AWEJ Volume.4 Number.2, 2013 Pp.283-297
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Promoting Literacy and Writing Proficiency through a Reading-Based Method
Nassira Boudersa
Applied Language Studies
University of Constantine 01
Constantine, Algeria
Abstract
The present study examines the writing proficiency of Algerian EFL undergraduate learners (Applied Language Studies) at the university of Constantine 1, Algeria. As a very important language skill, the ability to write stretches of discourse that are communicatively successful is one of the major concerns of language teachers. The main aim of the study is to see whether there is a positive relationship between the use of connective expressions in the argumentative type of text and the students’ overall writing quality, reflected by the teacher’s assigned marks to students’ essays. Two groups of students were tested before teaching intervention to have a general idea about their level (pre-test) in writing and the use of connectives. The two groups received the same teaching intervention during a period of 9 weeks(quasi-experimental design), then they have been given a post-test. The results of the pretest and the posttest have been analyzed using the correlation coefficient test. The results have shown that there is an improvement in the students’ proficiency in writing after the teaching intervention. The analysis of the students’ essays with regard to the use of connective expressions and the students’ overall mark has shown that there is a positive relationship between the students’ frequent use of connective expressions and their marks (quality of texts The hypothesis upon which the research was based on was, hence, confirmed.
Key words: Writing proficiency, connectives, argumentative writing, writing quality