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The Importance of Language Diversity in ESL Writing Workgroups By Aseel Kanakri The University of Akron. Aims of the Study. To examine the impact of language variation on students’ writing skills in ESL writing workgroups.
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The Importance of Language Diversity in ESL Writing Workgroups By AseelKanakriThe University of Akron
Aims of the Study • To examine the impact of language variation on students’ writing skills in ESL writing workgroups. • To see if students learn better through peer instruction or peer feedback when English is the only means of communication. • To turn the language barrier into an incentive to improve language fluency.
Theoretical Framework • A theory in second language literacy instruction known as Task-Based Instruction (TBI) is used to support the argument of this study. • TBI emphasizes student-centered instruction that involves group work as opposed to teacher-centered instruction. • The TBI approach will be more effective in ESL classes if language variation is considered when assigning groups to complete a task.
Study Subjects • The students included in this study are all international students at a university in Northeast Ohio taking an advanced ESL writing class in Spring 2012. • The section had 17 students. 8 of them were Chinese (6 males and 2 females). There were also 7 Saudi students (4 males and 3 females). The rest were one male Japanese student and one female Taiwanese student.
Methodology • Writing Teachers’ Questionnaires • Class Observations • Group Writing Samples • Individual Writing Samples
The Teachers’ Responses • 15 writing teachers were approached to fill out the questionnaires. 8 of them filled out and returned the questionnaires. • All 8 teachers who responded use workgroups. • 3 of them use it twice a week, and the rest use it at least once a week. • Groups usually have 3-4 students • First language, class performance, gender, and student preferences are the main criteria reported for dividing students into groups. • Each class has between 3 to 4 different languages.
The Teachers’ Responses Continued… • 7 out of 8 teachers said that when all of the students in the same group speak the same first language , they tend to use their language instead of English most of the times. One teacher reported that this happens only on rare occasions. • All teachers strongly agree that this method of dividing the students into groups based on language variation benefits the students’ learning of writing.
2. Classroom Observation • 6 class meetings were observed over the course of a 7-week quarter, and, in all of these classes, students worked in groups. With the help of the teacher, the same group members always worked together. • There were four groups: Group 1: Arabic speakers only (All Saudis 4 students) Group 2: Chinese speakers only (All Chinese 4 students) Group 3: Chinese and Arabic Speakers (3 Chinese, 1 Taiwanese, 1 Saudi) Group 4: Chinese, Arabic and Japanese speakers (2 Saudis, 1 Chinese, and 1 Japanese)
Class Observation Analysis • Most students looked excited when divided into groups • The first group was active but their enthusiasm died out quickly. They spoke about unrelated topics when the teacher was not around. They used Arabic a lot. • The second group spoke too quietly and whispered to one another in Chinese from time to time especially when the teacher was not around. Electronic translators were used a lot in this group too.
Class Observation Analysis Continued… • Group three were more active than the first two groups, but not all of them were engaged enough in the discussion or the writing. Chinese was used along with electronic translators. • Group four looked the most active group. On rare occasions first languages were used especially towards the end of group time.
3. Writing Samples • 6 writing samples were collected from each group. • Other samples of writing done individually were collected from all of students to compare with their writings within the group. • The analysis of the samples focuses on common ESL writing problems such as idea development, organization, spelling, verb forms, use of prepositions, fragments, parallel structure, and punctuation.
Conclusions • When comparing group writing samples and individual samples, I noticed that the individual writing samples don’t show so much differences between the students. However, writings done in groups varied depending on linguistic diversity. • When English is the only way to communicate with other members of the group, students try to prove their English skills. They tend to spend more time on editing and reviewing. • There is a similarity in the mistake patterns in the writings of the students who come from the same country. This may be a result of cultural background, L1 interference, or the educational system in their native countries. • When groups include speakers of different languages, students tend to correct each other’s mistakes. They feel more comfortable using English and they take comments and other viewpoints more seriously.
