Expository Essay Research Articles

Exploring ChatGPT-supported teacher feedback in the EFL context

This study investigates ChatGPT-supported teacher feedback in the Chinese tertiary EFL context and explores an innovative AI-aided writing pedagogy by integrating ChatGPT into teacher writing feedback provisions to alleviate the challenges of teacher feedback in a large class, which were reported in previous research. The participants of this study were four instructors and 102 students from two undergraduate classes in the world language education program. The students completed two writing tasks: an argumentative essay and an expository essay; then, the instructors provided detailed feedback on their essays based on the ChatGPT feedback. Two prompts were provided to ChatGPT after the training: 1) corrective feedback drawing on Ferris's (2006)15 types of common errors and 2) holistic rhetorical feedback. Afterwards, the teachers adapted the ChatGPT feedback and shared the detailed individualized writing feedback with each student. We closely examined the types and features of ChatGPT-supported teacher feedback and how EFL students incorporated this feedback into their writing revisions. The findings indicate that the ChatGPT-supported teacher feedback addressed diverse error categories and included helpful comments on the overall rhetoric. Moreover, the students incorporated more of the feedback into their revisions across tasks, which reflects their deeper engagement with the feedback content. This study notes the importance of an “AI + Teacher” model that leverages the analytical strengths of AI while maintaining essential teacher‒student interactions. This new approach of ChatGPT-supported teacher feedback has great potential in L2 writing feedback provision and will shed novel light on the writing pedagogy with the aid of AI in the digital era.

Kemampuan Menulis Karangan Eksposisi Menggunakan Media Gambar Fotografi Siswa Kelas X MIA 2 SMAN 3 Sungai Penuh

Writing skill is one of the critical linguistic aspects to be developed in language skills. One alternative to attract students' attention and motivation in the learning process is photographic image media. This research objective was to describe the writing skill of an expository essay using photographic image media in class X MIA 2 at SMAN 3 Sungai Penuh. The expository essay included structural aspects, content aspects, and linguistic aspects. The research design was quantitative research with a descriptive method. The research population consisted of 172 students of class X MIA at SMAN 3 Sungai Penuh, with a sample of 36 people. The research instruments were performance tests, observations, field notes, observation guidelines, and assessment sheets. The data collection technique in this research was giving an exposition essay writing test and documentation. The research indicated that the use of photographic image media could help students of class X MIA 2 at SMAN 3 Sungai Penuh in writing expository essays. It could be seen in the results of the exposition writing test of students who obtained a mean score of 81.25 with a percentage of 75% in the capable category.

Statistical significance, clinical importance and effect sizes: Enhancing understanding of a study's results.

The proper interpretation of a study's results requires both excellent understanding of good methodological practices and deep knowledge of prior results, aided by the availability of effect sizes. This review takes the form of an expository essay exploring the complex and nuanced relationships among statistical significance, clinical importance, and effect sizes. Careful attention to study design and methodology will increase the likelihood of obtaining statistical significance and may enhance the ability of investigators/readers to accurately interpret results. Measures of effect size show how well the variables used in a study account for/explain the variability in the data. Studies reporting strong effects may have greater practical value/utility than studies reporting weak effects. Effect sizes need to be interpreted in context. Verbal summary characterizations of effect sizes (e.g., "weak", "strong") are fundamentally flawed and can lead to inappropriate characterization of results. Common language effect size (CLES) indicators are a relatively new approach to effect sizes that may offer a more accessible interpretation of results that can benefit providers, patients, and the public at large. It is important to convey research findings in ways that are clear to both the research community and to the public. At a minimum, this requires inclusion of standard effect size data in research reports. Proper selection of measures and careful design of studies are foundational to the interpretation of a study's results. The ability to draw useful conclusions from a study is increased when investigators enhance the methodological quality of their work.

