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ANDIJON,2025
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ESTABLISHING CORRELATION BETWEEN READING AND WRITING
ACADEMIC ESSAYS IN TEACHING
M. Akhmedova
Kokand university Teacher of World Languages Department
+998(90)1570880
Abstract:
As educational systems around the world work to enhance literacy outcomes the
complex relationship between reading and writing in academic contexts has attracted more
attention recently. The relationship between university-level students reading habits and their
capacity to compose scholarly essays is examined in this study. Through a mixed-methods
approach that incorporates both quantitative and qualitative data the study investigates the ways
in which students essay writing abilities are impacted by their reading of academic texts. The
quality of written essays is strongly positively correlated with the frequency and depth of
academic reading according to the results. Students academic writing skills can be greatly
improved by incorporating structured reading practices into writing pedagogy according to the
findings. There is discussion of the pedagogical implications and suggestions for curriculum
development.
1. Introduction
One of the most important skills that university students are expected to acquire is academic
writing. In addition to being essential for academic achievement writing coherent analytical
essays demonstrates students critical thinking and interest in academic subjects. The
fundamental role that reading plays in forming writing skills is frequently overlooked in
pedagogy even though writing is acknowledged as a complex cognitive task. Reading and
writing are related literacy skills that complement each other according to a wealth of research
(Grabe and Zhang 2013). But in many educational settings the precise mechanisms by which
reading scholarly texts fosters the growth of writing especially essay writing are still not well
understood. Students may participate in both writing and reading exercises but their academic
progress may be constrained if there are no pedagogical approaches that purposefully combine
these abilities.
In order to close this gap this study looks at the relationship between reading scholarly texts
and producing scholarly essays for a university English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course.
The main hypothesis is that students will write essays with greater coherence argumentation
vocabulary and structure if they read academic texts more regularly and critically.
2. Literature Review
Numerous theories have been proposed to explain the connection between writing and
reading. Writing and reading are thought to develop simultaneously and reinforce one another
according to the reciprocal model put forth by Shanahan and Lomax (1986). Hirvela (2004)
asserts that reading aids students in internalizing genre conventions expanding their vocabulary
and identifying rhetorical structures—all of which they can then reflect in their writing.
According to several studies reading provides linguistic resources organizational patterns
and content knowledge that can be used as input for writing (Carson 1993 Tierney and Pearson
ILM FAN YANGILIKLARI KONFERENSIYASI
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ANDIJON,2025
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1983). In contrast students comprehension is deepened when they write about what they have
read usually in the form of essays which force them to synthesize information evaluate
arguments and articulate their understanding coherently.
Furthermore writing academic essays calls for specialized abilities like formal language
usage citation argumentation and critical analysis. Excellent scholarly readings frequently serve
as models for these. Accordingly it is thought that reading these kinds of texts improves writing
skills (Hyland 2004).
However the majority of prior research has concentrated on either writing or reading
separately with fewer studies directly demonstrating a quantifiable relationship between the
two in the context of academic essays. By employing empirical data to investigate the
relationship between academic reading and academic essay writing this study expands on
previous research by examining the frequency and caliber of reading activities.
3. Methodology
3.1 Research Design
Quantitative correlation analysis and qualitative interviews were combined in a mixed-
methods design. This methodology facilitated a thorough comprehension of the relationship
between academic reading habits and essay writing proficiency.
3.2 Participants
Participants included 120 undergraduate students enrolled in an English for Academic
Purposes (EAP) course at a public university of moderate size. The second-year students all
met the standard B2 level of the Common European Framework of References (CEFR) despite
their differing levels of English proficiency.
3.3 Instruments
Three instruments were used:
1.
Reading Frequency and Engagement Questionnaire
: This tool captured students’
academic reading habits, including frequency, genres, and strategies used while reading.
2.
Academic Essay Assessment
: Each participant wrote an argumentative essay on a
common academic topic. Essays were graded using a rubric assessing structure, argumentation,
coherence, grammar, and vocabulary (on a scale of 0–20).
3.
Semi-Structured Interviews
: A subset of 15 students was interviewed to gain deeper
insights into their reading and writing habits and perceived connections between the two.
3.4 Data Collection
Throughout the semester data was gathered for eight weeks. Interviews took place between
Weeks 5 and 7 after students finished the reading questionnaire in Week 1 and wrote their
essays in Week 4.
