Impact of Competency-based Approach on Writing Skill and Motivation of Pre-service EFL Teachers

Subject Areas : All areas of language and translation

Afshin Moradi Koochi ¹ , Fariba Rahimi Esfahani ² , Sajad Shafiee ³

1 - English Department, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
2 - English Department, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
3 - English Department, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran

Received: 2023-05-05 Accepted : 2023-06-06 Published : 2024-04-25

Keywords: Competency-based Approach, Motivation, Writing Skill,

Abstract :

The present study was an attempt to examine the effects of the competency-based approach on writing skill and motivation of pre-service EFL teachers. To this end, 80 Iranian intermediate-level pre-service teachers studying at Farhangian University were selected through an Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) and were assigned to an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 40). The sample included both male and female participants, aged from 18 to 21. Both groups were then given a writing pretest, and then the experimental group was taught based on the competency-based approach, whereas the control group experienced the conventional method of writing instruction. The tasks developed for improving the writing skill of the participants in the experimental group all mimicked the real-world activities such as working on job application forms, different parts of an article, a resume, a biography, and so forth. Subsequently, a writing posttest was conducted to measure the achievement of the participants in both groups. After the treatment, a 6-item questionnaire developed by Farrah (2012) based on a 5-point Likert scale was used to measure the motivation of the participants. The findings of a one-way ANCOVA revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group (p < .05) on the posttest of writing. In addition, the results obtained by administering the motivation questionnaire showed that Iranian pre-service teachers exposed to the competency-based approach enjoyed significantly higher levels of motivation vis-à-vis their counterparts in the control group.

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