Identifying Problems Encountered by EFL Libyan learners in Research Writing

Abstract

Research writing is not an easy task as it requires an adequate background knowledge, interest, motivation, and hard work. The main purpose of this study is to highlight the major problems in research writing faced by EFL undergraduate students studying at the Department of English Language at Azzytuna University. Also to identify Libyan teachers' perceptions toward their students' works. A total of 26 EFL students and 12 teachers participated in this study. The results showed that the challenges that Libyan EFL undergraduate students face in writing research were: a lack of knowledge, difficulties in writing the literature review, a lack of library resources, relying on the internet for general information rather than gathering information from authentic sources, and being unfamiliar with the critical thinking that is needed in academic writing. Furthermore, the results also revealed that Libyan EFL students have difficulty with paraphrasing and with references. Moreover, teachers also showed negative attitudes toward their students’ work. They reported that students' work lacked proper citation, critical writing, and clarity for various reasons, some of which were that the years of academic writing were not enough for students to excel in academic writing and a lack of practice and experience in writing research papers. Based on the findings, some recommendations and suggestions for further research are provided.