The Effects of Shared, Interactive, and Independent Writing Strategies on EFL Learners’ Writing Accuracy and Complexity

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

English Language Department, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Second Language (L2) writing has always been a matter of difficulty for foreign language learners and an appealing topic for researchers of the field. Following a quasi-experimental method, this study aimed to investigate the comparative effects of shared, interactive, and independent writing on Lebanese EFL learners' writing accuracy and complexity. To achieve this aim, 74 non-Iranian female EFL learners were selected through convenience sampling technique. The results of Oxford placement test indicated that their level of English proficiency was intermediate. Afterward, the participants were assigned to three experimental groups (i.e., shared, interactive, and independent writing groups). The syntactic accuracy was gauged in terms of t-units and complexity was calculated based in the number of the words in t-units. The results of statistical analysis manifested that the group which used interactive writing strategies outperformed the other two groups, and no significant differences were found between shared and independent writing groups. Moreover, the performance of the interactive writing group differed significantly from those of the other two groups. Hence, it was concluded that interactive writing strategy may lead to a more accurate and complex writing performance. This study might have implications for language instructors, EFL learners, material developers, and also syllabus designers.

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