Cover not available

Article published In: Postgraduate Writing in a Globalised World
Edited by Emmaline Lear and Elke Stracke
[Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 39:2] 2016
► pp. 158–180

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
authorization required

Challenges faced by second language doctoral student writers in Hong Kong and their writing strategies

 | University of Hong Kong
Published online: 7 February 2017
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.39.2.04hyl
Writing at the doctoral level presents many challenges for second language writers. This paper reports on a longitudinal study investigating English as a second language (ESL) doctoral students’ writing problems and the strategies they developed to meet these challenges. Eight students were interviewed four times over a two-year period during their doctoral program and a questionnaire was sent to over 150 postgraduate students to investigate their major writing challenges and their self-initiated strategies. The findings suggested that students’ writing challenges were in two main areas: difficulties with expressing complex ideas in a second language; and difficulties with developing confidence and a convincing academic voice. This paper focuses on the strategies students developed to deal with their writing challenges and uses one case to show how these evolved over a two-year period. Strategies used consistently and successfully included using expert writing such as academic articles as writing ‘models’ and the use of peer support networks that provided advice and feedback on the students’ writing and also offered opportunities for academic collaboration. The study adds to our growing knowledge of the resources and support available to doctoral writers, highlighting the use of social and academic networking and the role played by textual resources such as articles and theses as textual mentors.
References (42)
Abasi, A. R., & Graves, B. (2008). Academic literacy and plagiarism: Conversations with international graduate students and disciplinary professors. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 71, 221–233. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ackerman, J. (1995). Postscript: the assimilation and tactics of Nate. In C. Berkenkotter & T. Huckin (Eds.), Genre knowledge in disciplinary communities: Cognition/culture/power (pp. 145–150). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Adamek, M. E. (2015). Building scholarly writers: Student perspectives on peer peview in a doctoral writing seminar. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 35(1-2), 213–225. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Aitchison, C. (2009). Writing groups for doctoral education. Studies in Higher Education, 34(8), 905–916. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bartholomae, D. (1986). Inventing the university. Journal of Basic Writing, 51, 4–23.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bitchener, J., & Basturkmen, H. (2006). Perceptions of the difficulties of postgraduate L2 thesis students writing the discussion section. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 5(1), 4–18. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Canagarajah, A. S. (2002). Critical academic writing and multilingual students. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Carter, S., & Laurs, D. (2014). Developing generic support for doctoral students: Practice and pedagogy. Hoboken: Taylor & Francis. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Casanave, C. (2002) Writing games: Multicultural case studies of academic literacy practices in higher education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2008) Learning participatory practices in graduate school: Some perspective-taking by a mainstream educator. In C. Casanave & X. Li (Eds.), Learning the practices of graduate school: Insiders’ reflections on academic enculturation (pp. 14–31). Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Casanave, C. P., & Li, X. (Eds.). (2008). Learning the literacy practices of graduate school: Insiders’ reflections on academic enculturation. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The University of Michigan Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Casanave, C., & Vandrick, S. (2003) (Eds.). Writing for scholarly publication: Behind the scenes in language education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cotterall, S. (2013a). The rich get richer: International doctoral candidates and scholarly identity. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 52(4), 360–370. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2013b). More than just a brain: Emotions and the doctoral experience. Higher Education Research & Development 32(2): 174–87. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gruzd, A., Staves, K., & Wilk, A. (2012). Connected scholars: Examining the role of social media in research practices of faculty using the UTAUT model. Computers in Human Behavior, 281, pp. 2340–2350. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Guerin, C., Carter, S., & Aitchison, C. (2015). Blogging as community of practice: Lessons for academic development? International Journal for Academic Development, 20(3), 1–12. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hirvela, A., & Belcher, D. (2001). Coming back to voice: The multiple voices and identities of mature multilingual writers. Journal of Second Language Writing, 10(1-2), 83–106. .Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hu, J. (2010). Faculty perceptions of Chinese graduate students’ communication challenges in the science and engineering disciplines. Canadian and International Education, 39(3), 59–80.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hyland, K. (2002). Options of identity in academic writing. ELT Journal, 5(4), 351–358. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kozar, O., & Lum, J. (2015). Online doctoral writing groups: Do facilitators or communication modes make a difference? Quality in Higher Education, 21(1), 38–51. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kriner, B., Coffman, K., Adkisson, A., & Putman, P. (2015). From students to scholars: The transformative power of communities of practice. Adult Learning, 26(2), 73–80. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kuwahara, N. (2008). It’s not in the orientation manual: How a first-year doctoral student learnt to survive in graduate school. In C. P. Casanave & X. Li (Eds.), Learning the literacy practices of graduate school: Insiders’ reflections on academic enculturation (pp. 186–200). Ann Arbor, Michigan: Michigan University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991) Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lei, X. (2008). Exploring a sociocultural approach to writing strategy research: Mediated actions in writing activities. Journal of Second Language Writing, 17(4), 217–236. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Leki, I. (1995). Coping strategies of ESL students in writing tasks across the curriculum. TESOL Quarterly, 29(2), 235–260. .Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lillis, T., & Curry, M. (2010) Academic writing in a global context – the politics and practices of publishing in English. London: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Maher, A., Feldon, D., Timmerman, B., & Chao, J. (2014). Faculty perceptions of common challenges encountered by novice doctoral writers. Higher Education Research & Development, 33(4), 699–711. .Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Maringe, F., & Jenkins, J. (2015). Stigma, tensions, and apprehension. International Journal of Educational Management, 291(5), 609–626. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. (2011). Designing qualitative research (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Morita, N. (2004), Negotiating Participation and Identity in Second Language Academic Communities. TESOL Quarterly, 381, 573–603. .Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Odena, O., & Burgess, H. (2015). How doctoral students and graduates describe facilitating experiences and strategies for their thesis writing learning process: A qualitative approach. Studies in Higher Education, 1–19. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Oxford, R. (2011). Teaching and researching language learning strategies. Harlow: Pearson Education.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pecorari, D., & Shaw, P. (2012). Types of student intertextuality and faculty attitudes. Journal of Second Language Writing, 21(2), 149–164. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Petrić, B. (2007). “This English writing thing”. Students’ perceptions of their writing experiences at an English-medium university. Porta Linguarum, 71, 45–55.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2012). Legitimate textual borrowing: Direct quotation in L2 student writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 211,102–117. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Qian, J., & Krugly-Smolska, E. (2008). Chinese graduate students’ experiences with writing a literature review. TESL Canada Journal, 26(1), 68–86. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Siemens, G., & Matheos, K. (2010). Systemic changes in higher education. ineducation,16(1), 3–18.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Steel, K., Cohen, J., Hurley, M., & Joy, E. (2012). Why we blog: An essay in four movements. Literature Compass, 9(12), 1016–1032. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wang, M. (2011). Chinese postgraduate students learning to write in English: Toward an understanding of L2 academic writing. In P. L. Ha & B. Baurain (Eds.), Voices, identities, negotiations, and conflicts: Writing academic English across cultures (pp. 41–58). London: Emerald Group Pub.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yin, R. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (9)

