A Probe into the Efficacy of Teacher-led vs. Student-directed Inquiry-based Approach for Iranian EFL Learners' Expository Writing Betterment

Subject Areas : Research in English Language Pedagogy

Masoud Shahkarami ¹ , Parviz Alavinia ²

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Received: 2024-05-23 Accepted : 2024-11-17 Published : 2025-03-11

Keywords: EFL Learners, Expository Writing, Inquiry-based Learning, Student-directed Inquiry, Teacher-led Inquiry ,

Abstract :

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.

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