International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org BASIC WRITING STRATEGIES INSTRUCTION AND SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING DEVELOPMENT: EFL GENDER GROUPS IN COMPARISON Zahra Hashempour English Department, Abadeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Abadeh, Iran [email protected] Mohammad Rostampour English Department, Abadeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Abadeh, Iran [email protected] Fatemeh Behjat English Department, Abadeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Abadeh, Iran [email protected] ABSTRACT Writing is one of the most difficult, multifaceted and complex skills to learn in both native and foreign language. Therefore, to master it, learning different writing strategies can be helpful. As a result, this study attempted to investigate the effects of three pre-writing strategies instruction (brainstorming, concept mapping and critical thinking) on the development of writing skill of Englisg Foreign Language students. To this purpose, 60 (27 male and 33 female) Iranian both as an experimental and control groups were subjects of this study. All of them studied English as a foreign language in private institute in south of Iran (Bushehr province). All of them were at the 14th level and the book that they studied was New Interchange. Their age range was 15-36. Before starting, a pre-test administered in order to compare the result of instruction at the end of period. Then is instruction was started and continued for 16 part of a class sessions. After finishing instruction, a post-test and a questionnaire administered. To analyzing data an independent sample t-test was ran. Afterwards a paired t-test was used to compare the results of pre and post-tests in both experimental and control groups. Mann-Whitney U test was used to see if there was any difference between males and females attitudes toward the use of the pre writing strategies. The findings indicated that, 1) instruction had positive effects on writing improvement of EFL participants; 2) Males and females participants did not perform differently in terms of writing; 3) Females used critical thinking strategy more than other strategies but males used brainstorming more than others. As a result, the findings of this study can have implications for curriculum, syllabus design and materials developers. KEYWORDS: Brainstorming, Concept mapping, Critical thinking, Instruction, Prewriting strategies. 573 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org INTRODUCTION One of the most difficult and multifaceted skills for students to develop both in their native and foreign language is writing. This skill needs a lot of time, practice, and use of different strategies before, during and after writing. Using this technique can differentiate poor from skillful writers. Mousapour Negari (2011) believes that one of the most difficult skills and complicated processes for language learners to acquire in academic contexts seems to be writing in a second or foreign language which consists of a number of cognitive and meta-cognitive activities for example brainstorming, planning, outlining, organizing and revising. According to Hormazabal (2007), most students need to hand in their articles, reports, assignments, etc. to establish one of the most related language skills in contexts of university as writing. As such, gaining familiarity with writing strategies is necessary for them to express their ideas. Given this importance, curriculum designers for ELT programs have long been concerned with writing ability development, and in recent years, it has come to be considered as an important part of curriculum design but it still remains as one of the least understood, if not misunderstood aspects of language learning. A simple observation of EFL classes, either in private institutes or public settings, reflects this fact. Therefore, one way of helping students to overcome problems they face in writing tasks is the use of pre-writing strategies. Another important point worth noting here is the importance of teaching writing strategies to language learners. According to Mousapour Negari (2011), different studies have shown that language learners can become better if they are trained to use language learning strategies. Mousapour Negari (2011) defined strategy teaching as “teaching learners how to learn, with a view to become independent and autonomous learners”(p.300). Such being the case, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of basic writing strategies instruction, such as concept mapping, brainstorming and critical thinking, on EFL learners’ writing development across EFL gender groups. Writing has been considered as an important and difficult skill in all EFL settings. According to Bello (as cited in Ibnian, 2011), one main problems of the traditional curriculum is the lack of attention paid to writing, which is an important avenue for thinking. But in the last few years, writing and writing strategies have come to be regarded as an important part of curriculum design. However, what seems to have been rarely addressed in this endeavor is the differential effect of such instruction on the performance of gender groups. Another point is that studies on L2 writing strategies have commonly focused on individual strategies rather than a class of interrelated ones. English language teachers and instructors involved in the task of teaching writing in EFL contexts can make use of the findings of this study. In addition, the findings of this study will be specifically of interest to those educators struggling with the basic problem of idea development and organization in their writing class. Therefore, the results of this study can be employed in teaching centers, schools, institutes, and can be used by university teachers and material planners. 