Taiwanese College Students’ Perceptions about Their English Reading and Writing Problems

Abstract

Part of the impact of globalization on Taiwan's English education has increased the important need to become proficient in English for academic and occupational purposes. To help EAP (English for academic purposes) or ESP (English for specific purposes) teachers to design suitable English curriculum, this study aimed to investigate how a group of undergraduate students in Taiwan perceived their English reading and writing problems. A survey and a semi-structured group interview were conducted to collect data. Results of self-reported data show that most of them were intermediate readers, but they were mostly less-experienced writers in English. In their response to the survey and the semi-structured interview, these EFL students also described their perceptions about their common reading and writing problems.