ENHANCING SOURCE-BASED WRITING SKILLS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A STUDY OF PARAPHRASING, SUMMARIZING, AND SYNTHESIZING IN PAKISTAN’S ACADEMIC CONTEXT
Keywords:
Source-Based Writing, Paraphrasing Skills, Academic Writing ChallengesAbstract
This research aims to explore the challenges and strategies related to source-based writing in Pakistani universities, with a focus on the key skills of paraphrasing, summarizing, and synthesizing. Source-based writing is essential for students in higher education, especially in academic assignments, research papers, and theses. However, Pakistani students often face difficulties in mastering these skills due to language barriers, limited exposure to effective writing strategies, and inadequate instruction. This mixed-methods study involved a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews with students and lecturers to investigate their perceptions, challenges, and teaching practices. The results revealed that students struggle to paraphrase and summarize effectively, often resorting to direct copying or patchwriting, which can lead to academic misconduct. Lecturers face challenges in providing individualized support due to large class sizes and limited resources. The study concludes with recommendations to enhance instruction in source-based writing, emphasizing the importance of explicit teaching strategies, targeted practice, and increased participation in reading and writing activities.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Abrar Ajmal, Dr. Shazia Bukhari, Dr. Muhammad Ali Raza (Author)
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