574 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org LITERATURE REVIEW Talebinezhad and Mousapour Negari (2009) examined a study on the effect of explicit teaching of concept mapping in expository writing on EFL students’ self-regulation. Findings of the study revealed that concept mapping strategy instruction enhanced self-regulation of students in their writing tasks. Mousapour Negari (2011) conducted a study on the effect of concept mapping strategy instruction on EFL learners’ writing skill. The findings of the study provided the evidence that the instruction of concept-mapping strategy had positive effects on ESL writing performance and improved their writing. Koyoko and Hiroko (2011) conducted a study on the effect of hierarchical concept mapping on writing by junior high school students. As the study proved, paragraph writing instruction and hierarchical concept mapping had positive effects on some aspects of writing such as paragraph structure, textuality, and hierarchy of ideas and improved junior high school students’ writing skill. Fahim and Rahimi (2011) investigated the effect of concept mapping strategy on the writing performance of EFL learners. The study’s findings shed light on using concept-mapping strategy had positive effect and can developed and improved students writing skill. Mahnam and Nejadansari (2012) investigated about the effects of different pre-writing strategies on Iranian EFL writing achievement. The findings of the study provided the evidence that the instruction of pre-writing strategies (concept mapping, reading and negotiation) can develop writing achievement therefore; pre-writing strategies had positive effect on the learners writing skills and promoting their writings. Nobahar, Nemat Tabrizi, and Shaghaghi (2013) examined a study on the effect of concept mapping on Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ self-efficacy and expository writing accuracy. The result indicated that explicit instruction of concept mapping strategy had positive and noticeable effect on self-efficacy and expository writing accuracy of learners. Marashi and Jafari (2012) conducted a study on the comparative effect of using critical thinking, constructivist learning, and a combination of the two techniques on EFL learners writing skill. The findings clearly demonstrated that there was no remarkable difference among the performance of writing skill of EFL learners on critical thinking technique, constructivist learning technique and a combination of both critical thinking and constructivist technique group. Khodabakhsh, Jahandar, and Khodabandehlou (2013) conducted a study on the impact of critical thinking tasks on paragraph writing ability of Iranian EFL learners. As the study proved, there was a noticeable difference between the performance of experimental and control groups. Thus applying critical thinking task is useful and can improve writing ability of EFL students. Assadi, Davatgar, and Jafari (2013) conducted a study to find out the effect of critical thinking on enhancing writing among Iranian EFL learners. Analysis showed significant difference between the experimental and control groups giving evidence that instruction of critical thinking had positive effect on the learners writing performance. Fahim and Mirzaii (2013) examined a study on the improving EFL argumentative writing through a dialogic critical thinking approach. The study revealed that both groups had noticeably improvement in their argumentative writing. The results of the study proved that both writing instruction and dialogic critical thinking together led to better performance. 575 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org Rao (2007) conducted a study on the effects of brainstorming strategy instruction on learners’ writing performance and perception. The study’s findings shed light on the significant effects of explicit instruction of brainstorming strategy on writing performance and the questionnaires indicated the positive attitudes of learners toward brainstorming strategy. Ibnian (2011) examined a study on the effect of using the brainstorming technique on essay writing in EFL class. Findings of the study indicated that brainstorming technique had a positive effect on the writing skill of EFL students in such aspects as content and organization, mechanics of writing, language use and skills emerged from creative thinking abilities (fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration). Fawzi and Hussein (2013) conducted a comparative study on enhancing students’ motivation to write essays through brainstorming. As the study proved, both types of brainstorming were motivating to students but participants preferred guided brainstorming. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The present study attempted to address the following three questions: 1- Is there any causal relationship between basic pre-writing strategies instruction and EFL writing development? 