ENHANCING L2 LEARNERS' WRITING: IMPACT OF PRODUCT AND PROCESS APPROACHES

This study investigated the effects of two approaches to teaching writing (product and process) on the development of writing skills of Moroccan EFL high-school students. Two intact classes of 86 third-year high-school students participated in the present study. A pre-test was administered to all participants to measure their writing competence in expository essay writing. Each group was then subjected to a specific treatment. The experimental group was instructed to use a process-based syllabus, while the control group followed the original product-based syllabus. In the process-oriented syllabus, students were guided through various stages of the writing process via activities like brainstorming, collaborative problem-solving, free writing, multiple drafting, structured peer feedback, and teacher-student conferences. Conversely, the product-oriented syllabus focused on teaching writing through model analysis, writing exercises, and structured feedback sessions with teachers. Following the instructional period, participants underwent a post-test to assess the impact of each approach on their writing proficiency. Statistical analyses, including Paired Samples T-test and Independent Samples T-test, demonstrated that both approaches led to improvements in students' writing performance, with the process-based approach being more effective. Participant feedback on the questionnaire also supported these findings. The study concludes by outlining implications for the teaching of writing in second language (L2) contexts.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/lit/0757/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Measuring Critical Thinking Skills through Performance Assessment: The Profile of EFL Students’ Critical Thinking Skills

This study tries to find the profiles of EFL students' critical thinking skills in writing problem-solution expository essays within wetland themes. It employs a quantitative descriptive design by utilizing a validated writing test. The subjects of the study were 40 students of the English Language Education Study Program of the University of Lambung Mangkurat, Indonesia, who were enrolled in the Academic Writing courses. The essay produced by each student was measured based on the depth of cause-and-effect analysis, the logic of the argument given, the viability of the solution, and the validity of evidence used to support the argument. The findings reveal that the subjects’ critical thinking skill is categorized as medium since the mean score on the test of critical thinking is 11.38. Particularly, they have a high level of critical thinking in the aspects of analyzing the issue (3.03) and providing viable solutions (3.18). It indicates that they are able to distinguish the cause of a problem and the consequences as well and consider the causes and consequences when they propose a solution. However, their skill in providing argument is medium (2.85) whereas their skill in providing the evidence is low (2.33). These findings suggest that the subjects need to be trained in providing arguments and sufficient evidence through leading questions, discussion, and reading relevant sources. It implies that the study program needs to develop a teaching model that facilitates the students to practice their critical thinking skills.

An Error Analysis of Expository Essay Writing of English as Second Language (ESL) Undergraduate Learners in Pakistan

This study focuses on the expository essay writing of undergraduate of English as Second Language (ESL) learners in Pakistan. The study aims to identify the most common errors made by these students and analyze the reasons behind those. The study uses the quantitative method to conduct error analysis. To conduct error analysis, a sample of eight expository essays written by undergraduate second language learners of the selected college is analyzed, and the errors are identified and categorized. The data analysis identified the errors made by second language learners in expository essays, including grammatical, vocabulary, syntax and organization errors. The sample students also struggled with using the correct verb tense, forming proper sentence structure, or accurately using prepositions. The results of the study provided insights into the areas that need improvement in the learning of English as a second language in Pakistan, as well as the strategies to address the identified errors. Further research may include more areas of grammar.

The Effect of Cognitive Feedback on Improving Unity of Essays in Peer Review of English Expository Writing

Drawing upon the peer scaffolding theory and the monitoring hypothesis, this study investigates how cognitive feedback during peer review sessions on the Peerceptiv platform affects the coherence of English expository essays. Specifically, it examines the impact of cognitive feedback on enhancing the integration of essays and the alignment between topic sentences and both the overarching topic and supporting examples. The findings reveal that cognitive feedback significantly contributes to the revision process by fostering greater unity within essays. It also enhances the connection between topic sentences and their respective topics and examples, thereby improving the overall relevance and quality of the essays.

Exploring interactive metadiscourse as a practical approach to enhancing academic writing skills of newly admitted undergraduate students in Nigeria

Academic writing is a crucial aspect of undergraduate education, particularly for students in English as Second Language (ESL) contexts. This study investigates the use of interactive resources as discursive strategies in enhancing the academic writing skills of ESL undergraduates in Nigeria. A sample of 100 expository essays was used. The research employs both qualitative and quantitative designs. The qualitative component analyses the types and usages of discursive strategies employed in the selected expository writing, while the quantitative component involves the occurrence of these strategies. The results reveal transitional markers, frame markers, and code glosses were the most frequently used interactive markers in academic writing, while evidential and endophoric markers were used less frequently. These findings underscore the pedagogical significance of incorporating interactive resources into the teaching of academic writing skills for ESL undergraduate students.

