The effects of a feedback-based instruction programme on developing EFL writing and revision skills of first year Moroccan university students

The stimulus for this study was problems I encountered in my teaching of academic writing to first year undergraduates majoring in English at a Moroccan university. Their problems ranged from sentence, to paragraph to essay levels. Added to that was my realization that the teaching of writing is mainly product-oriented and that practice is far from theory. Students are expected to produce good writing, but the means for helping them attain the required writing standards are not clearly identified or provided. A focus on narrative writing seems not to serve the purpose of training students to make their voices heard in argumentative writing. Reliance on lecturing as a means of teaching writing robs the writing class of an appealing social environment. These problems combined with a personal desire to improve my teaching by researching my professional practice against the insights of theory; all these factors gathered to stimulate me to undertake the present research. This project is based on the teaching of a writing programme I developed based on my previous experience as a writing teacher and on student need. In its progressive teaching of writing the programme follows a process approach; however, the product perspective is also important. Students are exposed to three types of feedback on multiple-draft writing: self-monitored feedback using annotations; peer feedback; and teacher written feedback and taped commentary. The aim is to encourage them to experience writing as an interactive process, from the pre-writing activities through the actual writing and revising to the writing of a final draft, rather than as a monotonous solitary activity performed under exam pressure. Using a case study approach this qualitative inquiry looks into the extent to which students make use of the different types of feedback in their revisions, their attitudes to the feedback procedures, and whether text quality improves over the drafts during the course period. For this purpose various data collection tools have been used. These include questionnaires, in-depth interviews, students' writings, audio-taped recordings of student peer feedback sessions, teacher written and taped comments, and student diaries. In line with previous research, the present study has shown that self-monitored feedback using annotations can help identify problematic areas in writing, but it has also added that annotations can unveil students' perceptions of what constitutes good writing. Moreover, the study has demonstrated that peer feedback activities are not only helpful in terms of encouraging revision but that they have other cognitive, linguistic and affective benefits. Finally, there is strong evidence that teacher written feedback is still considered by students to be a major source of help and that they do take it into consideration in their revisions. In addition, teacher taped commentary, a type of feedback which has received little attention in the literature, is an effective means of commenting on content and organisation and focusing student revision on these areas. Students have also appreciated it and acknowledged its cognitive, linguistic, affective, and practical benefits. Furthermore, the study has shown that although students' writings have not systematically, and regularly, improved from first to second drafts, i. e. after revision following peer feedback, there is a tendency for improvement from second to third drafts. i. e. after revision following teacher feedback. On the whole, improvement in text quality varied from one student to another and also from one draft to another for the same student. The main implications are that the one-draft writing tendency in the context of the study should give way to multiple-draft writing. The motivating force of revision can be promoted and enhanced through the use of different types of feedback on separate drafts. More importantly; however, the writing class should cater for student need by making use of motivational instructional and feedback activities

The effects of a feedback-based instruction programme on developing EFL writing and revision skills of first year Moroccan university students

