Teaching writing to non-native students of English using the internet through pair work: Lebanese ninth graders in EFL schools

النوع : Mémoire

Due to the advance in technology, new tools such as computers and the Internet have been introduced to the traditional classroom environment to improve both teaching methods and learner results. Some individuals, like Paul Seedhouse (1994) and Victoria Muehleisen (1997), have concluded that the implementation of the Internet helps improve students’ capacity to write. Others, like Heekyong Choi (2001) and Gabriel Tan (1999) have joined pair work to the utilization of the Internet in the writing process. They have found that such a technique succeeds in advancing students’ writing skills. Since Choi and Tan’s study has been limited to EFL students from Asian backgrounds, this study has applied such a technique to EFL students from a Lebanese background. The results of this study have been acquired through a comparison of the three main techniques: the individual writing process, the pair work writing process, and the collaboration of pair work and the Internet writing process. At the beginning of the study, the three sections were asked to write a control essay. All three sections have been assigned one topic and have not been permitted to use any of the techniques (pair work and Internet research). As for the second essay, the three sections were allocated the same topic. One section of grade nine sections (section A) was asked to write the essay after having researched the topic on the Internet in pairs. The second section (Section B) was authorized to discuss the topic in pairs before writing individual essays. As for the third section (Section C), its students have been asked to write the essay without the help of their peers or of the Internet. Later, students of both sections A and B wrote two other essays. Section A made use of the pair work and Internet research methodology while section B could only use the pair work technique. At the end of the five-month period, another common essay was assigned to the three sections. Students wrote individual essays without employment of any technique.