EFL Writing Research Articles

Using Edmodo as a Social Platform to teach EFL Writing for Preparatory School Students

This study aimed to identify the perceptions of preparatory school students studying in the School of Foreign Languages in a state university towards using Edmodo to improve their writing skill in English. The participants were 52 students who used Edmodo together with Google Docs collaboratively and interactively for their nine collaborative and individual writing tasks. Besides, the teacher has uploaded some course materials onto Edmodo to support their learning process. The students have studied various EFL writing tasks for one semester through Edmodo. In order to collect the data, convergent parallel design of mixed design was adopted. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analysed separately, then they were classified and interpreted together. The results revealed that the participants highly favoured using Edmodo for their writing classes and found it very useful and enjoyable, and they also pointed out that using Edmodo interactively helped them develop their writing skill. In addition, they highly appreciated the e-portfolio function of Edmodo since it has provided easy access to their previous tasks and related feedback.

Still taboo? Using machine translation for low-level EFL writers

Abstract This study investigates the application of machine translation (MT) in an EFL writing class and its impact on lower proficiency level writers. Theoretically grounded in the social nature of learning, the MT-based writing class is applied to students in four steps: planning, drafting with MT, revising MT output, and individual writing with MT. The peer-editing process and the teacher’s guidance have been found to be critical factors in terms of enhancing students’ metalinguistic awareness at both the micro-level and macro-level revisions of MT output. Additionally, by gaining confidence and motivation, the students become more autonomous and self-directed. The results of this study provide insights into how an MT-based EFL writing class can be conducted successfully by including peer and teacher feedback and thus result in MT being viewed as an effective tool, rather than being considered taboo for helping lower level EFL learners in writing.

Project-Based Learning in Teaching EFL Writing: An Analysis of the Effect on The 5 Dimensions of Writing

Education has begun to see important constructivism in recent years to create effective teaching/learning strategies. There are several teaching models which are constructed based on constructivist theory. One of those models is Project-Based Learning. This study aims to analyze the effect of Project-Based Learning on students’ writing skill of grade IX students. This study implied embedded mixed method design, in which the quantitative data were considered as the main data. The data were collected through guided interview, observation, open-ended questionnaire, and writing test. Paired-sample t-test was used to analyze whether or not there is a significant difference in students’ writing skill before and after being taught using PBL, and Manova was used to analyze how project-based learning affected students’ writing skill in term of content, organization, structure, vocabulary, and mechanic. While the qualitative data were analyzed descriptively. The result showed that Project-Based Learning has significant effect on students’ English writing skill and it also affected the students’ writing skill in term of content, organization, structure, vocabulary, and mechanic (sig. =0.000 < α =0.05). Project-Based Learning also revealed potentially promotes students’ critical thinking, creativity, collaborative work, and enhances teacher’s satisfaction in teaching. In general, it can be concluded that Project-Based Learning significantly improves students’ writing skill of the grade IX students.

Project-Based Learning in Teaching EFL Writing: An Analysis of the Effect on The 5 Dimensions of Writing

Education has begun to see important constructivism in recent years to create effective teaching/learning strategies. There are several teaching models which are constructed based on constructivist theory. One of those models is Project-Based Learning. This study aims to analyze the effect of Project-Based Learning on students’ writing skill of grade IX students. This study implied embedded mixed method design, in which the quantitative data were considered as the main data. The data were collected through guided interview, observation, open-ended questionnaire, and writing test. Paired-sample t-test was used to analyze whether or not there is a significant difference in students’ writing skill before and after being taught using PBL, and Manova was used to analyze how project-based learning affected students’ writing skill in term of content, organization, structure, vocabulary, and mechanic. While the qualitative data were analyzed descriptively. The result showed that Project-Based Learning has significant effect on students’ English writing skill and it also affected the students’ writing skill in term of content, organization, structure, vocabulary, and mechanic (sig. =0.000 < α =0.05). Project-Based Learning also revealed potentially promotes students’ critical thinking, creativity, collaborative work, and enhances teacher’s satisfaction in teaching. In general, it can be concluded that Project-Based Learning significantly improves students’ writing skill of the grade IX students.

