Abstract

The issue of Malaysian graduates’ unemployment, attributed largely to their flawed English language competence, has been a major concern in the country for many years. The study reported in this paper sought to better comprehend future graduates’ perspectives and practices in dealing with the English language literacies prior to graduation. This paper deliberates on the patterns and dimensions of the undergraduate students’ perspectives on the challenges they endured, together with the educational and environmental factors influencing their current English language competencies. The qualitative case study drew on data primarily from focus group interviews with 21 undergraduates from the Engineering faculty in a Malaysian public university. Individual interviews with the students, non-participant classroom observations, field notes and written summary sheets supplemented the focus group data. These data were contextualized with documentary resources from students and their teachers. Key findings centre on the complexities of students’ English language academic literacies and their pessimistic outlook on their marginal competencies in English. This study contributes new knowledge and new dimensions to understanding university students’ predicaments at the intersection of English language literacies, undergraduate studies, and the struggle for employment. These outcomes are predominantly beneficial for informing policy makers’ agendas in producing competent graduates for future local and global workforce.