Attitude towards the instruction in writing English in an English foundation course

Abstract

The objectives of this study were 1) to find out the students’ attitude towards the instruction in writing English in English foundation courses; 2) to find out the students’ preferred teaching methods for the instruction in writing English; and 3) to compare the demographic data of first year students with their attitude towards the instruction in writing English in English foundation courses. The sample was 444 students from the Faculties of Education and Engineering and Industrial Technology, at Silpakorn University located at Sanam Chadra Palace campus. The instruments were a survey questionnaire and an interview schedule. The results were concluded as follows. The respondents selected vocabulary and grammar as their most important problem in English writing. Moreover, their most favourite writing tasks and topics were journals and tourist attractions, respectively. Their attitude towards the instruction in writing English in English foundation courses was at a high level for all variables. The method of teaching English writing the respondents preferred the most was creative expression. As for the comparisons between the demographic data and their attitude, an outstanding difference was the grades earned from the previous English foundation courses and the attitude. It corresponded to the results from the interviews as well. Finally, it is suggested that writing lessons begin with teaching basic grammar, structure, vocabulary, punctuation and transitional markers.