The Effect Of Indirect Coded Versus Indirect Non-Coded Corrective Feedback On Improving Students’ Grammatical Accuracy Of EFL Writing Class

The aimed at investigating the effectiveness of indirect coded CF and indirect non-coded CF on improving grammatical accuracy at the fourth semester students of English Literature Study Program Flores University in 2013/2014. This research was quasi-experiment with pre-test-post-test non-equivalent design. As the sample, 54 students in three intact classes with 18 students of each class were randomly assigned to three groups; indirect coded CF, indirect non-coded CF, and control groups. Free writing was the major source of data. The scoring scheme adopted based on the five categories; content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. The instrument reliability was assessed by the inter-rater technique. ANCOVA was to analyze data continued by post-hoc Scheffe. The upshots denote that (1) indirect-coded CF and indirect non-coded CF have a significant difference of effectiveness on grammatical accuracy in the second draft with self editing strategy: (2) indirect coded CF is more effective than indirect non-coded CF, and that of control group in the second draft with self-editing strategy; (3) indirect coded CF and indirect non-coded CF have a significant different in a new draft; (4) indirect coded CF is more effective than indirect non-coded CF, and that of control group in a new draft

EFLライティングにおける，授業目標とルーブリック評価， 学習者の認知との関係

EFLライティングにおける，授業目標とルーブリック評価， 学習者の認知との関係

Differences in the Use of Reporting Verbs Between Korean EFL Writers and Native English Writers

Differences in the Use of Reporting Verbs Between Korean EFL Writers and Native English Writers

Students’ Peer Feedback in EFL Writing Class of English Study Program

As a part of writing process, feedback in writing place as the significant role and peer feedback is one type of feedback in classroom activities. This study was intended to find out the facts and expectation on peer feedback in writing classroom. A classroom-based research was employed as the research design and the participants were the students in writing 2 and writing 4 courses. Furthermore, Classroom observation, in-depth interview and review of related documents were designed to collect the data. The findings revealed that the application of peer feedback was not properly applied; it was more focused on the surface areas (grammatical errors, spelling and error punctuation) and neglected to the content and organization of writings. It could happen because the students lack of trainings and unavailability of rubric and guidelines provided in the writing classroom activities. For that reason, the students didn’t know the ways to provide meaningful and constructive feedback. They also have negative point of view about the peer feedback in writing courses. The students expected that providing writing rubric containing content and organization aspects precisely in giving feedback and guiding them step by step in taking and giving peer feedback should be considered by the lecturers for better improvement in the future.

Flipped Classroom Method with Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in EFL Writing Class

This study revealed the strengths, weaknesses, and effectiveness of the flipped classroom with CALL in EFL writing class. A mixed-method approach was used to achieve the goals of the study. An embedded quasi-experimental methodology design was used to achieve the aims of this study (i.e., quantitative and qualitative data analysis). There were a hundred and fifty Indonesian EFL university learners who participated in this study. This study also involved 14 EFL writing teachers who experienced implementing the flipped classroom with CALL from five universities. The results of this study revealed that a flipped classroom with CALL in EFL writing class has many advantages, such as stimulating learner autonomy, improving teaching and learning processes, providing more time for EFL writing and input during face-to-face meetings, promoting active learning, student learning responsibility, and peer collaboration. Besides, some drawbacks were also found from its implementation. However, implementing the flipped classroom in the current study positively affects the EFL writing course. This study implies that teachers can include online resources such as videos from reputable sources or make their videos as learning materials if possible.

Holistic vs. Analytic Scoring between Expository and Narrative Genres: Does the Assessment Type Matter?


 The unprecedented emphasis on EFL students' development of their writing skills has invited researchers and EFL instructors to look for the most effective methods of teaching writing and assessing it. Within this context, two main dominant assessment types have been used by EFL writing instructors: holistic and analytic scoring with ambiguous research findings about the use of each. Moreover, ambiguity has also been surrounding variability in raters' scoring across genre types. This study aims at uncovering the difference between using the two scoring schemes across two genres in EFL writing: expository and narrative. Two texts each representing a genre type from 10th grade EFL writers' compositions were presented to a sample of 90 in-service EFL teachers for holistic scoring. Two months later, the same texts were presented to the same teachers for analytic scoring in order to compare between the grades assigned in each round for arriving at results. Results suggest significant differences between the scores obtained according to the grading method. Also, narrative essays received higher scores in both assessment types. These results are discussed, and recommendations are derived.

