Problems with Rhetorical Problems among Academic Writers

Abstract

Past studies have reported varying reasons for difficulties in academic writing. There have been reported studies revealing academic writing problems stem from lack of background knowledge in the content area. Some studies reported that some writer have to deal with their fear of writing. One of the major problems in writing is not lack of linguistic competence of the writer. The source of difficulty is the lack of competence in composing. Recall the way we were taught writing- we spent much time thinking of “what” to write” but when it comes to the process of writing, we are alone. This qualitative study looks into the problems that writers face in their composing process. Three writers comprising of one undergraduate, one postgraduate (masters) and one postgraduate (doctorate) were asked about what their writing problems were. Data will be coded into specific categories to reveal different categories of difficulty faced by these writers. Findings bear interesting pedagogical implications to both teachers of writing and writers.