A Probe into the Efficacy of Teacher-led vs. Student-directed Inquiry-based Approach for Iranian EFL Learners' Expository Writing Betterment
الموضوعات : Research in English Language Pedagogy
Masoud Shahkarami
1
,
Parviz Alavinia
2
1 - Dept. of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
2 - Dept. of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
الکلمات المفتاحية: EFL Learners, Expository Writing, Inquiry-based Learning, Student-directed Inquiry, Teacher-led Inquiry ,
ملخص المقالة :
Though not a newfangled avenue of research in applied linguistics, inquiry-based learning (IBL) has witnessed a renewed outgrowth of research addressing its unexplored perspectives in recent years. Mainly inspired by this new movement and the dire need for exploring the underresearched facets of IBL, the researchers in the current study sought to probe the potential impact of inquiry-based learning on intermediate EFL learners' writing enhancement, particularly as regards the expository mode of writing. In so doing, 45 female EFL learners were chosen from a language school in Khoramabad. It is worth noting that all the participants were female, and their ages ranged between 18 and 20. Opting for a quantitative, quasi-experimental design, the researchers assigned the participants to three groups (two experimental and one control). Two expository writing tasks (selected from IELTS Task 1) were administered to the participants as the pre-and post-test. The treatment was run via two alternative modes of IBL, namely teacher-led versus student-directed inquiry. The findings revealed a significant enhancement in learners' expository writing performance. The study offers fruitful implications for EFL teachers, particularly regarding their increased familiarity with the principles of inquiry-based approach and the proper implementation of IBL in their classes with the aim of fostering the learners' critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Alnofaie, H. (2013). A framework for implementing critical thinking as a language pedagogy in EFL preparatory programmes. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 10(1), 154–158.
Ameri-Golestan, A., & Nezakat-Alhossaini, M. (2017). Long-term effects of collaborative task planning vs. individual task planning on Persian-speaking EFL learners' writing performance. Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics, 8(1), 146–164.
Aulls, M.W., Magon, J., & Shore, B.M. (2015). The distinction between inquiry-based instruction and non-inquiry-based instruction in higher education: A case study of what happens as inquiry in 16 education courses in three universities. Teaching and Teacher Education, 51(1), 147–161.
Banchi, H., & Bell, R. (2008). The many levels of inquiry. Science and Children, 46(2), 26–29.
Berman, R., & Verhoeven, L. (2002). Cross-linguistic perspectives on the development of text-production abilities. Speech and Writing, 5(1), 1–43.
Bosley, D.S. (1989). A national study of the uses of collaborative writing in business communication course among members of the ABC. Illinois State University.
Bybee, R., Taylor, J., Gardner, A., Van Scotter, P., Carlson Powell, J., Westbrook, A., & Landes, N. (2006). The BSCS 5E instructional model: Origins and effectiveness. Colorado Springs.
Cavallo, A.M.L., Miller, R.B. & Saunders, G. (2002). Motivation and affect toward learning science among preservice elementary school teachers: Implication for classroom teaching. Journal of Elementary Science Education, 14(1), 25–38.
DeLuca, C., Bolden, B., & Chan, J. (2017). Systemic professional learning through collaborative inquiry: Examining teachers' perspectives. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67(1), 67–78.
Derseh, B. (2020). Enhancing EFL students' writing performance through inquiry-based learning. Italian Journal of Educational Research, 13(1), 138–156.
Fahim, M., & Hashtroodi, P. (2012). The effect of critical thinking on developing argumentative essays by Iranian EFL university students. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 3(4), 632–638.
Friesen, S., & Scott, D. (2013). Inquiry-based learning: A review of the research literature. Alberta Ministry of Education.
Hall-Mills, S., & Apel, K. (2012). Narrative and expository writing of adolescents with language-learning disabilities: A pilot study. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 34(3), 135-143.
Hashemi, M. R., Behrooznia, S., & Mahjoobi, F. M. (2014). A critical look into Iranian EFL university students' critical thinking and argumentative writing. Iranian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 17(1), 71–92.
Hashempour, Z., Rostampour, M., & Behjat, F. (2015). The effect of brainstorming as a pre-writing strategy on EFL advanced learners' writing ability. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 2(1), 86-99.
Hepworth, M., & Walton, G. (2009). Teaching information literacy for inquiry-based learning. Chandos Publishing.
Inoue, N., Asada, T., Maeda, N., & Nakamura, Sh. (2019). Deconstructing teacher expertise for inquiry-based teaching: Looking into consensus building pedagogy in Japanese classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 77(1), 366–377.
Jia, X, Hu, W., Cai, F., Wang, H., Li, J., Runco, M.A., Chen, Y. (2017). The influence of teaching methods on creative problem finding. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 24(1), 86-94.
Lachuk, A.J., Gísladottir, K.R., & DeGraff, T. (2019). Using collaborative inquiry to prepare preservice teacher candidates who have integrity and trustworthiness. Teaching and Teacher Education, 78(1), 75–84.
Luke, C.L. (2006). Fostering learner autonomy in a technology-enhanced, inquiry-based foreign language classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 39(1), 71–86.
Mahdian Mehr, M., Aziz Malayeri, F., & Bayat, A. (2016). The effects of brainstorming as a prewriting activity on Iranian EFL learners prompted expository writing. International Journal of Education Investigation, 3(3), 85–93.
Mastan, M.E., & Maarof, N. (2014). ESL learners' self-efficacy beliefs and strategy use in expository writing. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116(1), 2360–2363.
Nabhan, R.J. (2017). Integration of inquiry-based learning and ongoing assessment to develop English essay writing in upper intermediate level. Open Journal of Modern Linguistics, 7(1), 90–107.
Panahandeh, E., & Esfandiari Asl, S.E. (2014). The effect of planning and monitoring as metacognitive strategies on Iranian EFL learners' argumentative writing accuracy. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Science, 98(1), 1409–1416.
Raphael, T., Englert, C. S., & Kirschner, B. W. (1988). Acquisition of expository writing skills. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Tavanapour, S., & Chalak, A. (2021). Impact of inquiry method on the grammatical accuracy of Iranian EFL learners' writing. International Journal of Research in English Education, 6(1), 86–95.
Uzunosmanoglu, E., Gursel, F., & Arslan, F. (2012). The effect of inquiry-based learning model on health-related fitness. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47(1), 1906-1910.
Voet, M., & De Wever, B. (2017). Preparing preservice history teachers for organizing inquiry-based learning: The effects of an introductory training program. Teaching and Teacher Education, 63(1), 206–217.
