A PHENOMENOGRAPHIC STUDY ON EFL TEACHERS’ CONCEPTIONS OF TEACHING WRITING

Habtamu Gebrekidan, Assefa Zeru

Abstract


Teachers’ conceptions and approaches to teaching have stronger influence on students’ learning orientations and learning outcomes. This research aimed at examining English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ conceptions of teaching writing by adopting qualitative research design with interpretative ontological and epistemological assertions. To this end, 16 EFL teachers working at Wollo University, Dessie Campus were involved in semi-structured interviews arranged to explore the different ways that EFL teachers understand teaching writing. The interviews transcribed verbatim and analyzed using phenomenographic data analysis scheme. As the results of the study revealed, six qualitatively different conceptions of teaching writing were identified: (1) awareness-raising, (2) equipping, (3) mimicking, (4) co-writing, (5) practicing, and (6) inspiring conceptions of teaching writing. Three dimensions of variation such as conceptions of writing, locus of teaching writing and beliefs in acquisition of writing skills were discovered to show hierarchical relationships among the categories from simplistic (surface) conceptions of teaching to sophisticated (deep) conceptions of teaching writing. Accordingly, inclusiveness and complexity of teaching conceptions increased as we moved from Category 1 to Category 6. Equipping and practicing conceptions were found to be the most frequently reported conceptions of teaching writing, but institutional and contextual factors adversely impacted the feasibility of practicing conceptions of teaching in EFL writing classes. The findings generally revealed EFL teachers’ tendency to surface conceptions of teaching writing. The study have implications to depict teachers’ orientation to create educational environments that foster deep conceptions and approaches to teaching and learning writing skills at Ethiopian universities.


Keywords


EFL Teachers’ Beliefs; Teaching Conceptions; Approaches to Teaching Writing

Full Text:

PDF

References


Akerlind, G. S. (2005). Variation and commonality in phenomenographic research methods. Higher Education Research and Development. 24(4), 321-334.

Armin, D. S. & Siregar, P. A. M. (2021). EFL teacher’s pedagogical beliefs in teaching at Indonesian university. Journal Tarbiyah, 28(2), 82-93.

Aypay, A. (2010).Teacher education students‘ epistemological beliefs and their conceptions about teaching and learning. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences.2 (2599-2604).

Badger, R. & White, G. (2000). A process genre approach to teaching writing. ELT Journal, 54(2), 153-160.

Bekele, B. (2011). Promoting self-regulated learning in efl writing classes: Effects on self believes and performances. AAU. (Unpublished PhD Dissertation).

Biggs, J. B. (1999). What the student does: Teaching for enhanced learning. Higher Education Research and Development, 18(1), 57-75.

Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university (3rd ed). Berkshire: Open University Press.

Chen, M., Chai, C-S, Jong, Ms-Y., & Jiang, My-C. (2021). Teachers’ conceptions of teaching chinese descriptive compositions with interactive spherical video- based virtual reality. Frontiers in Psychology, 12: 591708, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.591708.

Colombo, L. & Priori, M. (2016). How do faculty conceptions on reading, writing and their role in the teaching of academic literacies influence their inclusive attitude. Iiha Desterro, 69(3), 2175-8026.

Dart, B. C., Burnett, P. C., Purdie, N., Boulton-Lewis, G., Campbell, J., & Smith, D. (2000). Students’ conceptions of learning, the classroom environment, and approaches to learning. The Journal of Educational Research, 93(4), 262-270.

Entwistle, N. (1997). Introduction: Phenomenography in higher education. Higher Education Research and Development. 16(2), 127-134.

Entwistle, N. (2000). Promoting deep learning through teaching and assessment: Conceptual frameworks and educational contexts. Teaching and Learning Research Programme. University of Edinburgh. Paper Presented at the ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme, First Annual Conference.

Freeman, D. & Richards, J. C. (1993). Conceptions of teaching and the education of second language teachers. TESOL Quarterly, 27(2), 193-216.

Gao, L. & Watkins, A. D. (2002). Conceptions of teaching held by school science teachers in p.r. china: identification and cross-cultural comparisons. International .Journal of Science Education, 24(1), 61-79.

Gibbs, G. & Coffey, M. ( 2004). The impact of training of university teachers on their teaching skills, their approach to teaching and the approach to learning of their students. Active Learning in Higher Education, 5(1), 87-100. SAGE Publications.

Gracio, L., Aguiar, H., Pires, H., & Carapeto. (2023). Teaching and quality of teaching: Conceptions of higher education professors in Sao Tome and Principe. Frontiers in Education. 8: 1144147. doi=10.3389/feduc.20231144147.

