The Academic Writing of Arab Postgraduate Students: Discussing the Main Language Issues

This discussion paper will report on an inquiry conducted with large cohorts of Arab postgraduate students undertaking study and research at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) International Campus Kuala Lumpur. It will identify and address the main language problems faced by Arab postgraduate students in their academic writing in English. Such students need assistance with developing their understanding and application of the links between language skills and academic knowledge- building. The paper will therefore discuss ways in which language teachers might more effectively assist Arab postgraduate students to adjust to and be more successful in an academic context writing and language-use.