Learning history by composing synthesis texts: Effects of an instructional programme on learning, reading and writing processes, and text quality

Abstract

It's possible that reading and writing are two of the most effective ways to learn about a subject. The incorporation of these procedures into what are now commonly known as "hybrid activities" has been shown in earlier research to have significant educational benefits. Instead of reading first and then writing, these activities demand interaction between reading and writing on the part of the individual. These assignments' reader and writer roles can be utilized to show how they have epistemic potential. By adopting techniques that teach students to analyze and synthesize texts, the current study aimed to encourage text-based learning. To do this, students were instructed to finish the two of the duties that were specified above. Such writings demand interaction between reading and writing with a purpose in mind, and in order to be digested, this interaction must take place. There were 62 students who took part in the study during the sixth grade. Of those students, 33 were given roles in the experimental group, while 29 were given roles in the control group. The results of an experiment-l program were analyzed by employing a pretest-posttest design with a control group in order to evaluate (a) the amount of learning that was reached, (b) the quality of the written texts that were produced, and (c) the synthesis text-processing activities (in a sub- sample of 32 participants). The experimental group was given instruction in the techniques required in writing a synthesis using two expository texts about the narrative via a strategy-oriented software. In contrast, the control group worked on the same material using the more conventional assignments in their normal text book. Both groups were given the same amount of time to complete their work. The students were provided with two separate pieces of expository writing on the topic as part of the curriculum so that they could learn how to put together a synthesis. According to the results of the study, the experimental group fared significantly better than the control group on a test of deep learning content processing. Additionally, the experimental group created better written sentences and demonstrated habits of processing material in a more complicated manner.