CONCEPT MAPPING: EFFECTS ON CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND ENGAGEMENT WITH CONTENT IN ELEMENTARY STUDENTS’ PERSUASIVE WRITING

This comparative pre-test/post-test quantitative study investigated the effect of an instructional strategy using concept mapping as a graphic organizer on the quality of persuasive writing compositions produced by fourth grade elementary school students. Six fourth grade classes were assigned as intact groups to three conditions: concept mapping treatment, four square treatment, and control. Participants wrote a pre-test essay prior to treatment. Treatment consisted of an instructional unit collaboratively developed by the researcher and classroom teachers on persuasive writing. Instruction for the three treatment groups was the same except for type of graphic organizer used (Concept Map, Four Square, or none). Following treatment, a post-test on persuasive writing was administered in the form of an essay. The concept mapping treatment group used concept mapping as their graphic organizer, the four square treatment group used the four square method, and the control group used no graphic organizer. Each of the pre- and post-test essays for both treatment and control groups were scored using rubrics created collaboratively by the researcher and participating teachers for Persuasive Content and for Engagement with Content. Only the concept mapping treatment group created concept maps during the post-test. Therefore, only the concept mapping treatment groups’ essays received a score for Sophistication of the Concept Map. One-way Analysis of Variance showed a significant mean difference in Persuasive Content and Engagement with Content between the three treatment groups. Concept Mapping had the highest mean scores on each, followed by Four Square and then the control. Pearson’s product-moment correlation showed a moderate positive correlation between Sophistication of Concept Map and both Persuasive Content and Engagement with Content. Positive correlations were also found between prior KCCT scores and persuasive writing scores and prior writing portfolio scores and persuasive writing scores. No significant correlation was found between gender and persuasive writing scores or race/ethnicity and persuasive writing scores. The results of this study indicate that Concept Mapping improves Persuasive Content and Engagement with Content when used as a graphic organizer in the writing of persuasive essays

The Effectiveness of a Blended Strategy based on Concept Mapping and Text Structure in Enhancing EFL Learners’ Writing Performance

The current study investigated the effect of a blended strategy based on concept mapping and text structure on EFL learners’ writing performance. An intact group (N = 42) of seventh level English majors at Thadiq Sciences and Humanities College, Shaqra University, KSA participated in the study in the first semester of the academic year 2016-2017. They were assigned to an experimental group and a control group, each consisting of 21 students. A writing pretest was administered to the two groups and scored by two raters using the Weir’s TEEP attribute writing scale (1990). An independent samples t-test performed on the pretest mean scores of the two groups showed that they were homogenous prior to the experiment. Concept mapping and text formatting (the proposed blended strategy) were integrated in the Advanced Writing course (Eng 413) for experimental group students. The control group received conventional instruction that did not include the proposed strategy. Independent and paired samples t-tests revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in all the sub-scales of Weir’s TEEP attribute writing scale, hence supporting the positive effect of concept mapping and text formatting on EFL learners’ writing performance. Pedagogical implications are offered

EFFECTS OF THE QUESTION FORMULATION TECHNIQUE ON SECONDARY STUDENTS’ ARGUMENT WRITING ACHIEVEMENT SCORES

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) and gender on secondary students’ argument writing achievement scores. The study was conducted at a secondary school in one suburban Northeastern school district over a 10-week period from March to June 2015. The sample of convenience included male and female students of various abilities (n = 175) and English teachers (n = 4) from Grades 9 and 10. A quasi-experimental design was used, with a pretest-posttest comparison group structure. Fourteen intact classes were randomly assigned to either a comparison group that used a traditional writing program or a treatment group that used the writing program with the Question Formulation Technique embedded within it. Instruction on the QFT was provided to teachers assigned to the treatment group and offered to other teachers when the study was completed. The pretest-posttest examination consisted of student written arguments scored via an established writing rubric. Calibration of the instrument was conducted prior to the scoring. Independent scoring of student work was conducted to ensure interrater reliability. Data were disaggregated by gender and treatment level to analyze the effects of the treatment. Consequently, a two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to determine if an interaction effect existed among the variables. The writing achievement pretest scores were used as the covariate and the writing achievement posttest scores were the dependent variable. Teachers maintained program implementation logs. Classes were also videotaped at the start and during the study to monitor the fidelity of the treatment. The results of the ANCOVA analysis indicated a significant main effect for Type of Writing Instruction Program, F(1, 164) = 23.80, p = .000, partial eta squared = .127, small, with the treatment group performing at a higher level than the comparison group. There was no significant effect for Gender, F (1, 164) = .973, p = .325, partial eta squared = .006. There was no significant interaction for Gender and Type of Writing Instruction Program, F(1, 164) = 2.06, p = .153, partial eta squared = .012. The findings indicated that using the Question Formulation Technique in conjunction with the Process Writing Approach Instructional Program did positively affect secondary students’ argument writing achievement scores. Students in the treatment group tended to score higher results for argument writing achievement than their counterparts in the comparison group. Implications for educators and researchers are discussed

