Writing Development across Academic Levels: Evidence from Moroccan Higher Education

Abstract

Writing development constitutes an essential component of academic success in higher education, as students are expected to demonstrate increasing control over organisation, grammar, vocabulary, coherence, and mechanics throughout their academic careers. Yet, understanding how writing develops remains a complex issue. The present study aims to investigate the development of writing with special reference to Moroccan university undergraduate students. One hundred and twenty-three university students from Sultan Moulay Slimane University in Morocco participated in the current study. A mixed-methods design was adopted, combining students’ questionnaire responses and analysis of actual written texts. The questionnaire explored students’ perceptions and writing-related practices, whereas the written letters were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively, particularly in terms of several writing dimensions. The findings indicated both similarities and differences were observed across several dimensions, suggesting that writing may not develop across academic levels. While certain aspects appeared to show improvement, others remained relatively stable or uneven across second-year and third-year students. The study contributes to the understanding of writing development in Moroccan higher education and highlights the need for instructional practices that support sustained writing improvement across academic levels.