Graham, S. & Harris, K. (1994). Implications of constructivism for teaching writing to students with special needs. The Journal of Special Education, 28(3), 275-289.

Habtamu, S. (2018). The Practice of process approach in writing classes: Grade eleven learners of Jimma Preparatory and Jimma University community preparatory school in focus. International Journal of English and Literature, 9(5), 39-49.

Hyland, K. (2003). Second language writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Karimzadeh, F. & Langaroudi, J. (2019). A correlational study of efl teachers’ beliefs and students’ class participation in bandar abbas language institutes. Journal of Applied Linguistic and Language Research, 6(2), 157-171.

Kalra, R., Sundrarajun, C., & Komintarachat, H. (2017). Using portfolio as an alternative assessment tool to enhance thai efl students writing skill. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 20(8), 292-302.

Karabinar, S. ( 2014). Writing Approaches of Student Teachers of English. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 10(2), 1-16.

Kember, D. (1997). A reconceptualization of the research in to university academics’ conceptions of teaching. Learning and Instruction, 7(3)255-275.

Kember, D. & Kwan. (2000). Lecturers’ approaches to teaching and their relationships to conceptions of good teaching. Instructional Science, 28, 469-490 .

Khan, S. H. (2014). Phenomenography a qualitative research methodology in Bangladesh. International Journal on New Trends in Education and their Implications, 5(2), 1309-6249.

Khanalizadeh, B. & Allami, H. (2012). The impact of teachers’ beliefs on efl writing instruction. Theory and Practices in Language Studies, 2(2), 334-342.

Klimova, B. F. (2013). Approaches to the teaching of writing skills. International conference on education and educational psychology (ICEEPSY). Procedia–Social and Behavioral Sciences, 112, 147-151.

Kong, Y. (2017). Chinese tefl teachers’ conceptions of writing: A partial credir model analysis. European Journal of Educational Sciences, EJES, 4(4), 1857-6036.

Kong, Y. (2018). Teachers’ conceptions of writing: A case of china. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 8(3), 285-294.

Lam, B. H. & Kember, D. (2006). The relationships between conceptions of teaching and approaches to teaching. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice.12 (6), 693-713.

Larsson, J. & Holmstrom, I. (2007). Phenomenographic or phenomenological analysis: Does it matter? Examples from a study on anesthesiologists’ work. International Journal Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 2(1), 55-64.

Melketo, T. A. (2012). Exploring tensions between english teachers’ beliefs and practices in teaching writing. The International HETL Review, 2, 98-114.

Merriam, S. B. (2002). Introduction to qualitative research. In S.B. Merriam &Associates (Eds), Qualitative Research in Practice: Examples for Discussion and Analysis, San Francisco, CA: Jossey–Bass.

Nezakatgoo, B. (2011). The effects of portfolio assessment on writing of efl students. English Language Teaching, 4(2), 231-241.

Nunan, D. (1991). Language teaching methodology. A text book for teachers. New York: Prentice Hall.

Ouidani, Y. E. & Baghdadi, S. Y. (2022). Main approaches to teaching writing in EFL/ESL contexts: A literature review. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 7, 524-533.

Peikoff, L. (1991). Objectivism the philosophy of ayn rand. New York, Penguin Group USA INC.

Qi, H. (2022). Conceptions about teaching and learning held by EFL teachers and learners’ in China. Open Journal of Social Science. 10, 314-325.

Pouyan, S., Heydarpour, M. & Aghajanzadeh, G. ( 2016). The effect of guided writing strategy on iranian intermediate efl learners’ writing improvement. Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods, 6(8), 124-131.

Ramsden, P. (1992). Learning to teach in higher education. London: Routledge.

Richards, J. C. & Lockhart, C. (1994). Reflective teaching in second language classrooms. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Sin, S. (2010). Considerations of quality in phenomenographic research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 9(4), 305-319.

Trigwell, K. & Prosser, M. (1996). Changing approaches to teaching: A relational perspective. Studies in Higher Education, 21(3), 275-284.

Uddin, M. E. (2014). Teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and its reflection on the practice in teaching writing in efl tertiary context in bangladesh. European Journal of Educational Science, 1(3), 58-80.

Xu, L. (2012). The role of teachers’ beliefs in the language teaching-learning process. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(7), 1370-1402.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.30743/ll.v8i1.8949

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Fakultas Sastra 
Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara (UISU), Medan
Jl. Sisingamangaraja Teladan Medan 20217
Telp. (061) 7869911, e-mail: language_literacy@sastra.uisu.ac.id