Variables Impacting Academic Writing: An Investigation of First-year TVET Students’ Writing Performance

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the variables affecting first-year TVET students’ academic writing performance in South African Higher Education. The study was quantitative in nature and a purposive sampling technique was used to select participants. The study was targeted at first-year students in Technical and Vocational Education and Technology (TVET) College in the Western Cape. The sample size of the study was 185 students. The results clearly indicated that students’ motivation for academic writing was the most important, with the highest mean. In addition, learning styles and strategies, study behaviour or study habits, difficulty managing time, and inadequate and poor-quality learning materials exert an influence on academic writing performance. It emerged from the study’s findings that motivation is an essential attribute first-year students must possess to enhance their academic writing at the tertiary level. Lack of motivation to develop academic writing skills can hinder them from acquiring the necessary skills. Most of the students asserted that academic writing posed challenges. The study concluded that there is a need for first-year students in colleges to devote time and be committed to academic writing to develop and improve student writing skills. It was revealed that attention paid to academic writing can facilitate overcoming many barriers apparent to students’ writing performance. Keywords: First-Year Students, Academic Writing, English Second Language, Student Engagement, Apprehension.