Creative Writing of Engineering Students: A Case Study in Abu Dhabi
Ali Ata Alkhaldi, Kuwait and Jennifer Benaggoun, UAE
Ali Ata Alkhaldi is an assistant professor at American University of the Middle East, English Department. His research interests cover a wide range of linguistics issues including Second Language Acquisition theories, English language education (ESP/EAP), creative writing, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, and materials development. He is a member of the C Group, TESOL Arabia, and MATSDA. Email: ali.al-khaldi@aum.edu.kw
Jennifer Benaggoun is currently an English lecturer and course leader for technical communications at Abu Dhabi Polytechnic, UAE. She has been working in education since 1999 in the USA and the UAE. Her research interests include motivation and the relationship between technical and creative writing. Jennifer is a member of the C Group and TESOL Arabia. E-mail: jennifer.benaggoun@adpoly.ac.ae
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Introduction
Background of Abu Dhabi Polytechnic
Rationale of the study
Purpose of the study
Methods and procedures
Results and discussion
Conclusion and recommendations
References
Appendix
Writing is possibly the most difficult skill for foreign language learners to master (e.g., Nunan, 1999), but Second Language Acquisition research (SLA) has developed many successful techniques (e.g., Seow, 2002). Rao (2007), for example, argues that writing skills motivate thinking as they help learners to organise their ideas, and develop their abilities to summarise, analyse, and criticise. Wang (2012) maintains that reading and writing activities can improve creativity. However, mastering creative writing skills may still be difficult for foreign language learners, particularly, those who study one of various engineering specialisations despite the fact that the medium of instruction is English. This research is trying to shed light on the creative writing of engineering students at Abu Dhabi Polytechnic. Undergraduate engineering students need technical writing skills for their academic studies and future careers, but creative writing is not considered. The reasons for this are possibly due to lack of awareness about the importance of creative writing or lack of interests.
Maley (2012) clearly identifies the difference between expository writing and creative writing. Expository writing, for example, is set upon standardized rules and conventions, whereas creative writing is generally more artistic and explores expressions of thoughts and emotions. Furthermore, deep knowledge and playful use of that knowledge are required for creativity to produce new connections, solution paths, and forms of expression (Pugliese, 2012). In other words, creativity is necessary to help students develop their thinking and writing skills and solve problems. This research focuses on the creativity of the engineering students in Abu Dhabi Polytechnic, in particular, it investigates the effect of creative writing and how it can help students improve their thinking and writing skills.
Abu Dhabi Polytechnic is a university college that was established by the Institute of Applied Technology to offer a variety of needed engineering specialisations to meet the needs of the market in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to contribute in achieving the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030. It focuses on a balance of educational and professional training in the hope of creating internationally qualified technologists and engineers to serve the UAE. All of the students are Emirati nationals aged seventeen years and older. IELTS Band 5.0 or equivalent is the minimum English level required for admission. This means that many students are still working towards achieving fluency in writing. The medium of instruction is English and students have practical training as part of their studies. All of them must submit technical reports and graduation projects in English to meet the graduation criteria.
Based on the researchers’ observations, the engineering students of Abu Dhabi Polytechnic have difficulty with English writing. It seems that Abu Dhabi Polytechnic students may not have appropriately mastered the skills of creative and technical writing. The reason for this is possibly that the students follow the syllabi or materials literally with a focus on how to pass the weekly quizzes and exams. Creativity is not taken into consideration amongst students due to the belief that it may not be needed for engineers; the only skills needed are in connection with writing technical reports. However, creative writing is a key skill that benefits students in various fields of study to develop their creativity and thinking skills. Maley (op. cit.), for example, argues that creative writing helps learners to improve their expository writing which makes their factual writing more genuinely expressive. Therefore, the significance of this study lies in the fact that this research helps engineering students to acknowledge the importance of creative writing in an attempt to help them improve their writing and thinking skills.
The purpose of the study is to identify the problems of engineering students in regards to creative writing and to help them improve their overall writing and creative thinking skills. Therefore, this study will raise the students’ awareness of creative writing and thinking skills. The main research question is, “To what extent does creative writing help undergraduate engineering students improve their technical writing and thinking skills?”
