Building Blended-learning Materials for Improvement of Academic English Writing Skills for Vietnamese Higher Education Students

Abstract

This paper aims to offer insights into academic and research challenges confronting Vietnamese students. This paper also indicates need analysis for designing a blended-learning set of materials for improvement of academic writing skill. Using a mixed-method approach, a survey of of 1,026 respondents was conducted with students and 10 in-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with teachers to obtain a through understanding of the issue investigated. Findings reveal that there is an urgent need for a set of writing skill materials in a blended-learning format. The research also unveils writing difficulties being faced by students of English when it comes to academic and research writing. Major challenges centred around vocabulary, grammar, structure and lack of writing practice materials. Future research concerning the examination of the effectiveness of the blended learning practice materials for enhancement of writing skills is also mentioned in this paper.