Guided Task-based Planning and Writing Accuracy: The Case of Iranian Lower-intermediate EFL Learners

Abstract

This study examined the effects of applying one type of guided task-based planning on pre-intermediate Iranian EFL learners' writing accuracy. The guided pre-task planning used in this study was of three types: meaning-based, form-based and meaning and form based. To fulfill the purpose of the present study, forty eight low-intermediate female EFL learners' studying at Rahamooz Shokooh English language institute in Ghaemshahr, Mazandaran, Iran, were selected from among a total number of 100 students through their performance on the Nelson test of proficiency. The selected forty eight low-intermediate learners were randomly assigned to three experimental groups of sixteen students. In the form-based pre-task planning group, the learners were first taught how to plan the form of their written production in five minutes for eight consecutive sessions. In meaning-based pre-task planning condition, the learners were given instructions about planning the content of their argumentative writings in five minutes for eight sessions. In the third group, however, the learners were helped to focus both on form and content in five minutes for eight consecutive sessions. Then, they engaged in planning. The three groups received the same pre-test as post-test and the same topic in each of the eight sessions with the same examples. After collecting and analyzing the pretest and posttest data, the results showed the significantly superior effects of form- and meaning-based pre-task planning on the accuracy of the production the learners’ writing.