Article abstract

Journal of Educational Research and Review

Research Article | Published September 2017 | Volume 5, Issue 5, pp. 71-78

The effect of writing strategy instruction on ESL intermediate proficiency learners’ writing performance

 

 

 

Mimi Estonella Binti Mastan*
Nooreiny Maarof
Mohamed Amin Embi

 Email Author

 

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM, Bangi Selangor, Malaysia.

 

 

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 Citation: Mastan MEB, Maarof N, Embi MA (2017). The effect of writing strategy instruction on ESL intermediate proficiency learners’ writing performance. J. Edu. Res. Rev. 5(5): 71-78.
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 Abstract 

 

The use of effective writing strategies has been shown to assist learners, especially ESL or EFL learners, in their writing skills. However, many learners and teachers are still unaware of the various writing strategies that can facilitate students’ writing. Thus, this study examined the effect of writing strategy instruction on ESL learners’ writing performance. The participants of the study were 36 intermediate proficiency level ESL students from two intact classes. One class was randomly assigned to the instruction group and the other to the control group. During an eight-week treatment period, the instruction group was exposed to the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) approach focusing on metacognitive and cognitive writing strategies. The results of the study show that the strategy instruction group had outperformed the control group with a statistically significant increase in scores from pretest to posttest (M = 41.11, SD = 6.80, t (17) = -14.66, p<.000 two-way analysis). An important implication of this study is that the explicit instruction of writing strategies has a positive effect on ESL students’ writing performance and thus should be made an essential part of ESL writing pedagogy.

 

Keywords   writing strategies    Malaysian ESL learners     strategy instruction    

 



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