The researchers used qualitative research methods, particularly semi-structured interviews. They interviewed two focus groups of students who currently study in various engineering programs at Abu Dhabi Polytechnic. The participants were purposefully chosen to provide qualitative data (e.g., Dörnyei, 2007). The first group consists of eight male and female students and the second group consists of twelve male female students. The researchers developed an interview guide based on the related literature and their experience (see the appendix). The interviews were conducted in English and they were recorded on a digital tool. Afterwards, they were transcribed for analysis purposes.
This research investigates the creativity of engineering students. The main research question of this study is as follows: “To what extent does creative writing help undergraduate engineering students improve their technical writing and thinking skills?” The responses of the interviews have been analysed and the emerged themes have been classified in categories. The researchers have looked at the analysis of the qualitative data from the specific to the general and as involving the multiple levels of analysis as suggested by Creswell (2009). The researchers transcribed the interviews and read the interviews several times. They read the data thoroughly, and then they started a detailed analysis and coding (Creswell, 2009 and Dörnyei, 2007). The emerged themes are as follow:
Reading skills are useful for enhancing students’ creativity
Reading is one of the most important skills used for developing creativity, particularly creative writing. Student 1F1, for example, said “Personally, I think they [students] have to read a lot to improve their skills cuz reading is erererer just cover all the skills; writing, speaking, and uh listening.” Additionally, Student M2 confirmed the importance of reading by saying that, “Well, reading is very important, but if you read ... some books about movies and erereer stories you can read them and watch movie to make the understanding ...greater.”
It seems that students may know the importance of reading for developing writing skills. Student 2F2 gave examples, saying that “I read articles in English so I can find ererer my researches, my homework details and this stuff.” Even though students regard reading as an important skill, they may not be aware of the relationships between creative writing and reading. In other words, creative writing feeds into more creative reading (Maley op. cit.).
Furthermore, creative reading and creative writing help students to develop a reservoir of lexical items for effective language use. Student 2M3, for example, said “reading is the most efficient way to increase your vocabulary, so when you write ... read and .. you might write more than what you ererer wrote before reading the books.” Habitual reading and writing also promotes a greater sense of details; this is related to creativity (Wang op. cit.). Consequently, creative reading and writing should be emphasised more than before. The students should also have more exposure to creativity through their various courses.
External language exposure plays an effective role in developing linguistic abilities
The use of the second language outside the campus plays a key role in developing students’ language faculty. Some students found that watching movies have played a role in developing their creativity. Student 1M1, for example, indicated that movies introduced new ideas and lexis, “some of these movies that I watch are very interesting, and they open my mind to new ideas that are far more reaching than the material that I’m studying at AD Poly”. Another student, 2M1, said that, “We practised it every day in our high school and erere with ourselves or even with playing games, videos, any kind of uh English.” This shows that language learning should not be restricted to the syllabi. Students’ creativity should be encouraged through curricula and extracurricular activities to improve students’ writing and thinking skills.
First language is more prioritized and preferred in thinking and writing than the second language
The participants indicated that they generally prefer the first language (Arabic language) to initiate thinking and to organize ideas. Afterwards, they translate their ideas into English. Student 1F1 said “honestly I used to ... think in the first language.... Then I found that there is a lot mistakes.” Student 1M2 agreed by saying, “Well, the same thing. Thinking from the first language and writing the second language.” Student 2M1 from the other focus group confirmed this by saying “I think in Arabic mostly. Then I try to organize my thoughts, then translate it to English..... English gives you hard time to think about each word maybe you'll put the wrong word in uh wrong places. So you better put it in Arabic first.” Students who received their education in native English speaking countries may think and write in the second language. One student, 1M1, who spent a few years studying at schools in Canada, indicated that he is using the second language in thinking and writing. He said “I would just think about it in English and also write it in English. I would only translate it after ... writing in English if an audience needs a translation.”
Many students rely on their first language, and this may lead them to make mistakes due to literal translations, misconceptions, or the speciality of each regional or international language. This shows an interesting point about the internal process of students’ thinking which is done in the first language. However, it is recommended using the target language in thinking for effective language use (Brian Tomlinson: Personal Communication).
