Impact of Cognitive Strategies and Graphic Organizers on Kurdish EFL Learners’ Writing Performance

Subject Areas : All areas of language and translation

Hunar Omer Mohammad Amin Padar ¹ (Nesa Nabifar, Ph. D Islamic Azad University, Tabriz branch [e-mail])
Fatemeh Mirzapour ² (Department of English Language Education, Soufian Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran)

Received: 2024-06-14 Accepted : 2024-07-15 Published : 2024-04-25

Keywords: Cognitive Strategies, graphic organizers, writing, EFL Learners,

Abstract :

The current research sought to explore the impact of cognitive strategies and graphic organizers on Kurdish EFL learners’ writing performance. One hundred fifty Kurdish EFL learners from a state university in Iraq's Kurdistan Region participated in this quasi-experimental research. The students were EFL learners in the TEFL field and belonged to two faculties. The learners were between the ages of 18 and 22. There were both males and females. After homogenizing them with the Oxford Placement Test (OPT), a sample of 99 participants from the study was chosen. The study sample was split into three groups: the experimental group on cognitive strategy, the graphic organizer group, and the control group. Each class had 33 learners. Three instruments were used to collect data: the Oxford placement test, the Pretest, and the Posttest of writing. They had thirteen sessions of treatment. After data collection, students' writing was rated by two raters, and their inter-reliability was calculated. Data analysis by Mancova revealed that both cognitive strategies and graph organizers positively impacted the writing skills of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. However, the group receiving graphic organizer treatment outperformed in its effect on learners' writing performance. The current research findings could assist creators of textbooks, educational organizers, materials developers, language institutions, educators, and students create a more effective environment for learning foreign languages and enhancing writing skills.

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