The challenges in the reading of legal cases: students’ perspective

Ariffin, Adlina (2013) The challenges in the reading of legal cases: students’ perspective. In: International Conference on Languages, Lingusitics and Society, 22-24 Oct. 2013, Promenade Hotel, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

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Abstract

The ability to read legal cases is one of the most essential skills for law students to be successful in their discipline. It is particularly fundamental since case law is one of the main sources of law. Christensen (2006) in her research entitled "Legal Reading and Success in Law School: An Empirical Study" shows that students who are able to read judicial opinions effectively and efficiently are more successful in their studies. However, the most common assumption is that students would have possessed this skill when they enroll in a law school. This attitudinal fallacy is referred to as “skills deployment assumption” (Stratman, 1990). Thus, this paper describes a research which attempted to investigate the quintessential elements in the reading of legal cases among law students in a Malaysian public university. Specifically, it aimed to develop some understanding on the reading of this rhetorical genre and simultaneously uncover the problems related to the learning process. This study which adopted a case study design obtained the data through interview sessions with twelve law students. The major finding of this research showed that despite the training given to the students, they still faced a lot of problems in acquiring this crucial skill. These challenges emanated from three main aspects i.e. language, time management and nature of legal cases.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Plenary Papers)
Additional Information:	3490/36236
Uncontrolled Keywords:	language for specific purposes, legal English, reading legal cases, case reading.
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PB Modern European Languages
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Centre for Languages and Pre-University Academic Development (CELPAD) > English Language Division
Depositing User:	AP Dr Adlina Ariffin
Date Deposited:	09 Apr 2014 12:02
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2019 09:58
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/36236

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