Boosting Writing Performance of University Students by The Lens Offering Solutions to Global Issues in An Academic Writing Course

Abstract

Our world is under the threat of many global issues encompassing wars, poverty, climate change, inequality, and contagious diseases. The role of educational institutions in making society contemplate the uncured problems and offer sensible solutions through wisdom is prevalent. Thus, they can be socially conscious of global problems and seek ways to eliminate them. In this regard, equipping learners with such skills is a necessity in EFL classes so that they can transfer them to other domains in life. This theme has been probed thoroughly globally; however, the scarcity of studies in Iraq inspired the researchers to conduct this mixed-method design study at a private university in Erbil, Iraq. To this end, 28 students in various departments such as IT, medical analysis, pharmacy, computer engineering and dentistry were chosen through simple random sampling to represent control or experimental groups within 3 months in the 2023-2024 academic year. The former received writing instructions with varied writing topics. Conversely, experimental group students’ writing topics focused solely on global problems, including climate change and chronic diseases, through brainstorming, debates, and collaborative writing exercises. The effects of the treatment were gauged through pre-test and post-test instruments. The findings revealed that students who received education based on global issues earned more satisfactory marks in writing, raised their awareness, and boosted their critical thinking and civic engagement skills; however, the control group students’ progress was far less than significant. This study’s findings can have some reflections for the authorised bodies interested in actively inserting the UN’s SDGs into academic writing courses.