Lack of motivation may hinder students’ creativity
Maley (op. cit.) indicates that creative writing can increase self-confidence and self-esteem among students which leads to a corresponding increase in motivation. Dougherty (2010) indicates that some UAE students found creative writing to be a motivational experience. Nevertheless, the results of this study show that the students may not well motivated. In other words, motivation may stimulate students to write creatively and lack of motivation may hinder creativity. Student 1M1, for example, said that, “If you are really interested in a certain subject and they only offer it in English, then that is one type of motivation. Maybe ererer the pressure from your peers and your families because you ought to speak English that would encourage you to speak more English.” In another example, Student 1F1 talked about this pressure saying that, “I use English when I write some articles or when I write poems in English. Uh, even I use the creativity, for example my image-imagination in writing..... sometimes when I got angry with someone, I start writing and express my feeling on the paper.”
Students may lack motivation to write creatively despite the fact that motivation is very important to determine the preparedness of learners in learning the language (e.g. Ellis, 1994). The results of this study showed that few students who have been instrumentally motivated (Ellis op. cit.). The student 2M4, for example, indicates that grades can motivate him to write creatively. He said that “what inspires me ... is the marks... especially in college”. The motivation strength serves as a powerful predictor of achievement in SL/FL learning (Ellis op. cit.). Dörnyei (2009) also argues that motivation is an important aspect for language learning and makes an essential contribution to learning a SL/FL. Consequently, students need to be intrinsically and instrumentally motivated to engage in writing.
Writing skills of students are likely neglected
Writing is needed by engineering colleges and industry; however, the results of the interviews show that writing skills are not well emphasised. Student 1M1, for example, said “My problem personally doesn't really use ererer a lot of writing because we usually work on flow charts and uh bullet points. But I do see the potential in writing in our program especially when we want to really detail about certain components of our program.” When the interviewer asked if writing plays a role in students’ programs, one learner responded by saying “Yes, when it comes to research, you have to write your thoughts... and ererer that encourages you to give your own ideas on the subject ... to improve it.”
If students need to write technical reports, they will also need creativity in their writing. Student 1M2 said “I’ve done six years of G science studying, so they need our creative in writing... reports and the projects.” Additionally, Student 2F1 from the other focus group confirmed this saying that “Even in technical reports or proposals ererer you need something new.... That's why ...your reports are not identical; you need to have uh creativity in writing”. This shows that creativity is helpful for engineering students to achieve success in their studies.
Creative thinking is possibly not encouraged
A striking point occurred when a student revealed that their learning is based on memorization. Student 1F1 said “till now I didn't use the writing skills in my program cuz I found ahh all all of them depend on memorizing and ererer it is just like a practical skill you have to use it..., for example we have courses depend on you, how could you memorize the information or whatever the instructor gave it to you.. ererere cuz they depend on memorizing the lectures and the information”. Student 1M1 also indicated that “they absorb the information that’s given to them. They are not encouraged to think creatively.” This shows that students may use the left side of their brain where their logical faculties are said to reside (Maley op. cit.). He maintains that the right side of the brain processes creative writing which makes a balance between the logical and intuitive faculties.
Furthermore, an interesting point discusses the importance of writing and its effect on developing thinking skills. Student 2M 4 said “It will activate your brain to think creatively... it will activate you to think ...outside the books.” Another student, 2M 1, also discussed the importance of creative thinking in solving problems. He said “Sometimes when you face a problem if you are not creative, you will search the internet to have to get guideline or solve ... But if you’re creative or you understand the problem, you will create your own solution”. However, such skills are not developed appropriately.
Students generally focus on memorization in their studies rather than creativity. For example, Student 2M3 said “This is ... engineering so everything is basic, you have to learn, memorize it... you can't go off the books, if you go out the books, you'll fail the class”. This shows that some students may have misconceptions about creativity and they just follow the rules and instructions of instructors in engineering or science courses. The student 2M4 said “Because you have a lot of quizzes that you are in a schedule...That why you must follow the schedule...you can't be creative like that. If you have a little bit of time, you may have the chance to be creative.” This is another reason why the students believe that creativity is not necessary in their studies. Therefore, rote memorization and similar language learning practices can cause students to be disenchanted with the language (Maley op. cit.). In other words, the students simply learn the part that they may need temporarily, and then ‘switch off’.
