Effects of using Inspiration software on Iranian EFL learners’ prewriting strategies

Abstract

The motive behind this study was to figure out (a) whether teaching prewriting strategies via the computer software Inspiration 9 could be used as a viable resource to boost EFL learners' command of L2 writing, and (b) whether the targeted L2 learners welcomed the application of this software for the purpose of prewriting strategies instruction. To meet the objectives of the study, 63 intermediate Iranian EFL learners (41 female and 22 male) who were studying English in intact classes at Jahad Daneshgahi, Isfahan, Iran, were conveniently accessed. The learners formed an experimental group, which was taught, through Inspiration 9 software, to use prewriting strategies pertinent to generating ideas through freewriting, brainstorming, listing, clustering, and asking wh-questions during the planning stage of writing, and a control group, in which the learners received the same type of instruction in a traditional classroom setting. Data obtained from writing pretest and posttest scores of the two groups were analyzed through independent-samples t tests, and the results indicated that the experimental groupers significantly outperformed their control group counterparts after the instructional period ended. A researcher-made questionnaire was also handed out to the learners in the experimental group, the results of which, analyzed through one-sample t test, revealed that the EFL learners under investigation held positive attitudes towards the teaching of prewriting strategies via the computer software Inspiration 9. Implications for ELT teachers include, among other things, incorporation of useful technological tools, such as Inspiration 9, in L2 teaching classes.