An Analysis Of Technical Writing Needs Of Students In Colleges Of Technology In Oman
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Date
2015-08
Authors
Hilal Al Ghafri, Sultan Hamed
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Abstract
The overall aim of this study is to analyze the writing needs of students in the Colleges of Technology (CTs) in Oman. Within this broad perception, the study endeavored finding out to what extent the Technical Writing (TW) course materials meet the TW course features and the students writing needs. It also assessed the students‟ writing needs in the CTs in Oman to investigate the gap between the current practice and the best practice. Five groups of participants were approached for the purpose of data collection; students, technical writing teachers, technical departments‟ lecturers, CTs graduates and employers. The students writing needs were analyzed by means of questionnaires, interviews and genre analysis. Data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The triangulation of sources of information and instruments helped in obtaining a more tangible picture of the students‟ actual writing needs. The study revealed a level of mismatch between the TW course content, delivery and assessment and the students‟ actual writing needs and the TW theory. Almost all the participants agreed on the importance of making a change in the TW course to suit the students‟ writing needs. The findings of the study provided recommendations to improve teaching practice of the TW course in the CTs in Oman at the levels of the TW course content, delivery and assessment based on the conducted needs analysis (NA).
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Education