Metacognitive strategy use in L2 writing assessment

Despite a large body of literature on self-regulated learning and metacognitive strategy use, relatively few empirical studies were situated in authentic assessment settings to explore the types of strategies employed by L2 learners, especially L2 writers, and how such strategy use may affect their assessment performance. Using a post-test metacognitive writing strategies questionnaire, this study therefore examined the type and effect of metacognitive writing strategy use among about 200 EFL students immediately after completing the writing assessment on a university placement test. Factor analysis of empirical data pointed to five main types of strategies employed by EFL writers when composing under a timed testing setting. Correlation and regression analysis, however, revealed limited and mixed effect of such strategy use on writing assessment performance. Results from this study call for a more nuanced and sophisticated treatment and measurement of metacognitive strategy use in future research, particularly in instrument design and threshold effect testing. Such new evidence can inform writing pedagogy, especially in the face of a recent call for integrating metacognitive strategy instruction into L2 writing classrooms.

The Impact of Assessment Training on EFL Writing Classroom Assessment: Voices of Mexican University Teachers

The extent to which writing assessment training (WAT) impacts writing scores has been widely explored in L2 testing contexts. However, little is known of the benefits of WAT to classroom assessment of writing. This paper analyzes the impact of two WAT sessions on the classroom assessment of writing of eleven EFL Mexican university teachers. Twenty-two interview transcripts suggested an impact in three main areas: classroom teaching of writing, classroom assessment of writing, and teacher self-awareness. The category of teacher self-awareness displayed the most impact. The paper proposes a categorization of impact on writing assessment.

Overlap and Repair of Turn- Taking System during Collaborative Oral Peer-Feedback in an EFL Writing Course

Overlap and Repair of Turn- Taking System during Collaborative Oral Peer-Feedback in an EFL Writing Course

The Integration of Corpus-Based Approach with EFL Academic Writing in the Saudi Context

This study aims to identify the role of integrating technology in enhancing the use of language. The impact of utilizing the corpus-based approach (CA) on EFL learners’ academic writing is investigated; highlighting the effects of this integration on L2 learning and writing approaches. The competence development in EFL academic writing skills is asserted by tackling the contextual factors that influence corpus integration. This qualitative study is based on (10) case studies on non-native students in EFL academic writing courses. The corpus approach in this study was implemented during the fourth year of their English undergraduate program in the first semester of the academic year 2019/2020. Five different instruments were used to achieve the study purposes. The findings indicate the positive effect of incorporating corpus and its use in EFL students’ academic writing development and language awareness. The lexico-grammar integration has also been promoted significantly. The corpus-based approach enables participants to solve the problems they encountered while writing independently. Students also gain more confidence and become more autonomous and independent EFL writers. In this study attention is drawn to the participants’ language and learning background experience as factors that can shape the students’ progress and success in corpus implementation. The distinctive role of general corpora in association with the development of the academic writing skills is further highlighted. It is hoped that that the current study will reinforce the tendency of incorporating grammatical language aspects such as collocations and phrasal verbs in the writing pedagogy process.

The use of Picture series on Instagram to improve students’ writing in EFL Writing class

Instagram has been used as the medium to upload photos, e.g. picture series. The current research was intended to find out I) whether picture series on Instagram could facilitate students to improve their writing achievement, II) students' perceptions of the use of picture series. The design of the research was mixed quantitative and qualitative approaches. The subjects of the research were 31 students of the first grade of SMA Negeri 2 Bandar Lampung. The data were collected through the writing tests (pre and post-tests) and questionnaires. The results showed that (i) there was a statistically significant improvement of the students’ writing achievement after the students were taught using picture series on Instagram with the significant 0.05. (ii) There were positive perceptions of the use of picture series on Instagram. This suggests that picture series on Instagram facilitates students to improve students’ writing achievement. Keywords: Picture Series , Instagram , writing achievement, EFL Class.