2- Does such an instruction show differential effects across EFL gender groups in both achievement and self-reported patterns of use? 3- Which gender made used of which strategy more? 4METHODOLOGY Participants and setting The participants who took part in this investigation consisted of 60 Persian native speakers. They were both male and female and in both experimental and control groups. Experimental groups included (14 males and 18 females) and control groups (13 males and 15 females). All of them studied English as a foreign language in a private institute in the south of Iran (Bushehr). The study took place during their 14th levels and the book that they studied was New Interchange. The average age of them was 15 to 36. Instrument The data were collected through a pre-test, post-test and a questionnaire. Before starting instruction, there was a pre-test and after finishing also was a post-test. These pre and post-tests were an essay topic that students should write about it. This topic was taken from an IELTS book. The book was written by Bagheri, Riasati and Rahimi (2012). The topic of both pre and post-tests were the same. See Appendix A. The reliability of pre and post-test were respectively .962 and .961. The data in second part of study were collected by a questionnaire. This questionnaire was created by the researcher and was completed at the end of the period in order to seek writings information. The questionnaire has administered and piloted before the study was started. It was both valid and reliable, therefore; the result of it reported at the end of the chapter four. All items of this questionnaire were in Persian. This questionnaire consisted of sixteen statements that were classified in to the following parts: 1) attitudes toward concept 576 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org mapping strategy (items 1 to 4), 2) attitudes toward brainstorming strategy and its subcategories: listing, outlining and question and answer (items 5 to 10) and 3) attitudes toward critical thinking strategy (items 11 to 16). Each item of the questionnaire was rated on five points from strongly agree to strongly disagree. It was about studentsʼ attitudes toward the effects of pre-writing strategies instruction on their writings improvements. Procedures Sixty Iranian advanced learners were the subjects of this study. They were selected based on their level of language proficiency because they studied in private language institute and their levels of language proficiency were determined in advance. Therefore, they were homogenous. Their classes were held 3 days in a week. Before starting the instruction, pre-test was administered in order to compare the results of the instruction at the end of period. Three types of pre-writing strategies such as concept mapping; critical thinking and brainstorming were instructed to learners during 16 sessions and each session 45 minutes. At the first session, the researcher generally talked about pre-writing strategies and their effects on writing improvements. In the second session, the instruction of pre-writing strategies started. At the beginning of every session, the strategy was defined and its advantages and effects on writing improvements were discussed. Then several examples were written on the board and next two tasks were given to them during two other sessions. In each session, the participants had 30 minutes to write about the topic in the class. Before starting writing, they had to use the related pre-writing strategy which they learned in their drafts. Then they develop their ideas about the topic. After that, their papers were corrected and returned to them in order to know their errors and mistakes and avoid them in their next writings. Regarding the topics, the students were supposed to write on, several topics from the book written Bagheri, Riasati and Rahimi (2012) were selected and sent to the advisor. He confirmed them and then gave the topics to an IELTS teacher, and selected the best 10 of them together that were considered to suit students, interest, personal information and they had enough ideas, information and knowledge about the topics in order to develop them. This procedure was used for all strategies instruction except brainstorming because it was consisted three subcategories such as listing, question and answer and outlining. Each of these subcategories was taught in one session separately. Then the students needed two separate sessions for practicing. After finishing the instruction, there was a posttest in order to observe the results of the instruction on learners, writing improvement and progress. Also the topic of both pre and posttest was the same. Two IELTS teachers rated the participants’ written texts. Then the reliability value between two scores was checked. The texts were corrected according to Writing Band Description (Bagheri, et al., 2012). The writings were rated based on four aspects of writing: task response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource and grammatical range and accuracy. 577 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Research Question One The first research question of the study questioned whether there is any causal relationship between basic pre-writing strategies instruction and EFL writing development. To answer this question, the researcher ran the independent samples t-test. As mentioned earlier, all the participants took the IELTS writing test. In order to examine whether the writing scores were reliable or not, a second rater was asked to score the pretest and the posttest. Then a Pearson correlation was run to obtain the degree of go-togetherness between the two sets of writing scores for pretest and post-test. