Comparing the Effectiveness of Employing Convergent and Divergent Tasks to Improve Iranian EFL Learners’ Writing Skill and Reading Comprehension Ability: Does Gender Matter?

Task-based language learning offers learners the rich input they need to study the target language and contributes to developing intrinsic motivation in the classroom (Ellis, 2020). Thus, the present study explored the effect of employing convergent and divergent activities to improve male and female learners’ reading comprehension and writing abilities. To fulfill the purpose, a quasi-experimental study was designed and, through a homogeneity test, 32 female and 28 male students at the intermediate level were chosen. Then, they were randomly divided into four experimental groups. They underwent the teaching based on convergent and divergent activities principles. Accordingly, the results of ANCOVA indicated that male learners benefited from divergent activities, whereas convergent activities were significantly beneficial to female learners. More importantly, the result of MANOVA depicted that there was a statistical difference across gender. A follow-up Scheffe’s post-hoc test was also conducted to locate the exact areas of differences. Results showed that female learners in convergent groups obtained the highest mean scores for writing and reading posttests. Finally, pedagogical implications suggested that EFL practitioners should address the gender differences in learning style preferences to design effective input-based and output-based tasks to encourage the learners to participate in an active learning environment.