A Case Study of Model-based Writing Instruction in Senior High School English Class

• Main Authors: Lin,Shu-huei, 林淑惠
• Other Authors: 尤雪瑛
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/67064067710944622060

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 英語教學碩士在職專班 === 95 === In the history of English writing pedagogy, there has long been a dispute over the use of models in English writing. Some researchers propose that learners can learn English organizational structures through the analysis and imitation of organization and logical arrangement in model paragraphs or essays. On the other hand, some process-oriented researchers argue that the use of models will prevent students from thinking on their own. An integrated approach was thus proposed to incorporate the strengths of the two approaches. Models were used to familiarize students with the rhetorical organization in English written discourse. In the meantime, peer-editing, revision and teacher feedback were used to facilitate the writing process. The present study examines the effects of model-based instruction in organization on the writing of senior high school students. Thirty-nine subjects, who were senior high students in the third year, participated in this study. A pretest writing was used before the instruction to group the subjects into different proficiency levels according to the criterion set by the College Entrance Examination Center (CEEC). Two proficiency groups, namely, the middle proficiency group (M.P.G) and low proficiency group (L.P.G), were found among the subjects. A Writing Habit questionnaire was applied to investigate the subjects’ conception and habits about writing before the instruction. Then, a ten-week model-based writing instruction was conducted on all the participants in the study. Description and cause-effect writing were the two genres for instruction. After the instruction, a post-test writing was conducted to compare with the pre-test to examine whether students had made progress in their writing after the instruction. The Response Questionnaire and three in-depth interviews were conducted to further explore students’ perception and attitude toward the model-based writing. The results of the study reveal that the instruction helps to improve students’ abilities to organize ideas more effectively and logically. The significant increase in scores on overall writing quality in the posttest also show that the model-based writing instruction helps to yield higher quality in students’ overall writing. In addition, subjects in the L.P.G. seem to make more progress than those in the M.P.G. Moreover, the subjects seem to have more confidence in writing after the treatment.