Iranian EFL Learners' Writing Problems: Developing a Context-Sensitive Framework to Practice Writing

This qualitative study investigated Iranian EFL learners' writing difficulties and proposed a context-sensitive framework considering these difficulties for English language students to practice writing. To achieve the objectives of the study, based on the convenience sampling, 14 undergraduate students majoring in English Language Translation from Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon participated in this study. Each of them wrote a five-paragraph essay. Also, they took part in a semi-structured interview to assert their difficulties regarding writing. The researchers evaluated the essays according to Jacob's five-component rubric (1981) to identify the kind of writing problems. Also, the interviews were transcribed and the data were codified based on Corbin and Strauss (2014) systematic steps of open, axial, and selective coding. The findings revealed that Iranian EFL students had problems in mechanics of writing; grammar; organization including developing the components of the essay, coherence and cohesion; content; and vocabulary as the most to the least frequent problems respectively. Moreover, negative feelings such as anxiety and lack of motivation caused some writing problems. Accordingly, the researchers developed a three-phase context-sensitive framework for practicing writing. In this framework the activities of each phase of prewriting, while writing, and post writing are specified according to the identified writing problems of the students to help them overcome their problems.