What do Education students think about their ability to write essays?

Abstract

The present study reflects the results obtained from a diagnosis carried out with Education students concerning the writing of academic essays. The objective was to identify the perceptions that Comprehensive Education students have about their ability to write academic essays. A descriptive cross-sectional research study was conducted at a single point in time, and in this case, in a single period or academic cycle, on the subject of written expression. In order to analyze the results from a mathematical-statistical perspective, descriptive statistics were used, in particular the calculation of the mean and the percentage analysis. The results showed that, of the 26 students, 50% rated themselves to have a fair level of essay writing ability. These self-assessment results do not correspond to the quality of the essays written by the students, who demonstrated a low level of essay writing ability. The practice of writing essays is a fundamental activity for the development of written communication at the university level; however, the teaching-learning process must be planned, since this type of writing is one of the most complex skills and has the greatest potential for explaining one’s position and writing creatively. In no way can it be left in the hands of the students; it is necessary to formulate a different learning process that helps the students write essays of better quality.