Affective, literacy, and cultural influences on the development of English composition skills: Perceptions and experiences of adult ESL students in academic ESL writing programs

For many adult ESL learners, learning to compose in academic English is a difficult and challenging task. These students come from a wide diversity of ethnic, socio-cultural and educational backgrounds and differences in English language knowledge. While they may be fully literate in their native languages, few adult ESL learners have had much experience with academic English writing. Not only must these ESL students gain proficiency in grammar, mechanics, vocabulary and other surface-level aspects of English composition, but they must also master American rhetorical styles and writing genres. Affective manifestations, such as the ESL learner's writing attitudes, motivation, writing anxiety, writer's block and other emotions, may influence the learner's successful acquisition of academic English writing. ESL students' native language literacy background and experience are also very important in academic writing development. Finally, cultural differences involving ESL students' relationship with the teacher, class participation and interactions with peers make a difference in their academic writing mastery.; In order to explore these affective, literacy and cultural considerations that influence the acquisition of academic English writing, I conducted a qualitative study of the personal perspectives and experiences of 21 adult ESL students from 15 different nations. The participants in this study were ESL students in intermediate and advanced ESL writing classes at two community colleges and one adult education program in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland.; The findings of my study revealed that the majority of my study's participants had difficulties in learning to write academic English. Their problems were largely attributable to a lack of academic writing experience, both in the native language and in English, as well as unfamiliarity with the writing assignments they were learning in their academic ESL writing classes. Additional findings showed that affective factors, such as writing anxiety, writer's block and writing resistance, exerted powerful influences on the participants' English writing development. Moreover, differences in the ESL student's cultural background communication and learning styles and student-teacher expectations contributed to the composing difficulties these learners experienced in academic English writing programs. Finally, implications for improving the teaching of academic writing to adult ESL students are provided.