3.5 Data Analysis
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ANDIJON,2025
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SPSS software was utilized for the analysis of quantitative data. To ascertain how strongly
reading frequency and engagement were related to essay scores Pearson correlation coefficients
were computed. Thematic analysis of qualitative interview data was performed.
4. Results
4.1 Descriptive Statistics
Out of 120 students, 78% reported reading academic materials more than three times per week.
The average essay score across the cohort was 13.7 out of 20.
4.2 Correlation Analysis
A Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between academic
reading frequency and essay writing scores (r = 0.68, p < 0.01). Similarly, students who
reported using active reading strategies (e.g., note-taking, summarizing, questioning the text)
achieved higher essay scores (r = 0.74, p < 0.01).
Variable
Pearson r p-value
Reading Frequency ↔ Essay Score 0.68
<0.01
Reading Strategy Use ↔ Score
0.74
<0.01
4.3 Thematic Findings from Interviews
Four key themes emerged from the qualitative interviews:
1.
Modeling of Structure and Style
: Students reported consciously mimicking the
structure and tone of academic texts they read when writing their essays.
2.
Vocabulary Transfer
: Many participants stated that reading exposed them to
sophisticated vocabulary and phrases, which they then attempted to use in their own writing.
3.
Understanding of Argumentation
: Exposure to how authors construct arguments
helped students frame their own points more effectively.
4.
Confidence and Motivation
: Those who read more frequently expressed greater
confidence in their writing and reported feeling more motivated.
5. Discussion
The findings strongly support the hypothesis that academic reading habits positively
correlate with academic essay writing performance. The moderate to strong correlations
observed affirm the theoretical models discussed in the literature review, especially the
reciprocal model of literacy skills.
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ANDIJON,2025
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One significant insight is the role of
reading strategies
—not just reading frequency—in
influencing writing. Students who engaged in metacognitive strategies while reading
demonstrated better control over their writing process, suggesting that teaching reading
strategies can indirectly improve writing skills.
The interview findings corroborate the statistical data. Students internalized rhetorical
structures, genre conventions, and academic language from the texts they read. This aligns with
the concept of
genre-based pedagogy
(Hyland, 2007), where exposure to genre-specific
features supports learners in reproducing similar structures in their writing.
Interestingly, the interviews also revealed affective benefits—such as increased confidence
and motivation—arising from reading, which in turn enhanced writing. This suggests that
reading does not only serve as a linguistic input but also as an
affective scaffold
that empowers
students to engage more deeply in academic discourse.
6. Conclusion
This study offers empirical support for the close relationship between writing and reading
in academic settings especially when it comes to teaching and learning academic essays. Both
the frequency of academic reading and the application of active reading strategies are found to
be significant predictors of higher academic essay writing scores. Qualitative insights also
show how reading affects writing by showing structure imparting vocabulary strengthening
arguments and increasing self-assurance. The results emphasize how crucial it is for teachers to
incorporate reading instruction into writing curricula. Students should be required to critically
interact with texts before writing possibly through annotation summarizing and text analysis
rather than treating reading and writing as distinct activities. The correlation between various
disciplines and the long-term impacts of integrated reading-writing instruction could be
investigated in more detail.
References:
1.
Akhmedova, M. (2025). TEACHING HOW TO ACTIVATE PASSIVE
VOCABULARY. PEDAGOGIK ISLOHOTLAR VA ULARNING YECHIMLARI, 13(01),
264-267.
2.
Carson, J. (1993). Reading for writing: Cognitive perspectives. In J. Carson & I. Leki
(Eds.), Reading in the Composition Classroom (pp. 85–104). Heinle & Heinle.
3.
Grabe, W., & Zhang, C. (2013). Reading and writing together: A critical component of
English for academic purposes teaching and learning. TESOL Journal, 4(1), 9–24.
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Hirvela, A. (2004). Connecting Reading and Writing in Second Language Writing
Instruction. University of Michigan Press.
5.
Hyland, K. (2004). Disciplinary Discourses: Social Interactions in Academic Writing.
University of Michigan Press.
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Hyland, K. (2007). Genre pedagogy: Language, literacy, and L2 writing instruction.
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Shanahan, T., & Lomax, R. G. (1986). An Analysis and Comparison of Theoretical
Models of the Reading-Writing Relationship. Journal of Educational Psychology, 78(2), 116–
123.
8.
Tierney, R. J., & Pearson, P. D. (1983). Toward a Composing Model of Reading.
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