Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on CALL Number 6. July 2020. Pp. 122-139
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/call6.9
Flowchart: Scaffolding Narrative Writing in an English as a Second Language (ESL)
Primary Classroom
Melanie Selvaraj
Faculty of Education
University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia
Azlina Abdul Aziz
Faculty of Education
University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia
Abstract:
Learning to write can be a nightmare, be it on the natives or second language. Various approaches, methods, and techniques were tested by researches to improve the writing skills of learners with multiple issues in mastering the craft. Nevertheless, the standards of writing achievements among second language learners are remarkably frustrating. In Malaysia, teaching writing to the primary school pupils is one of the biggest concerns as pupils expected to compose narratives as assessment in the public primary education. Concerning this, this research aimed to measure the effectiveness of the flow chart to improve pupils’ narrative writing and to investigate pupils’ achievement levels in each narrative writing component. Besides, it identifies the pedagogical strategies that lead to the scaffolding of narrative writing. Action research carried out with 12 intervention sessions in two cycles. Each Cycle involved three stages: planning, action, and reflection. A total of 25 Year Four urban primary school pupils participated in this study. The researcher obtained the data via pre and posttest, analysis of pupils’ narrative writing, and classroom observations. The findings showed that there was a significant improvement in pupils’ posttest scores and narrative writing assessment components. This study is essential to improve narrative writing achievement and benefit teachers who teach narrative writing in primary and secondary schools to enhance pupils’ performances. Studies in the future should include pupils from rural area schools with low proficiency levels to compare the findings in employing flow chart in narrative writing.
Keywords: English as Second Language, flow chart, narrative, scaffolding, writing assessments
Cite as: Selvaraj, M.& Abdul Aziz, A. (2020). Flowchart: Scaffolding Narrative Writing in an English as a Second Language (ESL) Primary Classroom. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on CALL (6). 122-139. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/call6.9
References
Akinwamide, T. K. (2012). The Influence of Process Approach on English as Second LanguageStudents’ Performances in Essay Writing. ELT, 5, 16-29
Al Ajmi, A. A. S., & Ali, H. I. H. (2014). Collaborative writing in group assignments in an EFL/ESL classroom. English linguistics research, 3(2), 1-17.
Bukhari, S. S. F. (2016). Mind Mapping Technique to Enhance EFL Writing Skill. International journal of linguistics and communication, 4(1), 58-77.
Bruner, J. (1987). Life as narrative. Social research, 11-32.
Bruner, J. (1991). The narrative construction of reality. Critical inquiry, 18(1), 1-21.
Buzan, T., & Buzan, B. (2006). The mind map book. Pearson Education.
Dunsmuir, S., Kyriacou, M., Batuwitage, S., Hinson, E., Ingram, V., & O’Sullivan, S. (2015). An evaluation of the Writing Assessment Measure (WAM) for children’s narrative writing. Assessing Writing, 23, 1-18.
Firmansyah, A. (2015). The Influence of Mind Mapping Technique and Students’ Attitude toward Students’ Ability in Writing a Recount Text of the Eighth Grade Students of State Junior High School 45 Palembang. Ripteksi Kependidikan Pgri.
Flower, L., Hayes, J. R., Gregg, L. W., & Steinberg, E. R. (1980). Cognitive processes in writing. Identifying the Organization of Writing Processes. Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Hanafiah, N. S., & Yunus, M. M. (2017). The Use of Facebook to Improve Writing in English Language among Primary School Pupils.
Hayes, J. R., Hatch, J. A., & Silk, C. M. (2000). Does holistic assessment predict writing performance? Estimating the consistency of student performance on holistically scored writing assignments. Written Communication, 17(1), 3-26.
Isaacson, S., & Gleason, M. M. (1997). Mechanical obstacles to writing: What can teachers do to help students with learning problems. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 12(3), 188-194.
Jalaluddin, I., Yunus, M. M., & Yamat, H. (2011). Improving Malaysian rural learners’ writing skill: A case study. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 1845-1851.
