Self-Introduction Writing Education for College Freshmen Considering Genre Characteristics

This study aimed to propose ways to improve students’ writing skills using a letter of self-introduction in writing education for university freshmen. Currently, education on self-introduction letters targets students of different grades considering the characteristics of the letters oriented toward seeking employment. However, it is also necessary to teach university freshmen how to write such letters, not only because of university freshmen’s need to learn about self-introduction letters but also the fact that they often must submit self-introduction letters. To understand the current status of education on self-introduction letters that university freshmen received in high school, the textbook Speech and Writing, one of the selective subjects, was reviewed. Also, the limitations of self-exploratory writing in creating writing content in university liberal arts education were examined. As a result, this author concluded that what university freshmen should note in writing self-introduction letters is not just themselves, the object of writing, but also the “reader,” the context of communication, and “introducing,” the purpose of writing such letters. Education on writing self-introduction letters for university freshmen should be aimed at not only self-exploration to examine their career path or jobs but also at enhancing the basic writing skills required of university students. To this end, this researcher notes the need to select educational content that can improve students’ abilities to consider the genre characteristics of self-introduction, analyze the “reader” and organize and express contents that meet the reader’s needs properly, and achieve the goal of communication by considering the context in which the “introduction” takes place. Because it is not the first time for university freshmen to learn about the situation of self-introduction, this study suggests a method of education that starts by allowing them to check their current status on their own, for instance, what type of concept they have about self-introduction letters or how they write one. In addition, this study proposes a method of education that allows them to experience reading various examples of self-introduction letters as a “real reader” and organize the impressions that the letters made on them so as to discover effective strategies to write a self-introduction letter and apply them to their own writing.