UTM summer school: boosting Japanese EFL writing via journals

Improving students’ writing proficiency is essential to ensure success in learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). However, for Japanese students, especially those with low proficiency levels, they often find writing challenging due to linguistic differences and limited exposure to writing. Therefore, the Language Academy Summer School Programme incorporates journal writing as a pedagogical tool in this programme to promote English language exposure and writing practice among students. This study investigates the role of journal writing in improving students’ writing skills. A total of 43 Japanese students from a private university in Japan participated in a two-week summer school programme at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and were selected as participants for this study. Using a quasi-experimental design without a control group, students’ pre- and post-test writings were analysed to investigate changes in CEFR proficiency levels and text length. The findings revealed that most of the students increased in their CEFR proficiency levels and word counts, suggesting that journal writing could be an effective tool for promoting writing fluency and proficiency among EFL students. This study suggests the integration of reflective writing practices among EFL students as an effort to improve their overall writing skills.