Written Communication Skill Development in Undergraduate Engineering

This exploratory study investigates development of written communication competence among Year 1 and Year 4 students. Six versions of a written task were developed and administered to Year 1 and Year 4 students and scored by trained teaching assistants using a consistent rubric on four elements of written communication: structure, reasoning, vocabulary, and graphical representation. We examined the effects of year of study, test version, domestic vs. international status, and gender on the four elements. Our findings reveal that year of study was a significant predictor of all four writing components, with Year 4 students demonstrating higher scores, with larger gains in structure and vocabulary than reasoning and graphics. Domestic students consistently outperformed international students from countries where English is not the primary language on all components in both years. These results highlight the complex interplay of factors influencing writing competency and underscore the importance of considering writing supports and scaffolds across the curriculum.