This study aimed to seek educational plans for learners, emphasizing the significance of selecting appropriate information by using different source texts in the process of content generating for writing. With this intention, the objectives of this st...
This study aimed to seek educational plans for learners, emphasizing the significance of selecting appropriate information by using different source texts in the process of content generating for writing. With this intention, the objectives of this study were as follows: first, to analyze the patterns of content generating in the students participating in group discussion versus those not participating in group discussion when they select information from source texts; and, second, to clarify any differences in the outcomes of writing between the two groups. Specifically, it is intended to verify what are the effects of group discussion on content generating in using source texts, as well as to clarify the cognitive characteristics of students who produce the content.
Theoretical background was largely divided into two parts: first, Chapter II ‘Using source texts and Writing’ describes what are the characteristics of content generating phase in the process of writing, why it is critically important to select appropriate information using various source texts for content generating, and how to make the best use of source texts including relevant strategies and factors; and, Chapter Ⅲ ‘Group discussion for content generating’ discusses the application background and concept of discussion from the viewpoint of writing education, and the significance and applications of group discussion for content generating.
In line with the theoretical review and study objectives as mentioned above, firstly, think-aloud, interviewing, composition and discussion data were collected from the students participating in group discussion and those not participating in group discussion so as to examine how they create the content of writing, and these qualitative analyses were made of sixteen students who were focused ones of the entire participants. Secondly, the difference in scores of writing outcomes between the two groups was statistically analyzed and the analysis population consisted of a total of 237 participants including focused students.
The analyses above showed that when selecting information from source texts, the presence of group discussion had a positive effect on content generating. A qualitative analysis of the patterns of content generating revealed that the participants made use of various strategies during source text reading and content generating. The types of strategies included ‘selecting information from source texts’, ‘selecting information by using of information sources other than the given source texts’, and ‘focusing on the writer’, and several sub-strategies were analyzed as well. In addition, it was also found that the students took different factors into account, such as 'writing task', 'planning for writing', 'readers', and 'writer' when selecting information from source texts. Further, it was shown that there were some differences in the above-mentioned cognitive aspect between the two groups. It was guessed that this finding was because group discussion enabled students to determine appropriate information to enrich the quality of composition and to interact each other in the manner of exchanging opinions concerning how to make the best use of source texts.
A analysis of writing scores indicates that the participants in group discussion among male and female students whose general writing level was poor had significant improvements in the scores of tasks 1 and 2. Unlike female students, male students with good level also exhibited the improved scores of tasks 1 and 2 through group discussion. Interestingly, the students with poor level not participating in discussion also had slight improvements in the performance of tasks 1 and 2 compared to the scores of general writing skills, which suggests that providing an abundance of source texts for the writers having difficulty in content generating may contribute to writing in itself.
Preceding writing-related studies focused on interactions after writing completion pointed out some problems, e.g., that the student writers feel inconvenience in peer assessment and that the results of peer assessment do not influence the improvement of writing. On the contrary, this study attempted to verify the effects of discussion in the process of selecting information from source texts, and the results of this study suggest that rather than discussing completed compositions, performing discussion during content generating may be far easier and more effective. The author expects that the results of this study will contribute to enhancing understanding of the student writers' content generating process, calling educators' attention to informative text writing at school, and seeking multilateral teaching approaches to making the best use of source texts.