Diagnostic assessment of L2 academic writing needs among doctoral scholars in Tamil Nadu universities

Academic writing in English is a central requirement of doctoral education in multilingual higher education contexts, yet many doctoral scholars receive limited systematic support in identifying and addressing their writing needs. This study presents a diagnostic assessment of second language academic writing needs among doctoral scholars in Tamil Nadu universities. Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 230 doctoral scholars across Sciences, Engineering, Arts and Humanities, and Social Sciences. The final questionnaire, revised after a separate pilot study, included demographic and academic background items and 26 three-point Likert-type items covering grammar and syntax, vocabulary, academic style and structure, cultural-linguistic factors, and technological/resource-related conditions. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, non-parametric group comparisons, and Spearman correlation. The results showed perceived difficulty across all five domains, with vocabulary recording the highest mean score, followed by academic style and structure. Group comparisons indicated that perceived writing difficulty varied across selected background variables, especially self-rated English proficiency and first language. Support-practice indicators, including grammar-guide use, vocabulary-resource use, style/feedback support, help-seeking, and technology-training attendance, were positively associated with related difficulty domains, suggesting that scholars experiencing greater difficulty may be more likely to seek support. The findings support diagnostic, development-oriented writing support that addresses academic vocabulary, genre awareness, multilingual writing practices, and access to writing-related resources, rather than focusing only on grammar. Although grounded in Tamil Nadu universities, the domain-based diagnostic framework may be analytically useful for comparable multilingual higher education contexts where doctoral scholars write in English as an additional academic language.