Focus on grammar and spelling in the editing process
The editing process is a key part in the writing process as it focuses on editing ideas and language (i.e., cohesion and coherence). However, students may only spend time on editing grammar and spelling. Student 1F1, for example, said “I rewrite it ... I just look for if I miss some ideas that I didn't added ah sometimes I just focus on the grammar itself and the spelling mistakes.” Student 1M1 said “I also rewrite depending on the audience that will read it.... I have to change certain words and vocabulary so they can understand better”. Creative writing aids the development of language at all levels (Maley op. cit.). Some engineering students tend to focus on language at the surface level, and they may be confused between technical and creative writing. As a result, they may also edit their writing only at the surface level.
To sum up, the qualitative data of the interviews has been gathered from undergraduate engineering students in Abu Dhabi Polytechnic. Afterwards, the collected data has been transcribed and then thoroughly analysed. The findings have revealed some interesting themes:
- The importance of reading skills for developing writing skills
- The effective role of external language exposure in developing the students’ linguistic abilities
- The use of first language is prioritized and preferred in thinking and writing
- Lack of motivation hinders students’ creativity
- Negligence of students’ writing skills
- Creative thinking is not encouraged
- The focus is on cohesion only in the editing process
The findings of this research reveal that engineering students do not take creative writing into consideration. They also reveal that students’ thinking skills have not been developed appropriately, and the focus is on memorization rather than creativity. Furthermore, they reveal that students prefer using the first language to the second language in thinking and writing, and they focus on grammar and vocabulary in the editing process. This may affect their writing and thinking process, and they may keep making mistakes due to literal translations.
The college’s syllabi or prescribed textbooks may be the only source for learning; students may have learned how to follow them literally in order to pass their exams. However, the students should be encouraged to practise creative writing and reading more frequently. They should use other sources flexibly in order to improve their technical and creative writing. Habitual reading and writing contributes to a higher sense of creativity (Wang op. cit.) and creative writing leads to more successful expository writing (Maley op. cit.). Consequently, engineering students should focus on creative writing to improve their creative reading and writing skills and to balance between logical and intuitive faculties.
The findings also reveal that lack of motivation may restrict students’ creativity, since students have not been motivated appropriately. As a result, students should be instrumentally and intrinsically motivated to write and read effectively and achieve success of using the language. Creative and critical thinking activities should be included in the teaching and learning process. They should also be integrated into curricular and extracurricular tasks. To use the language effectively, the students are advised to think and write in the second language rather than the first language.
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Dougherty, P. (2010) Creative writing in English and Emerati student motivation. HCT Press.
Ellis, R. (1994) The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford University Press.
Maley, A. (2012) Creative writing for students and teachers. Humanising Language Teaching, 14(3). Retrieved from old.hltmag.co.uk/jun12/mart01.htm
Nunan, D. (1999) Second Language Teaching and Learning. Heinle & Heinle.
Pugliese, C. (2012 ) Manifesto for creative teaching. Humanising Language Teaching, 14(6). Retrieved from old.hltmag.co.uk/dec12/pubs03.htm
Rao, Z. (2007) Training in brainstorming and developing writing skills. ELT Journal, 61(2) pp.100-106.
Seow, A., 2002. The writing process and process writing. In: Richards, J. and Renandya, W. eds. Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.315-320.
Wang. A.Y. (2012) Exploring the relationship of creative thinking to reading and writing. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 7(1), 38-47.
Interview Guide
- How did you learn English?
- Do you read and write in English?
- What does creativity mean to you?
- Do you use the English language for creative purposes?
- What do you involve in your creative writing, such as ideas, themes, arguments, questions?
- Does writing play a role in your program? Explain.
- Do you evaluate and rewrite your writing?
- What motivates you to write in English?
- What do you suggest to improve the creative writing of Abu Dhabi Polytechnic students?
Please check the English Language Improvement for Adults course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Teaching Advanced Students course at Pilgrims website.
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