From Instructed Writing to Free-Writing: A Study of EFL Learners

Abstract

Writing is an intricate process that encompasses various factors and is a key skill for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Thus, writing assignments are vital for any curriculum. One of the essential aspects of effective writing includes good grammar knowledge. Advocates of process writing argue that a free-writing journal is a practical approach to teaching EFL students writing. This study is intended to examine the impact of the free-writing journal on EFL learners. This study was conducted on 80 students from a writing course at the University. Thirty-five students were randomly selected to join the free-writing program—the experimental group—and 45 students were kept in their regular structured writing program—the control group. The experimental group selected topics of interest to them and was encouraged to write in English freely without concern for errors, whereas the control group followed a regular structured writing program where the topics were selected for them and they wrote following a clear guideline. Five major areas were investigated to evaluate students’ progress: the number of words written, spelling, capitalization, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 students of the experimental group to elicit their perception of the free-writing program. According to the analysis, students in the free-writing program acquired better grammar acquisition than the control group. The researcher also observed students’ perception of free-writing at the end of the study and found that free-writing improved their writing skills.

Digital Support for Teaching Punctuation in Academic Writing in English

“…Different issues on academic writing are raised in several studies: grammar and lexical bundles (Akbulut, 2020;Birhan, 2021), methodology for teaching academic writing (Kwak, 2017;Hussain, 2019), error analysis (Benjamin, 2017), digital resources support (Åberg et al, 2016;Alresheedi, 2019;Bezus et al, 2021;Strobla et al, 2019), etc. However, the researchers draw little attention to the punctuation as a particular side of academic writing skills (Al-Tamimi, 2018;Ali et al, 2020;Alharthi, 2021). As a rule, they explore the results of poor knowledge of punctuation, i.e.…”

“…But mastering academic writing in English is the utmost complex and challenging task for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Nevertheless, writing is the second most sought out skill after speaking in the EFL and academic English context (Alharthi, 2021).…”

“…The study is focused on the digital tools that can support the professional process of academic writing (search engines, online libraries, phrase banks, dictionaries, grammar checkers, spellcheckers, etc.). The impact of the free-writing journal on foreign learners was examined in Alharthi's study (Alharthi, 2021). Five major areas were investigated to evaluate students' progress: the number of words written, spelling, capitalization, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation.…”

Scrutinizing Problems and Needs of Non-Formal Education Students on English Communication Skills

“…The teachers added that that writing skill seemed to be the most difficult skill for the students to master (Kampookaew, 2020). It was supported by Alharthi (2021) who mentioned that EFL students didn't prefer to do writing activities primarily, but it was the essential skill that the students were required to learn. Also, the teachers believed that writing would be the last skill that the students could achieve its proficiency which was in line with Peter and Singaravelu (2021).…”

Factors Underlying Current Saudi EFL Teachers’ Approaches to Teaching the Four Macro and Micro Language Skills

“…As is the case with instruction for the other three core language skills, the current practice in Saudi EFL classrooms reflects a traditional and product-based approach, that is, teacher-centered writing instruction with a product-oriented mode of writing (Al-Shammari, 2020;Al-Harth 2021). In this approach, Saudi teachers eliminate interactions between the teacher and students or among students and approach writing as a linear process in which students are expected to follow fixed steps, such as prewriting, writing, and rewriting, and to construct a rule-governed text.…”