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2: Table 1: Correlation between Pre-test Scores Correlations Pretest 1 Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Pretest1 1 Pretest2 .962** .000 60 60 Table 2: Correlation between Post-test Scores Correlations Post-test1 Post-test2 Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Post-test1 1 60 .961** .000 60 Post-test2 .961** .000 60 1 60 According to Tables 1 and 2, the correlations between the raters’ scores for pretest and post-test are .962 and .961 respectively. Thus, based on the Spearman-Brown prophecy formula (Henning 1987, p.82), inter-rater coefficient for both pretest and post-test is .98. It can be concluded that the two sets of scores for both pretest and post-test are highly reliable. Then, the averages of the raters’ scores were taken as the raw scores for future computations. To monitor the effect of strategy instruction on writing, the researcher compared the performance of the groups at the end of the program by running an independent samples t-test comparing the mean scores of the two groups on the post-test. Results are demonstrated below. Post-test Table 3: Descriptive Statistics of Experimental and Control Groups Group N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean Experimental 32 5.15 .72 .12 Control 28 2.02 .82 .15 578 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org Table 4: Independent Sample T-test to Compare Post-test Scores Levene's Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference F Sig. T Equal 1.063 .307 15.706 variances Post-Test assumed Equal 15.573 variances not assumed Df Sig. (2- Mean tailed) Difference Std. Error Difference Lower Upper 58 .000 3.1294 .19925 2.73062 3.52831 54.332 .000 3.1294 .20095 2.72664 3.53229 The results of Table 4 clearly show that the two groups performed differently on the post-test (sig. =.000, p<.05), which firmly rejects the quality of the performance in the post-test between the experimental and control groups. According to Table 3, the experimental group (mean=5.15) gained better results than the control group (mean=2.02) in the post-test. Afterwards, a paired t-test was used to compare the results of pretest and post-test in both experimental and control group. Table 5 and 6 below illustrate the pertaining results. Pair 1 Pair 2 Pre-Experimental Post-Experimental Pre-Control Post-Control Table 5: Descriptive Statistics of Pretest and Post-test Mean N Std. Deviation 3.6641 32 .75029 5.1563 32 .72332 2.1161 28 .74994 2.0268 28 .82028 Std. Error Mean .13263 .12787 .14173 .15502 Table 6: Paired Sample T-Test between Pre-test and Post-test Scores of Groups Pair 1 Pair 2 Pretest Posttest Pretest Posttest Mean -1.49219 .08929 Paired Differences 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Std. Std. Error Deviation Mean Lower Upper T Df .43294 .07653 -1.64828 -1.33610 -19.47 31 .52799 .09978 -.11545 .29402 -.865 27 Sig. (2tailed) .000 .379 Since the p value for the experimental group (Pair1) is .000 (p<.05), it can be inferred that there is a significant difference between the performance of the experimental group participants in the pretests and post-test. 579 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org The participants in their post-test (mean=3.66) outperformed with regard to their first performance (mean=5.15) before instruction. It denotes that the basic pre-writing strategies instruction considerably improves their application of strategies to overcome difficulties in the face of writing. With regard to Table 6, considering the control group (Pair 2), the pretest and the post-test scores did not show any significant difference (Sig. =.379). Research Question Two The second research question of the study aimed at investigating the differential effects of such instruction on the performance of the gender groups in terms of writing achievement and the patterns of the strategy use as reported by the participants. To begin with, an independent samples t-test was run to compare the mean scores of gender subgroups in the experimental group on the post-test. Tables 7 and 8 present the results of the independent sample t-test. Post-test Table 7: Descriptive Statistics of Male and Female Groups N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean 14 5.3393 .68365 .18271 18 5.0139 .73999 .17442 Gender Male Female Table 8: Independent Sample T-test of Male and Female Groups on Post-test Levene's Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference F Equal .022 variances Post-Test assumed Equal variances not assumed Sig. T Df Sig. (2- Mean tailed) Difference Std. Error Difference Lower Upper .882 -1.275 30 .212 -.32540 .25519 -.84656 .19577 -1.288 29.04 .208 -.32540 .25260 -.84198 .19779 As Table 8 above reveals, there is no significant difference between mean scores of two groups in protest (sig. =.21, p<.05). The results revealed that male and female participants did not perform differently in terms of writing. Research Question Three Following the objectives of the study, the third question of the study questioned which gender use of which strategy more. In other words, the researcher tried to discover the difference between males and females in terms of self-reported patterns of using pre-writing strategies. The questionnaire involves three pre-writing strategies. 