Teaching Idea: Inspiring Students’ Expository Essay Writing Through Song Approach

Expository essays are divided into several different types, and the most common ones are: (i) compare and contrast, (ii) definition, (iii) example essay, and (iv) cause and effect. Using songs in the teaching and learning (T&L) of writing skills in higher education can help the adult learners improve their expository essay writing skills. Research have found that using songs in teaching the writing subject can help improve their: (i) idea generation, (ii) motivation, and (iii) reduce writing apprehension. This approach has long been used in the teaching and learning (T&L) of English language in primary education, to help improve the young learners’ language skill improvements. In university settings, this approach carries different results to different learners, yet is still proven to be beneficial at improving their writing skills. To compose an expository essay, the basic structures of: (1) introduction, (2) body paragraphs, and (3) conclusion must be present. The song approach helps the learners build their main ideas and elaborate them better, since song lyrics carry useful additional ideas that speed up the learners’ point developments, make the session much more interesting, and provide them with a relaxing and safe learning environment. Therefore, this study discusses literatures written by various researchers that are relevant to the benefits of song approach in English writing skills in general, among adult learners.

Analisis Kesalahan Berbahasa Indonesia Tataran Ejaan Menulis Karangan Siswa Kelas VIII SMP Negeri 7 Gunungsitoli

This research aims to analyze language errors in the expository essays of class VIII students at SMP Negeri 7 Gunungsitoli. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. The data for this research is the worksheet of students who wrote expository essays. The data source in this research was class VIII students at SMP Negeri 7 Gunungsitoli. The data analysis techniques used are data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. Based on the research results, it shows that spelling errors in class VIII students at SMP Negeri 7 Gunungsitoli included 104 errors consisting of: 48 errors in the use of capital letters were found, including 27 errors in usage at the beginning of sentences, 18 errors in place names, in There is 1 error in the divine name, and there are 2 errors in the title of the essay. There was only 1 error in using italics. There were 25 errors in writing derived words, including 24 errors in the prefix and 1 error in the suffix. There were 6 errors in writing the word re-form. There were 6 errors in writing prepositions found. There were 18 errors in the use of punctuation marks, including 8 errors in the use of the dot (.), 4 errors in the use of the comma (,) and 6 errors in the use of the hyphen (-).

Undergraduate Students’ Writer’s Block in English as an Academic Language: Causes, Coping Strategies Needs

This study aims to explore writer’s block in the tertiary education context and draws from 644 senior English language and literature students’ self-reports on producing academic texts in English. A mixed-methods survey design was used to collect data from the participants. Findings showed that both internal and external causes of writer’s block were at work, yet external causes were moderately more influential, while students produced argumentative-critical and expository essays and were influential in the drafting stage of the writing process. Findings also revealed that students pursued continue-to-write and avoid-writing strategies in different combinations to cope with writer’s block and needed to expand their knowledge and experience in drafting, planning, using academic language, coherence, and smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs. Lastly, findings highlighted the need for clear instructions, studying sample texts, and feedback from teachers to overcome writer’s block. In light of these findings, several pedagogical implications were suggested.

The effect of collaborative prewriting on L2 collaborative writing production and individual L2 writing development

Abstract This study investigates the effect of collaborative prewriting on L2 collaborative writing production and individual L2 writing development. The participants were 51 university EFL students from two English composition classes. One class (n = 26) was the collaborative prewriting (CP) group, and the other was the non-collaborative prewriting (NCP) group (n = 25). Both groups participated in individual pre- and post-test writing and two collaborative expository essay writing tasks via Google Docs. The CP group engaged in collaborative prewriting before the collaborative writing tasks, whereas the NCP group did not. Learners’ pre- and post-test writing was evaluated for content quality, organization, linguistic complexity, and accuracy. Learner collaboration was analyzed for reflective versus non-reflective content-, organization-, and language-related episodes (CREs, OREs, LREs). LREs were further analyzed for resolution. The results showed that the learners who were engaged in collaborative prewriting produced collaborative expository essays with better content quality and organization, and made greater improvement in the content quality and organization of individual L2 writing. The findings were discussed in relation to the CREs, OREs, and LREs produced during collaborative prewriting and writing processes.

