. (2022). An analysis of research trends in writing education: From the perspective of Korean writing education for academic purposes. Korean Journal of Literacy Research, 13(6), 215-239.
Karaca, M., & Inan, S. (2020). A measure of possible sources of demotivation in L2 writing: A scale development and validation study. Assessing Writing, 43, 100438.
Kim, J. (2008). A study on the process by which battered women escape from violence. Korean Journal of Family Relations, 13(1), 271-297.
Kubota, R., & Lehner, A. (2004). Toward critical contrastive rhetoric. Journal of Second Language Writing, 13(1), 7-27.
Kulusakli, E. (2021). An investigation into Turkish EFL learners’ academic writing motivation. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 93, 165-178.
Kwon, H. W. (2016). Understanding grounded theory: Focusing on practical guidelines and theoretical issues. Korean Policy Sciences Review, 20(2), 181-216.
Kwon, H. S. (2019). A study on Korean writing education methods for learners of Korean for academic purposes: Proposal of an integrated teaching-learning model based on a writing workshop for academic report writing. Yeongju Language and Literature, 43, 329-351.
Lee, M. (2021). The consideration of international students’ writing difficulties in Korean higher education. Cultural Exchange and Multicultural Education, 10(5), 391-422.
Lee, S. J. (2011). An FGI study on Chinese international students’ academic writing experiences. Humanities Studies, 63, 91-120.
MacIntyre, P. D., Gkonou, C., Daubney, M., & Dewaele, J. M. (2017). New insights into language anxiety: Theory, research, and educational implications. In An overview of language anxiety research and trends in its development (pp. 11-30). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Matsuda, S., & Gobel, P. (2004). Anxiety and predictors of performance in the foreign language classroom. System, 32(1), 21-36.
Na, N. (2017). A study on the learning process of academic-purpose Korean writing by Chinese international graduate students (Master’s thesis, Seoul National University).
Ng, C. F., & Ng, P. K. (2015). A review of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of ESL learners. International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, 1(2), 98-105.
Okuda, T., & Anderson, T. (2018). Second language graduate students’ experiences at the writing center: A language socialization perspective. TESOL Quarterly, 52(2), 391-413.
Oxford, R. L. (1990). Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Boston: Heinle ELT.
Pajares, F. (2003). Self-efficacy beliefs, motivation, and achievement in writing: A review of the literature. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 19(2), 139-158.
Park, M., & Bang, H. (2014). The process by which international graduate students resolve academic writing problems. Culture Exchange and Multicultural Education, 3(1), 67-84.
Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2006). Critical thinking: The nature of critical and creative thought. Journal of Developmental Education, 30(2), 34.
Pecorari, D. (2003). Good and original: Plagiarism and patchwriting in academic second-language writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 12(4), 317-345.
Piniel, K., & Csizér, K. (2015). Changes in motivation, anxiety, and self-efficacy during the course of an academic writing seminar. Motivational Dynamics in Language Learning, 81, 164-194.
Rädiker, S. (2023). Doing grounded theory with MAXQDA. Berlin: MAXQDA Press.
Rubin, J. (1987). Learner strategies: Theoretical assumptions, research history, and typology. In Learner strategies in language learning (pp. 15-30). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
Sabti, A. A., Md Rashid, S., Nimehchisalem, V., & Darmi, R. (2019). The impact of writing anxiety, writing achievement motivation, and writing self-efficacy on writing performance: A correlational study of Iraqi tertiary EFL learners. SAGE Open, 9(4), 2158244019894289.
Sasaki, M. (2000). Toward an empirical model of EFL writing processes: An exploratory study. Journal of Second Language Writing, 9(3), 259-291.
Schoonen, R. (2019). Are reading and writing building on the same skills? The relationship between reading and writing in L1 and EFL. Reading and Writing, 32(3), 511-535.
Seo, A. R., & Ahn, K. J. (2019). An analysis of research trends in academic-purpose Korean writing education. Foreign Language Education Research, 33(4), 83-119.
Shin, P. (2008). A study on instructional content for expository writing for Korean language learners with academic purposes (Master’s thesis, Seoul National University).
Singh, M. K. M. (2015). International graduate students’ academic writing practices in Malaysia: Challenges and solutions. Journal of International Students, 5(1), 12-22.
Singh, M. K. M. (2019). Academic reading and writing challenges among international EFL Master’s students in a Malaysian university: The voice of lecturers. Journal of International Students, 9(4), 972-992.
Storch, N. (2013). Collaborative writing in L2 classrooms (Vol. 31). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research techniques. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2004). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills (Vol. 1). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Tapper, J. (2004). Student perceptions of how critical thinking is embedded in a degree program. Higher Education Research & Development, 23(2), 199-222.
Thomas, N., Rose, H., Cohen, A. D., Gao, X. A., Sasaki, A., & Hernandez-Gonzalez, T. (2022). The third wind of language learning strategies research. Language Teaching, 55(3), 417-421.
Tiruchittampalam, S., Ross, A., Whitehouse, E., & Nicholson, T. (2018). Measuring the effectiveness of writing center consultations on L2 writers’ essay writing skills. Languages, 3(1), 4.
Tsui, L. (2002). Fostering critical thinking through effective pedagogy: Evidence from four institutional case studies. The Journal of Higher Education, 73(6), 740-763.
Turner, J. (2004). Language as an academic purpose. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 3(2), 95-109.
Vollstedt, M., & Rezat, S. (2019). An introduction to grounded theory with a special focus on axial coding and the coding paradigm. Compendium for Early Career Researchers in Mathematics Education, 13(1), 81-100.
Vygotsky, L. S., & Cole, M. (1978). Mind in society: Development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Williams, J. M., & Bizup, J. (2014). Lessons in clarity and grace. Harlow: Pearson.
Wong, H. (1997). Contrastive rhetoric: Cross-cultural aspects of second-language writing. Asian Journal of English Language Teaching, 7, 131-135.
Yeop, J. (2006). An analysis of factors causing frustration among Korean language learners (Unpublished master’s thesis).
Yoon, C. (2011). Concordance in L2 writing class: An overview of research and issues. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 10(3), 130-139.
Yuna., & Park, S. S. (2021). Factors influencing foreign graduate students’ academic writing difficulties and their causal paths. Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language, 61, 95-126.
Yun, J. W., & Jeon, M. H. (2013). Patterns of content knowledge construction in Korean learners’ academic writing. Wurimalgeul, 58, 217-243.
Yuna. (2017). A study on the learning process of Korean academic-purpose writing among Chinese international students (Master’s thesis, Seoul National University).
Zamel, V. (1997). Toward a model of transculturation. TESOL Quarterly, 31(2), 341-352.
Zimmerman, B. J., & Bandura, A. (1994). Impact of self-regulatory influences on writing course attainment. American Educational Research Journal, 31(4), 845-862.