Applying a design-based approach to designing, developing and evaluating ESL academic writing materials for Malaysian undergraduates

• Main Author: Nancy Chiuh @ Noemi
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: PN101-245 Authorship
• Online Access: https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/41235/1/24%20PAGES.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/41235/2/FULLTEXT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/41235/
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Numerous studies stressed the importance of conducting a needs analysis to better identify the real needs of the subjects which eventually lead to more focused courses. When the real needs of the learners are identified, more focused courses can be designed to meet these needs and the learners are able to benefit fully from these courses. Several studies also found that there was a mismatch or discrepancy between the needs of the learners and the courses offered. Hence, a preliminary review of the English language courses (ELC) and PAD (Public Administration Diploma) courses in UiTM Sabah was conducted for the purpose of discovering whether there is a mismatch between the writing skills required in the PAD courses and the writing skills offered in ELC, thereby identifying problems or gaps. Through this preliminary document analysis, it was found that there was a mismatch between the existing English courses and the specific writing needs of the Diploma in Public Administration (DPA) students in UiTM Sabah. Therefore, there was a need for a solution to the problem or gap and ‘design-based research’ (DBR) with the integration of needs analysis were conducted in this study. The study, first of all, identified the specific academic writing needs of the DPA students. Based on the findings in the needs analysis stage, academic writing materials were designed and developed, via design-based research, to respond to the DPA students’ area of greatest needs in academic writing. The final part of the study was the evaluation of the usefulness of the writing materials and workshops. Multiple sources and methods were utilised in the present study to better identify the academic writing needs of the DPA first-year students in UiTM Sabah. This study involved various data sources which comprised students, subject instructors, experienced materials developer and documents. Data was also collected through various methods, namely questionnaires, focus groups, key informant group interviews, observations and document analysis. The analysis in the needs analysis stage revealed that the students needed much help in various academic writing skills which were not available in the English courses offered to them in UiTM. The subject instructors and students found the writing workshops and materials designed and developed in this study useful and were able to meet the students’ needs with regard to academic writing. This study has shown that by employing multiple sources (e.g. learners, instructors and documents) and methods (e.g. questionnaires, interviews, observations and document analysis) in conducting needs analysis, the real needs of the learners could be identified. This was made possible through the triangulation of sources and methods. This study has also proven that a collaborative partnership between the researcher, students, subject instructors and experienced materials developer plays a vital part in the process of developing teaching and learning materials. Hence, this collaborative partnership needs to be taken into account in the process of designing and developing the academic writing materials.