Exploring the Effects of Mediation in Group-Dynamic Assessment (G-DA) Approach for an Iranian Undergraduate EFL Writing Course

The present study employed a cumulative format of Group Dynamic Assessment (G-DA), an assessment approach that integrates instruction into assessment, and adopted an interactionist approach to DA to conduct a semester-long mediation program in a writing course, which aimed at improving the writing ability of 15 (8 males and seven females) intermediate proficiency level sophomore students of English Language and Literature, in a State University in Iran. The students’ performances on non-dynamic writing pre- and post-tests and nine in-class dynamic writing tasks, completed during the DA sessions, were compared using independent samples t-test and mixed between-within subjects analysis variance (ANOVA), respectively. More specifically, the participants were divided into the two groups of more-skilled and less-skilled student writers, and then their performance was compared. The results indicated that the mediation offered had been highly effective in improving the writing competence of both groups of more- and less-skilled writers. They have been equally able to benefit from the mediation received and resolve their problems in writing. In addition, the dominant patterns of tutor mediational and learner reciprocity moves from a recorded DA intervention session were identified to see how they can lead to the learners’ writing development.

Collaborative and Individual Writing Strategies for EFL Writing Instruction: Outcomes and Perceptions

Collaborative and Individual Writing Strategies for EFL Writing Instruction: Outcomes and Perceptions

EFL Writing Students’ Responses towards Teacher Feedback to Enhance Their Writing Quality

This study deals with seventy-six students’ feelings and perceptions on the teacher feedback that they received from their writing classes. Teacher feedback is sometimes seen as something unwanted, sickening, and even frustrating. Some students do not like getting feedback from their teachers as they think that the feedback corners them, pinpointing their weaknesses and errors. This makes them full of stress and have greater anxiety. Those aspects may be the negative sides of feedback that some students perceive. As a matter of fact, if learners are willing to look deeper into the benefits of feedback that teachers give, especially in writing, they will not feel the negative sides of feedback. Instead, they will crave and wait for it. The purpose of this study is to reveal the perceptions of 76 EFL learners’ reactions towards teacher feedback that they received in their writing classes. The results of the study hopefully can inspire writing lecturers to give supportive corrective feedback, so that EFL learners’ writing can be improved.

EFL Writing Instruction Research in Morocco: A Historical Overview

This paper is an attempt to trace and discuss how writing instruction research has evolved in the Moroccan EFL context over years. It also seeks to show that most EFL scholars were reactive and not proactive in dealing with this skill; they carried out their studies in response to the composing problems Moroccan EFL learners, at the secondary school or university level, face. The ultimate goal has always been the attainment of a research and evidence-based methodology that would render the writing skill accessible and learnable for most learners. Different writing-related topics have been studied thoroughly. But this paper is limited to the salient issues that Moroccan researchers have placed a premium on such as feedback, methodology, scoring and errors. Finally, the paper concludes with the allusion to some defective aspects of these studies and suggests other EFL writing trajectories for scholars to consider in future studies.

Tapping the Potential of Pigai Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) Program to Give Feedback on EFL Writing

With the rapid development of educational technology, studies on automated writing evaluation (AWE) program have been gaining more ground in EFL writing education, particularly due to its potential in giving continuous, formative feedback on students' writing performance. However, little research has paid attention to the effectiveness of giving and receiving AWE feedback on improving EFL learners' writing performance from cognitive, constructive and sociocultural dimensions. By drawing on the Cognitive Constructivism theory, particularly the Cognitive process writing theory, and Sociocultural theory in particular the notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and Scaffolding, this article reviews past studies done on the use of AWE programs in teaching English writing and this article also attempts to propose for an AWE program called Pigai to be embedded as a teaching paradigm for EFL teachers to apply in writing classes for Chinese EFL students in China in giving continuous and formative feedback to their students, in order to improve English writing teaching and positively affect EFL students' writing performance. At the end of the article, the authors also offer strategies of the implementation of the Pigai AWE program through a framework for Pigai to be used with EFL learners.