580 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org Man-Whitney U test was used to see if there is any difference between males’ and females’ attitudes toward the use of the pre-writing strategies. The following tables manifest the pertaining results (Tables 9 and 10) concept mapping Brainstorming Critical thinking Table 9: Ranks of the Pre-writing Strategies for Males and Females Gender N Mean Rank Sum of Ranks Female 18 14.11 254.00 Male 14 19.57 274.00 Total 32 Female 18 14.83 267.00 Male 14 18.64 261.00 Total 32 Female 18 20.42 367.50 Male 14 11.46 160.50 Total 32 Mann-Whitney U Wilcoxon W Z Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) Exact Sig. [2*(1-tailed Sig.)] a. Grouping Variable: Gender b. Not corrected for ties Table 10: Mann-Whitney U test on Pre-writing Strategies concept mapping Brainstorming 83.000 96.000 254.000 267.000 -1.990 -1.198 .047 .231 .107b .267b Critical thinking 55.500 160.500 -2.758 .006 .006b From Table 10, Man-Whitney U test shows just one statistically difference in the pre-writing strategies. Based on the findings, males and females are different in terms of using the critical thinking strategy (sig. =.006). Table 9 shows that females (rank =20.42) use critical thinking strategy more than males (rank =11.46). The following bar graph (Fig. 1) shows the males’ and females’ pre-writing strategy use. Figure 1: Bar Graph of the Males’ and Females’ Pre-writing Strategy use 581 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org Based on the information presented in the bar graph, females use critical thinking strategy more than the other pre-writing strategies. However, concerning males, brainstorming is the most used pre-writing strategy. Pilot testing To ensure that the questionnaire functions well, a small group of English language learners (N=10) were selected randomly for the pilot testing. Before piloting the questionnaire, the participants were informed about the main research study. Cronbach's Alpha .902 Table 11: Reliability Statistics of the Writing Questionnaire N of Items 16 According to Table 11, the overall internal consistency estimated is .902 highlighting the instrument to be highly reliable in measuring participants’ attitude. To probe the differences between mean scores of EFL gender groups of the experimental group in self-reported patterns of use, a Mann-Whitney U test was applied. Table 12: Mann-Whitney U Test on Questionnaire Scores Questionnaire Mann-Whitney U 1.6.000 Wilcoxon W 211.000 Z -.770 Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .441 Exact Sig. [2*(1-tailed Sig.)] .464b a. Grouping Variable: Gender Following Table 12, the significance level is .441 that is not smaller than .05. This implies that male and female groups in this study did not differ in terms of self-reported patterns of using prewriting strategies. Considering the role of gender, it can be concluded that it did not have a determining role in the participants’ attitude toward the use of pre-writing strategies. Discussion of the findings In line with the objectives of the study, the research questions were stated in a way to address the following points: the kind of writing strategies these learners employed more, the causal relationship between basic pre-writing strategies instruction and EFL writing development, and differential effects that instruction showed across EFL gender groups in both achievement and self-reported patterns of use. In the following section, a discussion of findings in light with other studies will be presented. Research Question one Is there any causal relationship between basic pre-writing strategies instruction and EFL writing development? The pre-post tests were administered to the participants and the data were analyzed based on the independent samples t-test. Then, to obtain the degree of go-togetherness between the two sets of writing scores for pre-test and post-test, a Pearson correlation was run (see Tables 1 and 2). 582 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org According to post-test descriptive statistics of experimental and control groups, the means were 5.15 and 2.02 respectively. Based on this evaluation, the instruction had a significant effect on the experimental groups (see Table 3). Then to compare the results of pre-test and post-test in both experimental and control groups, a paired t-test was run (see Table 5 and 6). Therefore, the experimental groups in their post-test (mean=3.66) outperformed with regard to their first performance (mean=5.15) before instruction. Regarding the control groups, the pre-test and the post-test scores did not show any significant difference. As a result, the researcher believed that there is a causal relationship between pre-writing strategies instruction and EFL writing development because according to the statistical findings, instruction had positive effects on writing improvement of EFL participants. The findings are in line with previous research findings as regards concept mapping instruction and EFL learners’ writing skill. According to Mousapour Negari (2011), explicit instruction of concept mapping strategy can help learners improve their writing performance. “Through concept mapping, students can easily understand and organize their thoughts in pictorial representations. In other words, graphical representation of ideas increases the students’ conceptual understanding which in turn helps them organize their ideas. The study reveals the effectiveness of concept mapping technique for the students writing tasks” (p. 303). Ibnian (2011) reported that regarding context and organization, mechanics of