ANALISIS KESALAHAN LEKSIKAL DAN SINTAKSIS DALAM MENULIS TEKS EKSPOSISI PADA SISWA KELAS X

This study aims to obtain an overview of the lexical and syntactic errors made by class X students of SMA Negeri 1 Bandar Baru Pidie Jaya in writing exposition texts. The method used in this research is descriptive analysis method. The population in this study were all students of class X SMA Negeri 1 Bandar Baru Pidie Jaya, totaling 272 students and who would be determined as the sample in this study amounted to 41 students. The data collection technique used in this study is a test analysis technique in the form of interviews and documentation. Meanwhile, the data analysis technique used in this research is essay which is read data, errors are identified, errors are described, errors are classified, and then the error percentage is calculated. The results of this study indicate that the level of lexical and syntactic errors in class X students of SMA Negeri 1 Bandar Baru is 3.69% for lexical errors and 42.39% for syntactic errors. Therefore, it can be said that class X students of SMA Negeri 1 Bandar Baru can already write expository essays well. This can be said to be good based on the results of research in which there are very low category of lexical errors and low category of syntactic errors

A Study on the Usage of Communication Levels in Expository Composition by Pakistani ESL Learners: A Corpus-Based Research

The research is about expository compositions which are coherent with communication levels, and the important factors of discourse. Largely, students were found incompetent to produce good writing skills and low levels of proficiency. The research focuses on the expository composition and analyses 100 students' essays from an experimental point of view which are the corpora of the study, while the research is mixed, and the nature of the research is experimental. The researchers envisaged two groups; controlled and experimental from the University of Lahore, Sargodha Campus. The researchers used Siddique (2017) as a research model and suggested pre-tests and post-tests. It was found that students’ expository essays were full of errors in the pre-test and their level of understanding of communication was weak whereas in the post-test students proved to a greater level. The research suggests that expository essays are the repository of learning whereas all levels of the English language can be improved.

Genealogy of Ancient Philosophy in View of the “Great Quarrel”: Towards an Expository Essay

This article attempts to offer a critical account of the genealogy of ancient Greek philosophy in its bid to transcend the old ruling mythopoeic culture. With this in mind, emphasis is given more to the speculative character of Greek thought rather than its technical and detailed aspects. In my account of the origin of Greek philosophy, I use Plato’s famous pronouncement (Plato, The Republic, Tenth Book) about the great quarrel between philosophy and poetry as a context to provide my analysis. In dealing with the question at hand, I develop the following interrelated claims. First, Greek philosophy made its appearance in the struggle against the mythical background. Here, even though early philosophy tried to move beyond myth, it did not completely transcend the world of mythology. Second, in dealing directly with the quarrel, I identify two issues (problems) as the basis of the conflict: A) the essence of the divine and B) the nature of the universe. Third, I sum up my article by making the following claims. 1) Greek philosophy took the crucial step in trying to explain the cosmos (world) by introducing a single fundamental principle. 2) The transition from traditional mythology to a rational account of the origin and nature of the universe is not the work of a single thinker but the effort of many philosophers over the generations. 3) A proper account of the transition is best explained if we approach it as a result of the process of “continuity in discontinuity”. 4) Early, Philosophy is not so much about the triumph of reason and science, but the conceptualization and differentiation of mythic cultures. Thus in a way, Greek philosophy emerged along with mythic culture against ‘mythic culture’ at the same time. Keywords: physis, nomos, arche, physiology, aperion, mythology, anthropomorphic

“I GOT STUCK NOT ONLY IN THE FIRST ESSAY”: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY ON STUDENTS’ WRITING DIFFICULTIES

Writing, one of the language skills, seems to be the most difficult skill for students to master. There are five aspects used to evaluate students’ writing abilities: content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. This current narrative inquiry research aims to find out students’ difficulties in writing expository essays, the factors that cause them to have difficulties, and the strategies they use to overcome them. The data of this research were taken from the students taking Writing Expository and Argumentative Essays course in the English Department of Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University. The data of this study were collected from interviews, observations, and documents. Three participants with middle-achievement levels were interviewed in three interview sessions, and observations in the writing class were conducted two times. Besides, two essays of each participant were analyzed.

