THE ROLE OF FIRST LANGUAGE IN SHAPING ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS: A CASE STUDY OF SENIOR TFL STUDENTS AT SDU UNIVERSITY

This qualitative case study investigates the effect of the first language (L1) on senior Teaching Foreign Languages students’ academic writing ability at SDU University. With demands for English academic literacy growing across all areas of higher education, it is worth exploring the effect of L1 on written practice among students. Four senior students who were enrolled in one Academic Writing course were interviewed through semi-structured questions, and written tasks were completed for analysis. The thematic analysis was applied to establish regular linguistic and rhetorical features that signpost L1 transfer. The findings indicate that sentence structure, coherence devices, choice of words, and overall organization of ideas of the students were influenced by their native language. The students reported difficulties in adhering to English academic writing conventions, but also made comments regarding the use of compensatory mechanisms such as peer review, editing, and language support software. Integration of contrastive awareness with academic writing instruction is highlighted by the study for greater support for multilingual students.