Using Writing Templates as Materials to Improve Writing Skills in Intermediate (B1) EFL Classes: An Experimental Study

Abstract

In this study it was aimed at revealing the findings of an experimental study in which writing templates were used as writing materials to improve writing skills in intermediate (B1) EFL classes as well as reviewing the concepts writing skills, second language writing and writing templates. The study was conducted with 50 students, aged 20-23, of a public university in Turkey. In Writing and Speaking in English II class writing templates were used as writing materials during 12 weeks. The students were asked to fulfil tasks asking them to use some basic writing types for B1 level such as formal and informal letter writing, CV writing, writing business e-mails etc. before and after the study. It was concluded that writing templates can be used as writing materials to improve intermediate (B1) EFL classes. Keywords: Writing, writing templates, L2 writing.Öz: Bu çalışmanın amacı yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğrenen öğrencilerin yazma becerilerini geliştirmede yazma şablonlarının kullanımının etkililiğini deneysel bir çalışma aracılığıyla belirlemektir. Çalışma, Türkiye'deki bir devlet üniversitesinde eğitim görmekte olan 20-23 yaşları arasındaki 50 öğrencinin katılımıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. İngilizce Yazma ve Konuşma II dersinde 12 hafta boyunca yazma şablonları kullanılmıştır. Öğrencilerden, çalışma öncesinde ve sonrasında B1 düzeyinde resmi veya özel mektup, özgeçmiş, iş mektubu gibi dokümanlar hazırlamaları istenmiştir. Çalışmanın sonucunda yazma şablonlarının B1 düzeyindeki öğrencilerin yazma becerilerini geliştirmede kullanılabileceği belirlenmiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Yazma becerisi, yazma şablonları, yabancı dilde yazma becerisi. IntroductionAs being one of the crucial productive skills, writing in a second language has a key role in individuals' professional lives regarding the challenges of contemporary professional and academic life. It is possible to say that writing must be developed as a skill or a habit but sometimes it may be too late for second language learners. It is undoubtedly a great challenge to select the best approaches, methods and techniques to be used in EFL classes.Writing teachers have a dual challenge: Not only must they help the most reticent and timid writers overcome a potentially crippling writing phobia, but they must also instil in their students the confidence needed to translate their thoughts into correct and acceptable English. Even though the writing product is an expression of one's individuality and personality, it is important to remember that writing is also an endeavour, a way of communicating with others, inform them, persuading them, and debating with them.As a technique, using writing templates in EFL writing classes is suggested to be an effective way of teaching how to write. In the simplest way, templates can be defined as models. Specifically, writing templates are skeletal syntactic frameworks-parts of sentences or paragraphs with blanks to fill in with words of learner's choice.In this study it was aimed at revealing the findings of an experimental ...

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