Teaching writing skills in EFL classes with blending learning

Murat Atai̇zi̇,İstek Aksak Kömür

doi:10.31681/jetol.932682

Abstract

Blended learning has become an emerging trend in the field of education and has caught the attention and interest of many researchers as a new approach to encourage students in their learning process, especially during COVID-19 disruption. Blended learning is also known as ‘hybrid learning’, ‘mixed-learning or ‘flipped learning’ in the literature. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of blended learning for improving EFL students’, from the eleventh grade, English writing skills and the student's perception of the blended learning environment at a high school. In this study, a mixed-research method was used. The quantitative data was collected through an online questionnaire, pre-test, and post-test writing scores written by 92 participants, and the qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 8 volunteer participants. Data were analyzed with SPSS t-tests and content analyses. The research findings showed that blended learning had a significant effect in improving participants’ writing skills. Participants significantly outperformed in writing exams. The participants had a positive attitude and perspective towards using blended learning in EFL classes. The limitations of blended learning highlighted by the minority of the participants were the burden of the online activities and lack of internet or mobile device accessibility. Further research on blended learning models in EFL classes in the K-12 context is highly recommended.

Highlights

Skills in language teaching settings are divided into four areas, those are writing, speaking, reading, and listening
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of blended learning for improving English foreign language (EFL) learners’ English writing skills and the students’ perception towards blended learning environment at a high school
The findings show that blended learning is suitable for teaching English writing skills in EFL classes at high schools

Summary

Introduction

Skills in language teaching settings are divided into four areas, those are writing, speaking, reading, and listening. Among them reading and listening are called receptive skills; writing and speaking are called productive skills. Writing is one of the slowest improved productive skills among these skills in the K12 context. It needs special attention(Olshtain, 2001). In English foreign language (EFL) classes, two approaches: product-oriented and process-oriented approaches are implemented into practice. The first one focuses on quantity rather than quality(Nunan, 1991). The second one focuses on quality but both teachers and learners need time to follow the processoriented writing approach which requires a few stages like brainstorming, planning, writing drafts, revising, etc. In EFL classes in Turkey at high school levels, English hours for writing activities do not accommodate

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