A genre-based approach to teaching personal recount writing to 6th grade EFL students in Chile
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Date
2023
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Abstract
This mixed-methods study intended to implement a genre-based approach to writing, informed by SFL (Systemic Functional Linguistics), in a Chilean EFL (English as a Foreign Language) context. The primary aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness and student perceptions of a genre-based pedagogical intervention (GBP) designed to enhance the writing proficiency of sixth-grade EFL students in producing personal recount texts.The writing assignments of five students were analyzed, engaging in the production of a specific form of personal recount text: diary entries. The assessment of the effectiveness of the genre-based intervention involved the analysis of pre-test and post-test diary entries, with a focus on the social purpose and language choices inherent to the personal recount genre. Data was collected through quantitative analysis of diary entries, and qualitative analysis of the participants’ responses to an open-ended questionnaire.The findings of the pre-test and post-test compositions, supported by a statistical analysis, identified a substantial improvement in students' overall personal recount writing skills following the implementation of the genre-based approach, in aspects such as use of evaluative language and cohesively connecting a sequence of main events. Results also indicated that students' perspectives were mostly positively impacted by the GBP's application, with students indicating that each stage of the method was effective in helping them write their compositions. Overall, the results highlight students' predominantly positive perspectives on the application of the GBP, emphasizing the effectiveness of each stage of the method in facilitating their composition process in aspects such as genre comprehension and easiness in the writing process. Ultimately, this research contributes to the understanding of the potential of genre-based pedagogy in the Chilean EFL context and its impact on students' writing performance and perceptions.
Description
Tesis (Magíster en Lingüística Aplicada al Inglés como Lengua Extranjera)--Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 2023
Keywords
EFL teaching, EFL instruction in Chilean contexts, Writing instruction, Genre-based pedagogy (GBP), Systemic functional linguistics (SFL)