The Effect of Conventional, Web-based, and Hybrid Teaching of Pre-Writing Strategies on Iranian EFL Learners’ Writing Performance

ABSTRACT: Second language writing, not unlike other language skills, is an area of practice requiring due attention and meticulously planned instruction. With a prevalent shift of paradigm from product-oriented to process-oriented approaches to writing instruction, such learner variables as language learning strategies came to the forefront. Among second language writing strategies, the locus of attention on pre-writing strategies has by no means been ample. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of pre-writing strategies in ameliorating the writing ability of second language learners. Furthermore, since computer technology has had a lot to offer in pedagogical environments, the implementation of pre-writing strategies-based instruction was examined through different modes of input delivery, i.e. web-based and hybrid environments (in addition to conventional classroom teaching). A sample of second language learners was chosen from among male and female English majors and was divided into four groups: control, conventional, web-based, and hybrid groups. A homogenizing writing pretest was administered to ascertain that the learners were not very different in terms of their writing ability. After five sessions of treatment, excluding the pretest and posttest sessions, a writing posttest was given to the students, the results of which revealed that the three experimental groups had significantly outperformed the control group, and hence indicating the effectiveness of teaching pre-writing strategies. There was not, however, a meaningful difference between the conventional and web-based groups. The hybrid group, on the other hand, had excelled all the other groups.