Improving writing in middle school through computer assisted genre-based pedagogy

The use of computer software to help students’ written work in the EFL classroom has emerged as a significant way to address the language learning within the last decade. This paper discusses the application of a computer assisted genre-based pedagogy in a middle school, the contribution to students’ written work and the characteristics of the students’ written argumentative texts, pedagogy perception of both teacher and student, benefits and difficulties of combining CALL and genre-based pedagogy for the development of writing skills and the characteristics of the methodology implemented. This research project was carried out at La Enseñanza School which is a private and catholic institution located in the northern part of Barranquilla, the chosen group was tenth grade. The research was based on needs analysis which was carried out in the first stage of the study to identify students’ difficulties in the language. In the second stage, a qualitative method was selected which was action research and the techniques to collect the data were through the implementation of class observations, students’ interviews, students’ and teacher’s journal, and students’ artifacts. Students considered that the applied methodology was dynamic and it helped them in term of participation, concentration, motivation and collaborative work. Also, they wrote better argumentative texts compared to the students in the first stage. The analysis of the application demonstrated that students use the CALL resources to approach their language learning and support their argumentative text recognition and work. Our research highlights the relationship between genres and technologies

Representational transformations : using maps to write essays

This research was supported by NSERC (The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) RGPIN-2020-04401 and EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) EP/T518062/1.Essay-writing is a complex, cognitively demanding activity. Essay-writers must synthesise source texts and original ideas into a textual essay. Previous work found that writers produce better essays when they create effective intermediate representations. Diagrams, such as concept maps and argument maps, are particularly effective. However, there is insufficient knowledge about how people use these intermediate representations in their essay-writing workflow. Understanding these processes is critical to inform the design of tools to support workflows incorporating intermediate representations. We present the findings of a study, in which 20 students planned and wrote essays. Participants used a tool that we developed, Write Reason, which combines a free-form mapping interface with an essay-writing interface. This let us observe the types of intermediate representations participants built, and crucially, the process of how they used and moved between them. The key insight is that much of the important cognitive processing did not happen within a single representation, but instead in the processes that moved between multiple representations. We label these processes `representational transformations'. Our analysis characterises key properties of these transformations: cardinality, explicitness, and change in representation type. We also discuss research questions surfaced by the focus on transformations, and implications for tool designers.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

May the Choice Be with You? The Effects and Perceptions of Choice on Writing for College Students

abstract: An explanatory sequence mixed methods design was used to examine the effects of choice on the writing performance and motivation of college students (n = 242). The randomized control trial was followed by semi-structured interviews to determine the perceptions students (n = 20) held on the experiment as well the importance of choosing writing topics in college writing assignments. The effects of choice were tested as part of a real writing assignment that was included in nine sections of an introductory special education course. Results from hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses found choice had a statistically significant negative effect on holistic writing quality, number of words written, and intrinsic writing motivation. Findings from the semi-structured interviews provided context for understanding the unexpected quantitative results.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Learning, Literacies and Technologies 201

The Development of English Learners as Writers of Opinion Pieces

The population of English learners (ELs) is growing rapidly across the U.S. Concurrently, elementary students throughout the country are being required to produce more sophisticated writing products than ever before as a result of the heavy emphasis on writing instruction in the recently adopted Common Core State Standards. This qualitative study examined how to best support ELs as they develop as writers. It also addressed the strong need to investigate the impact of students discussing ideas with a partner throughout the writing process. In order to determine how ELs develop as writers, a multiple case study was conducted in a fourth-grade English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. The ESL teacher used the “Thinking Maps” program to teach students to write opinion pieces. Part of the program included partner talk, in which the students conversed with a partner throughout the writing process. The study took place over a period of 6 weeks. During that time, I did twice-weekly observations, took field notes, collected samples of student work, audio recorded students as they participated in partner talk, and conducted interviews with the students and the teacher. In addition to an ongoing, reflective analysis of the field notes and audio files, the grounded theory approach was used for final data analysis. The data analysis and interpretation of the data reflects the constructs and theories that initially structured this study. A number of key elements emerged from the data analysis that indicated that important supports are needed in order for ELs to develop as writers of opinion pieces. These included the opportunity to work with a more knowledgeable other, communicating despite language barriers, utilizing the structure provided with Thinking Maps, a chance to participate in group discussions, and the opportunity to examine written models to use when writing their own opinion pieces