Enhancing ESL students’ academic achievement in expository essay writing using digital graphic organisers: A mixed-methods research

Students in Nigerian English language classrooms encounter difficulty in writing. However, the utilisation of metacognitive strategies has the potential to aid students in organising their thoughts during writing for better achievement. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of digital graphic organisers on secondary school students’ achievement in expository essay writing and the students’ perceptions of writing challenges and the impact of the strategy. The study adopted a mixed-methods research design consisting of a within-group experimental design and focus group interview. Five research questions and one hypothesis are formulated to guide the study. An intact class size of 38 students is the subject of the study, while an expository essay writing achievement test and a focus group interview were used for data collection. Percentage, mean and standard deviation, and thematic analysis were used in answering the research questions, while a paired sample t-test was used to test the null hypothesis at 0.05 significance. The study found a statistically significant difference between students' mean achievement scores before and after exposure to digital graphic organiser charts when writing expository essays.

Use of Discourse Markers in ESL Undergraduates’ Expository Essay Writing among Undergraduates in a Nigerian University

Discourse markers (DMs) enhance unhindered flow of ideas and their relatedness in sentences and paragraphs. However, lack or misuse of DMs could lead to misinterpretation of ideas and information. This study therefore assessed the use of discourse makers as used in expository essay among undergraduates in a Nigerian university. The study employed survey research design using quantitative method. The paper examined i) the DMs used in expository essay by the participants ii) the variants of DMs frequently used in expository essay among the participants and iii) the constraints to students’ use of DMs in expository essay. The sample of the study consisted of 182 undergraduates selected through purposive sampling technique. Two instruments were used for the study: a close-ended questionnaire and an expository essay test were used in gathering data. The data were analysed quantitatively using frequency of occurrence of DMs and percentages. Findings revealed that in total, 41 DMs were used. Elaborative Markers (“and” and “also”) followed by Temporal Markers (“firstly”, “secondly” and “thirdly”) are the most frequently used DMs. Among other constraints to the use of DMs in expository essay were lack of knowledge of broad pool of the varieties of DMs/inadequate linguistic repertoire of DMs; confusion about the appropriate DMs to convey idea; and lack of knowledge on the importance of DMs in essays. The study concludes that students experienced certain constraints in the use of DMs that placed limitations on their use of DMs. This study recommended that the problems could be tackled by creating awareness among the students on the contents and application of DMs and that various texts and contexts where linguistic items like DMs are used should be discussed in the classroom to see how they are used.

Efektivitas Model Problem Based Learning untuk Meningkatkan keterampilan Menulis Karangan Eksposisi pada Siswa Kelas X IPA 4 SMAN 4 Pandeglang Tahun pelajaran 2021-2022

This research aims to: 1) describe students' skills in the aspect of formulating titles in writing expository essays using the Problem Based Learning model; 2) describing the students' skills in the aspect of paragraph development including presenting information, unity, coherence, and assertiveness in writing expository essays using the Problem Based Learning model; and 3) describe students' skills in spelling and punctuation in writing expository essays using the Problem Based Learning model. This research is a classroom action research (PTK) with a location at SMAN 4 Pandeglang. Research instruments include observation sheets and expository essay writing skills tests. This research consists of 2 cycles. The results of the research show an increase in the results of writing expository essays. The improvement of the ability to write an exposition essay can be seen from the average ability and the ability of each aspect. The average ability of students in writing exposition essays increased from 65 to 75 in cycle 1 and increased by 15.38%, while the average in cycle 2 was 80 and increased by 6.66% from cycle 1.

Aspects of EFL University Learners’ Lexical and Phraseological Proficiency as Predictors of Writing Quality

This study aims to examine the relationship between the productive knowledge of some lexical and phraseological indices and the quality of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ writing. A sample of 120 expository essays, written by semesters 1 and 5 university students in a less proficient EFL context, are rated by human evaluators and automatically examined for the target indices. The results show that, unlike the index of lexical diversity, both indices of content word frequency and range could significantly discriminate between different proficiency levels. For the phraseological indices, both the proportions of rare and frequent bigrams yielded between-group differences, with higher proficiency students performing significantly better in both categories. Using a regression analysis, the results show that the use of rare and contextually restricted content words and the production of larger proportions of rare and frequent bigrams could be considered indicators of better writing proficiency. The study suggests implications for the teaching of EFL.