The Use of Dictocomp Technique to Improve Text Structure in Writing of Recounts among Year 4 Intermediate Proficiency Pupils

Abstract

This study was sought to investigate the effectiveness of Dictocomp technique to improve text structure in writing of recounts among Year 4 pupils. The study was aimed to answer two research questions: 1) can Dictocomp technique improve text structure in pupils’ writing of recounts? 2) Does the improvement in text structure in the pupils’ writing lead to a better logical connection of ideas in their writing? Six pupils demonstrating weakness in text structure in the writing of recounts were selected as research participants. Four lessons were planned on the intervention in this research. They respectively comprised of four meticulously planned stages in the Dictocomp technique; preparation, dictation, reconstruction as well as analysis and correction. This study employed both the quantitative; tests, and qualitative; interviews and journal entries, data collection methods. The data for the tests was analyzed by its mean score and by comparison of individual participant’s results in Test 1 and Test 2. The data for the interviews was analyzed using the Constant Comparative Method. Finally, the journal entries were reviewed for key points to triangulate the data obtained from the tests and the interviews. The results of this study demonstrated that the use of the Dictocomp technique led to a significant improvement in the text structure construct in the participants’ writing of recounts. The findings further highlighted that the improvement in the text structure construct has also led to a parallel improvement in the logical connection of ideas construct in the participants’ writing of recounts.