Cited by nine other publications

Hoomanfard, MohammadHamed & Yaser Shamsi
2025. Generative AI in dissertation writing: L2 doctoral students’ self-reported use, AI-giarism, and perceived training needs. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 78 ► pp. 101570 ff. DOI logo
Sawetsiri, Siyanee & Jirada Wudthayagorn
2025. Implementing Group Dynamic Assessment with Thai EFL Undergraduate Students: A Closer Look at Their Academic Writing Ability. rEFLections 32:1 ► pp. 521 ff. DOI logo
Wang, Chunyan, Yanping Kong & Minmin Zheng
2025. Reading Level Preparedness for Effective Project-Based Academic Writing Strategies: A Threshold Study. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher 34:3 ► pp. 1133 ff. DOI logo
Zhang, Yihua, Hiroyuki Eto, Jianlei Cui & Anandhan Hariharasudan
2025. Linguistic challenges of writing papers in English for scholarly publication: Perceptions of Chinese academics in science and engineering. PLOS One 20:5 ► pp. e0324760 ff. DOI logo
Zhang, Ziyi, Chunyan Wang & Yuhong Shang
2025. Are AI Tools Effective in Reducing Cognitive Load or Boosting Writing Self-Efficacy for L2 Postgraduates?. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher DOI logo
Zou, Min, Delin Kong & Icy Lee
2025. Doctoral student’s strategy use in GAI chatbot-assisted L2 writing: An activity theory perspective. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 76 ► pp. 101521 ff. DOI logo
Aksakallı, Canan
2024. Exploring the impacts of academic writing instruction on the use of academic writing norms and conventions: A qualitative study. Educational Academic Research :55 ► pp. 24 ff. DOI logo
Wang, Chunyan, Xiaoqiong You & Jiawei Lu
2023. Reading ability and challenges in a project-based academic report writing course: A test of the threshold hypothesis. Language Teaching Research DOI logo
Lin, Linda H.F. & Bruce Morrison
2021. Challenges in academic writing: Perspectives of Engineering faculty and L2 postgraduate research students. English for Specific Purposes 63 ► pp. 59 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 14 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue