The Perceptions of Undergraduate Mainland Chinese Students of the Effect of English Instruction on their Ability to Write Academic English

Zhu, Y., & Strauss, P. (2025). The Perceptions of Undergraduate Mainland Chinese Students of the Effect of English Instruction on their Ability to Write Academic English. New Zealand Studies in Applied Linguistics, 31(2). https://doi.org/10.59690/dh16304

This research project aimed to investigate the perceptions of Mainland Chinese students towards the challenges they face in producing acceptable academic writing at undergraduate level in tertiary institutions in New Zealand. The study focuses in particular on students’ own perceptions of their earlier preparation with regards to English academic writing. Although there is much research about the challenges that Chinese students face with regard to academic writing, there is not a great deal focusing on their background preparation. It appears that despite the considerable financial investment the Chinese government has made to the teaching of English in Chinese schools, students struggle to develop adequate writing skills. One of the major problems appears to be the examination system in the country. Although pathway courses offered in New Zealand appear to better prepare these students for the academic writing required of them, the students felt that the courses should be more challenging and require greater student involvement.

Keywords: English language teaching in China; Academic English instruction; Foundation studies language programmes