Jusun, K. D., & Yunus, M. M. (2017, May). The Effectiveness of Using Sentence Makers in Improving Writing Performance among Pupils in Lubok Antu Rural Schools. In International Conference on Education (ICE2) 2018: Education and Innovation in Science in the Digital Era (pp. 469-475).
Kaur, G., & Singh, P. H. (2014). Use Of Process Writing To Enhance Writing Abilities Among Year 5 Pupils. University Teknologi Malaysia.
Retrieved from http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/41757/5/GurminderKaurHariSinghMFP2014.pdf
Lachner, A., Burkhart, C., & Nückles, M. (2017). Mind the gap! Automated concept map feedback supports students in writing cohesive explanations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 23(1), 29.
Lee, C. C., Bopry, J., & Hedberg, J. (2007). Methodological issues in using sequential representations in the teaching of writing.Alt-J Association for Learning Technology, Vol.15,(2)131-141
Lim, T. D. (2014). Analysing Malaysian English classrooms: reading, writing, speaking and listening teaching strategies. Thesis for Masters in Education. University of Washington. https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/177 3/25020/Lim_washington_0250O_12452.pdf
Manik, S., & Sinurat, J. D. (2015). Improve Students’ Narrative Writing Achievement Through Film at SMA NEGERI I PALIPI. International Journal of English Linguistics, 5(2), 172.
Martin, F., & Bolliger, D. U. (2018). Engagement matters: Student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. Online Learning, 22(1), 205-222
Martin, F., & Ndoye, A. (2016). Using learning analytics to assess student learning in online courses. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 13(3), 7.
Naqbi,S.(2011).The Use of Mind Mapping to Develop Writing Skills in UAE Schools. Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, 4, 120-133
Negari, G. M. 2011. A study on strategy instruction and EFL learners’ writing skill. International Journal of English Linguistics. 1(2): 299.
New UPSR format sees big drop in straight A scorers (2017, November 18), The Star.
Retrived from https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/11/18/new-upsr-format-sees-big-drop-in-straight-a-
Pratiwi, D. I., Faridi, A., & Hartono, R. (2016). The implementation of mind mapping strategy to teach writing in IELTS preparation class. Lembaran Ilmu Kependidikan, 45(1).
Rafii, A. (2017). Improving students’ motivation in writing descriptive texts by using mind mapping. ELT Echo : The Journal of English Language Teaching in Foreign Language Context, 2(2), 147
Rahim, M. A. A., Rustam, R. M., Primsuwan, P., Amat, R., Yusof, S. M., & Tahir, N. M. (2017). The effectiveness of using wh-questions in improving the writing skill of upper primary school students in Malaysia”. International Journal of Development Research, 7(09), 15466-15470.
Saidon, M. A., Said, N. E. M., Soh, T. M. T., & Husnin, H. (2018). ESL Students’ perception of teacher’s written feedback practice in Malaysian classrooms. Creative Education, 9(4), 2300-2310.
Sheen, Y. (2010). Introduction: The role of oral and written corrective feedback in SLA. Studies in second language acquisition, 32(2), 169-179.
Suyanto, A. (2010). The effectiveness of mind mapping to teach writing skill viewed from their IQ (an experimental study in the seventh-grade students of SMPN 1 Prambon in the academic year 2009/2010) (Doctoral dissertation, UNS (Sebelas Maret University).
Tawfeeq, H. M., & Abbas, A. M. (2018). The Role of Written Corrective Feedback in Improving Kurdish EFL University Students’ Writing. Journal of University of Human Development, 4(4), 61-74.
Veramuthu, P., & Shah, P. M. (2020). Effectiveness of Collaborative Writing among Secondary School Students in an ESL Classroom. Creative Education, 11(1), 54-67.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1980). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard university press.
Yunus, M. M., & Chien, C. H. (2016). The Use of Mind Mapping Strategy in Malaysian University English Test (MUET) Writing. Creative Education, 7, 619-626.
Zakaria, M. A., & Aziz, A. A. (2019). The Impact of Digital Storytelling on ESL Narrative Writing Skill. SocArXiv. August, 4.