Teachers and Students’ Perceptions on the Effectiveness of the Writing Task in the Foundation Year at the ELI

Reem Alsanie,Danyah Al-Sayeud,Wafa’A Alrezqi,Nadia Shukri

doi:10.22158/selt.v6n4p360

Abstract

The current study investigated the perceptions of Saudi female teachers and their preparatory year students on the Writing Task (WT) used in the English Language Institute (ELI) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah, KSA. To obtain a deeper insight, mixed methods were used through quantitative questionnaires and qualitative semi-structured interviews. While quantitative data were analysed using a descriptive SPSS analysis, qualitative data were analysed using a thematic analysis by NVivo. The sample consisted of 50 students (mean age: 19) and 6 teachers with different qualifications and years of experience. First, a questionnaire was distributed to elicit student’s perceptions on the WT then the 6 teachers were interviewed. The results indicated that the students had negative perceptions towards the effectiveness of the WT and that it was not beneficial in developing their writing skills, unlike some of the teachers who expressed positive views towards the WT. The findings offer future instructional implications that will help in enhancing the WT of the ELI. Some of these implications indicate that extensive writing classes must be given to students to improve their writing skills and that the writing topics must be contextualised and taken from the students’ daily life to keep them interested.

Highlights

Writing is regarded as an essential skill that all EFL learners should effectively learn, an orientation that has driven extensive investigations of teaching EFL writing in different contexts (Zhu, 2004; You, 2004; Chuo, 2007; Klimova, 2014; Ibrahim AlHashemi, AlSubaeie, & Shukri, 2017)
The current study investigated the perceptions of Saudi female teachers and their preparatory year students on the Writing Task (WT) used in the English Language Institute (ELI) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah, KSA
The results indicated that the students had negative perceptions towards the effectiveness of the WT and that it was not beneficial in developing their writing skills, unlike some of the teachers who expressed positive views towards the WT

Summary

Introduction

Writing is regarded as an essential skill that all EFL learners should effectively learn, an orientation that has driven extensive investigations of teaching EFL writing in different contexts (Zhu, 2004; You, 2004; Chuo, 2007; Klimova, 2014; Ibrahim AlHashemi, AlSubaeie, & Shukri, 2017). Writing materials and tasks should be best designed and delivered to improve students’ English proficiency and their academic writing skills. The present study aims at exploring female teachers’ perceptions on Writing Task (WT) offered by the English Language Institute (ELI) at King Abdul-Aziz University (KAU) to female preparatory-year students. There are three research questions pursued in the current study which are: 1- From teachers’ perceptions, how can the WT offered by the ELI best be designed to improve students’ levels in writing? 1.1 Background The ELI at KAU provides the preparatory-year students with four English courses that aim to improve students’ reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills. Writing teachers as well as students are expected to refer to the Writing Pack and Composition Booklet designed by the ELI to check writing materials and instruction that need to be covered

Objectives

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Conclusion