Using a genre-based writing method in the distance education classroom

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the genre-based writing method in distance education courses. In this study, where action research was chosen as a research method, the researcher examined the use of the genre-based writing method in writing lessons of 8 foreign students at the B2 level who took a Turkish course over a 7-week period. For the data collection tools; the lessons’ video-recordings (observation), semi-structured interviews (interview) and the writings of the participants (document analysis) were examined. Thematic analysis was used in this study with both deductive and inductive processes. As a result, it was observed that genre-based writing method increased students' writing skills considerably in distance Turkish writing lessons. Another major finding was that the participants’ characteristics affected their success. However, in some sub-headings of this study, because of distance education’s nature, the implementation of the genre-based writing method did not show the expected successes. Finally, large-scale experimental studies containing genre-based writing method implementation and studies on self-regulation strategies in online writing lessons were suggested.