writing, language use and skills emerged from creative thinking abilities (fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration) brainstorming technique had positive effects on improving first secondary grade students’ essay writing skills. Ibnian believed that using the brainstorming technique highly helps and allows learners to generate ideas, exchange opinions and crystallize new thoughts about the raised topics, a fact that positively influenced their performance on the post-test essay writing. Furthermore, applying the brainstorming technique motivated learners, engaged them in their learning processes and helped them express themselves freely without hesitation. According to Shangarffam and Mamipour (2011), learners who have been taught how to think critically through critical thinking techniques showed that they can outperform in analyzing questions, problems, and information to use them for other skills. “As a final point, the statistical analysis indicated that teaching critical thinking does have a significant effect on intermediate EFL learners’ writing skill” (p.124).Generally, concept mapping, brainstorming and critical thinking are writing strategies that help learners organize their writings, write critically, discuss the issues raised, and provide specific details and examples related to the topic. These abilities develop students’ writing skill and let them improve their writing. Research Question two Does such an instruction show differential effects across EFL gender groups in both achievement and self-reported patterns of use? To compare the mean scores of gender sub-groups in the experimental group on the post-test, an independent samples t-test was run. As the findings indicated, there is no significant difference between mean scores of two groups in post-test. As a result, male and female participants did not perform differently in terms of writing. This can be attributed to the fact that the participants 583 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org received the same instruction by the researcher herself, and that their level of language proficiency were the same. Research Question three Which gender made used of which strategy more? To discover the differences between males and females in terms of self-reported patterns of using pre-writing strategies, the researcher ran Man-Whitney U test and the results are shown on the graph. As the finding indicated, there is only one statistically significant difference in the prewriting strategies. Males and females are different in using critical thinking strategies (sig=.006). Females (rank=20.42) use critical thinking strategy more than males (rank=11.46). Females use critical thinking strategy more than other strategies but males use brainstorming more than others. In the same vein, Gorjian, Pazhakh, and Parang (2012) conducted a study on the effect of critical thinking instructions on Iranian EFL learners’ descriptive writing a case of gender study. Result of the study showed that there were significant differences on the effective use of critical thinking instruction with regard to gender in writing performance. Regarding to the second and third research questions there was not any study which was directly related to them that researcher can report. CONCLUSION The present study was an attempt to strengthen EFL learners’ writing proficiency, specifically through writing strategies. By the help of writing strategies, it was supposed that learners could optimize their organizing, discussing, developing, and improving writing skill. The analysis of findings of the study showed how writing strategy instruction and accordingly, writing strategy employment promoted EFL learners’ writing organization and improvement as regards performance at both male and female writing proficiency over an instructional program and over time. The findings provide strong empirical support for the effect of such instruction on enhancing writing skill among EFL students. Limitations of the Study This study had several limitations: • The length of experiment was not long enough to fully determine the effectiveness of pre-strategies instruction. Due to time constraints, the researcher did not have enough time to make use of all different pre-writing strategies and students could not effectively practice strategies which were introduced in the classroom because the study was conducted during a portion of class sessions. • Participants differed in their age range and social level. Their educational level and field of study were not the same. Only they were similar in their level of language proficiency. 584 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org REFERENCES Asadi, N., Davatgar, H., & Jafari, P. (2013). The effect of critical thinking on enhancing writing among Iranian EFL learners. International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research, 4 (3), 1-7. Bagheri, M.S., Riasati, M.J., & Rahimi, F. (2012). Crack IELTS in flash: (writing band description 2). 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Pazhuhesh-e zabanha-ye khareji, 49, 85-108. 585 International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW) Volume 6 (4), August 2014; 573-‐586 Hashempour, Z., et al EISSN: 2289-‐2737 & ISSN: 2289-‐3245 www.ijllalw.org Appendix B Topic of pre/post-test Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should begin learning a foreign language as soon as they start school. 586
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