Enhancement of Writing Skills in English of Engineering Students Through Autobiographies — A Literature-Based Approach

Abstract

This study emphasizes the importance of writing skills in English and analyses from various perspectives the reasons for the present-day students lacking good writing skills in English. The authors insist on reading of autobiographies for better enhancement of writing skills and the insistence is justified appropriately. The paper begins with the importance of writing skills in the present scenario, throws light on literature-based approach and a detailed description of the methodology adopted by the researcher including conduct of a pre-test for the selected students of engineering students from various branches of engineering (at the entry-level), a three-month session on reading of select autobiographies along with language activities for the selected students, and a post-test after reading the autobiographies (at the exit level). The statistical approach paired-t-test and one-way ANOVA have been used to examine the efficiency of the autobiographies that help to improve the writing skills of students in English based on the marks secured in the post-test. A comprehensive input was given on the autobiography reading session by the students selected for the experiment. The performance of the students in the tests bears testimony to the fact that reading of autobiographies remarkably enables learners to enhance their writing skills.