This study explores tertiary students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of an ESL Academic Writing course that employs a reflective critical approach in its instruction. The course aims to improve students’ academic writing skills by promoting self-awareness, critical thinking, and collaborative learning. Key instructional techniques include the use of self-reflective online journals, peer feedback activities, and critical academic writing checklists. Self-reflective journals encourage students to evaluate their own writing processes and progress, while peer feedback allows students to engage critically with peers’ written work. The academic writing checklists provide structured guidance to support the development of coherent and well-organized academic essays. A survey questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale was administered to 76 undergraduate students enrolled in a four-month ESL Academic Writing course. The questionnaire measured students’ perception on the use of the reflective critical approach in writing expository essay writing skill, including perceived improvements in editing and proofreading. The findings indicate that the students perceived the approach as effective, particularly in producing improved academic essays. Overall, the study suggests that integrating reflective practices, peer feedback, and structured writing techniques can enhance the effectiveness of ESL academic writing instruction at the tertiary level.
Al-Hazmi, S., & Schofield, P. (2021). Teaching paragraph structure to improve ESL students’ academic writing skills. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 12(2), 245–254. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1202.10
Brookfield, S. D. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Bruffee, K. A. (1999). Collaborative learning: Higher education, interdependence, and the authority of knowledge (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press.
Chen, Y., & Zhang, L. J. (2023). Student engagement with peer feedback and reflective journaling in L2 writing revision. Journal of Second Language Writing, 62, 100992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2023.100992
Cho, Y., & Reich, J. (2018). Using writing checklists to support academic writing development. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 35, 12–24.
Fareed, M., Ashraf, A., & Bilal, M. (2016). ESL learners’ writing skills: Problems, factors and suggestions. Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 4(2), 81–92.
Farrell, T. S. C. (2018). Reflective practice for language teachers. Bloomsbury Academic.
Hyland, K. (2019). Second language writing (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Hyland, K., & Hyland, F. (2019). Feedback in second language writing: Contexts and issues. Cambridge University Press.
Ismail, N., Soo, K. Y., & Ismail, N. (2018). Reexamining academic reading skills of unemployed graduates through the English Language E Training (ELET) Module. Insight Journal (IJ), 1(1), 11–22.
Ismail, N., Mohd Ariff Albakri, I. S., Soo, K. Y., Elias@Alias, S., Ratan Singh, D. S., Abu, R., & Wan Mohd, W. N. H. (2024). A case study on the use of Dynamic E-IAW program module for learning ESL writing. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(5), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i5/20850
Lantolf, J. P., & Thorne, S. L. (2006). Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development. Oxford University Press.
Lee, J. (2020). Reflective writing and metacognition in ESL academic writing: A longitudinal study. TESOL Quarterly, 54(4), 890–912.
Li, H., & Han, Y. (2024). Effects of peer feedback on EFL students’ writing feedback literacy. Assessing Writing, 59, 100706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2024.100706
Mahmoudi, S., & Alavi, S. M. (2025). Exploring the impact of peer feedback-based blogging on EFL learners’ academic writing performance. Arab World English Journal, 16(1), 45–62.
Moon, J. A. (2004). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning: Theory and practice. Routledge Falmer.
Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane?Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self?regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199–218. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070600572090
Rahmat, N. H., Arepin, M., & Rahman, S. A. (2020). Analyzing ESL learners’ difficulties in writing academic paragraphs. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(3), 589–602. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v10-i3/7065
Ruegg, R. (2015). The relative effects of peer and teacher feedback on improvement in EFL students’ writing. Linguistics and Education, 29, 73–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2014.12.001
Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
Wang, L., & Wen, Q. (2019). Peer review in ESL writing classrooms: Effects on accuracy and organization. Journal of Second Language Writing, 44, 100–112.
Wang, X., Yu, S., & Liu, Q. (2025). Validating a writing feedback literacy scale in peer assessment contexts. Language Testing in Asia, 15(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-025-00405-5
Wingate, U. (2012). Using academic literacies and genre-based models for academic writing instruction: A “literacy” journey. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 11(1), 26–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.11.006
Yunus, M. M., Ang, W. S., & Hashim, H. (2022). Enhancing ESL academic writing through reflective and learner-centered approaches. Arab World English Journal, 13(1), 356–370. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol13no1.23
Zhao, R., & Xu, J. (2025). The effects of reflective writing on EFL learners’ critical thinking development. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12, 143. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05643-9
Ismail, N., Sukiman, I. S., Varma, S. B. V. R. R., Abidin, N. S. Z., Rosdi, R., & Zulkiflee, M. F. A. (2026). Tertiary Students’ Perceptions of an ESL Writing Course Using a Reflective Critical Approach. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 15(3), 1446-1461.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