The stimulus for this study was problems I encountered in my teaching of academic writing to first year undergraduates majoring in English at a Moroccan university. Their problems ranged from sentence, to paragraph to essay levels. Added to that was my realization that the teaching of writing is mainly product-oriented and that practice is far from theory. Students are expected to produce good writing, but the means for helping them attain the required writing standards are not clearly identified or provided. A focus on narrative writing seems not to serve the purpose of training students to make their voices heard in argumentative writing. Reliance on lecturing as a means of teaching writing robs the writing class of an appealing social environment. These problems combined with a personal desire to improve my teaching by researching my professional practice against the insights of theory; all these factors gathered to stimulate me to undertake the present research. This project is based on the teaching of a writing programme I developed based on my previous experience as a writing teacher and on student need. In its progressive teaching of writing the programme follows a process approach; however, the product perspective is also important. Students are exposed to three types of feedback on multiple-draft writing: self-monitored feedback using annotations; peer feedback; and teacher written feedback and taped commentary. The aim is to encourage them to experience writing as an interactive process, from the pre-writing activities through the actual writing and revising to the writing of a final draft, rather than as a monotonous solitary activity performed under exam pressure. Using a case study approach this qualitative inquiry looks into the extent to which students make use of the different types of feedback in their revisions, their attitudes to the feedback procedures, and whether text quality improves over the drafts during the course period. For this purpose various data collection tools have been used. These include questionnaires, in-depth interviews, students' writings, audio-taped recordings of student peer feedback sessions, teacher written and taped comments, and student diaries. In line with previous research, the present study has shown that self-monitored feedback using annotations can help identify problematic areas in writing, but it has also added that annotations can unveil students' perceptions of what constitutes good writing. Moreover, the study has demonstrated that peer feedback activities are not only helpful in terms of encouraging revision but that they have other cognitive, linguistic and affective benefits. Finally, there is strong evidence that teacher written feedback is still considered by students to be a major source of help and that they do take it into consideration in their revisions. In addition, teacher taped commentary, a type of feedback which has received little attention in the literature, is an effective means of commenting on content and organisation and focusing student revision on these areas. Students have also appreciated it and acknowledged its cognitive, linguistic, affective, and practical benefits. Furthermore, the study has shown that although students' writings have not systematically, and regularly, improved from first to second drafts, i. e. after revision following peer feedback, there is a tendency for improvement from second to third drafts. i. e. after revision following teacher feedback. On the whole, improvement in text quality varied from one student to another and also from one draft to another for the same student. The main implications are that the one-draft writing tendency in the context of the study should give way to multiple-draft writing. The motivating force of revision can be promoted and enhanced through the use of different types of feedback on separate drafts. More importantly; however, the writing class should cater for student need by making use of motivational instructional and feedback activities.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Intelligence Economique : Une revue de la littérature

Dans un environnement instable, où l'analyse des menaces et opportunités n'est plusune option, les entreprises réalisent qu'il devrait y avoir des changements majeurs dans la manièredont ils prennent leurs décisions. La concurrence croissante a incité les praticiens à mettre enœuvre des fonctions d'intelligence économique au sein de leur organisation afin de prendre demeilleures décisions. Le but de cet article est d'analyser la littérature anglo-saxonne surl'intelligence économique, son évolution et les concepts associés, en mettant l'accent sur leprocessus de l'intelligence économique et la prise de décision

Consumer Acceptance of Mobile Shopping Apps, From Basic Apps to Ai-Conversational Apps: A Literature Review

Abstract: The rapid proliferation of Digital marketing, due to recent digital transformation, has been accentuated by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. This can be noticed with changes in customer shopping behavior while adopting various digital marketing tools such as social media, E & M-commerce, and very recently AI enablers such as conversational agents/apps (Virtual Assistants & Chatbots). The purpose of this paper is to present some literature findings on consumer behavior toward mobile shopping via AI-Conversational-apps (Virtual Assistants & Chatbots), as compared to Mobile basic apps. Indeed, Mobile Shopping via AI-Conversational apps and their consumer acceptance behavior have become an important research issue worldwide in terms of involved predictors, theories, and methodologies. In summary, the literature showed that Anthropomorphism Construct (i.e., the degree to which a user perceives AI-Conversational apps to be humanlike) emerged as the primary additional predictor for acceptance of M-Shopping via AI-Conversational apps (AI-CA), in addition to mobile primary apps determinants. These determinants consist of utilitarian, hedonic & social antecedents adapted mainly from the UTAUT2 model (Unified theory of acceptance & use of technology), including mainly; performance expectation & effort expectation, hedonic motivation, social influence, and facilitating conditions. Literature findings also clarified the lack & importance of multimarket & multicultural research on M-Shopping-apps’ acceptance (mainly AI-CA). Indeed, not only developed markets but also developing ones, have seen surging rates of smartphone penetration conditions & mobile internet connectivity, along with changing consumer behaviors and dominating M-Shopping-apps activities. This offers great potential for research on M-Shopping-AI-CA acceptance behaviors in such developing countries, mainly in Morocco. Keywords: Digital Marketing, Consumer behavior, Mobile Shopping, Artificial Intelligence, AI-Conversational apps. JEL Classification : M21,M31,M37,M39 Paper type: Theoretical Researc