The reading of legal cases by law undergraduates: some problems and suggestions

The ability to read legal cases is one of the most essential skills for law students aiming for success 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 Empir...

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Main Author: Ariffin, Adlina
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/37007/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/37007/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/37007/1/Procedia-_Reading_cases_by_law_undergraduates-problems_and_suggestions.pdf
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spelling iium-370072018-06-12T07:32:07Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/37007/ The reading of legal cases by law undergraduates: some problems and suggestions Ariffin, Adlina K Law (General) LB Theory and practice of education LB2300 Higher Education The ability to read legal cases is one of the most essential skills for law students aiming for success 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 already possess this skill when they enrol in a law school. This attitudinal fallacy is referred to as “skills deployment assumption” (Stratman, 1990). Thus, this paper describes a research study which investigates the quintessential elements in the reading of legal cases among law students in a Malaysian public university. Its specific aims were to develop some understanding about the reading of this rhetorical genre and simultaneously to uncover the problems related to the learning process. In this research, a case study design was adopted and data was obtained through interview sessions with twelve law students. The major findings of this research show that despite the training given to the students, they still face a lot of problems in acquiring this crucial skill. These challenges emanated from three main aspects, i.e. language, time management and the nature of legal cases. Elsevier 2014-05-15 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/37007/1/Procedia-_Reading_cases_by_law_undergraduates-problems_and_suggestions.pdf Ariffin, Adlina (2014) The reading of legal cases by law undergraduates: some problems and suggestions. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 134. pp. 109-118. ISSN 1877-0428 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814031383
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Local University
institution International Islamic University Malaysia
building IIUM Repository
collection Online Access
language English
topic K Law (General)
LB Theory and practice of education
LB2300 Higher Education
spellingShingle K Law (General)
LB Theory and practice of education
LB2300 Higher Education
Ariffin, Adlina
The reading of legal cases by law undergraduates: some problems and suggestions
description The ability to read legal cases is one of the most essential skills for law students aiming for success 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 already possess this skill when they enrol in a law school. This attitudinal fallacy is referred to as “skills deployment assumption” (Stratman, 1990). Thus, this paper describes a research study which investigates the quintessential elements in the reading of legal cases among law students in a Malaysian public university. Its specific aims were to develop some understanding about the reading of this rhetorical genre and simultaneously to uncover the problems related to the learning process. In this research, a case study design was adopted and data was obtained through interview sessions with twelve law students. The major findings of this research show that despite the training given to the students, they still face a lot of problems in acquiring this crucial skill. These challenges emanated from three main aspects, i.e. language, time management and the nature of legal cases.
format Article
author Ariffin, Adlina
author_facet Ariffin, Adlina
author_sort Ariffin, Adlina
title The reading of legal cases by law undergraduates: some problems and suggestions
title_short The reading of legal cases by law undergraduates: some problems and suggestions
title_full The reading of legal cases by law undergraduates: some problems and suggestions
title_fullStr The reading of legal cases by law undergraduates: some problems and suggestions
title_full_unstemmed The reading of legal cases by law undergraduates: some problems and suggestions
title_sort reading of legal cases by law undergraduates: some problems and suggestions
publisher Elsevier
publishDate 2014
url http://irep.iium.edu.my/37007/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/37007/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/37007/1/Procedia-_Reading_cases_by_law_undergraduates-problems_and_suggestions.pdf
first_indexed 2023-09-18T20:53:05Z
last_indexed 2023-09-18T20:53:05Z
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