A Comparison of the Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) and Direct Instruction on Improving Persuasive Writing in Iranian EFL Context

Alireza Karballaei & Ali Asghar Rostami Abusaeedi & Mahsa Zolghadrian, Iran, ID CLEaR2016-323;          In the last three decades, there has been a shift in focus in the field of second language acquisition from teaching methods to learner characteristics. It has become clearer that much of the responsibility for success in language learning may rest with the efforts of individual learners. The present study examined the effect of Collaborative Strategic Reading approach and direct instruction in persuasive writing on enhancing writing skill among EFL learners. The participants in the study were selected from six intact classes consisting of 85 intermediate students studying English in Tehran, Iran. After selecting homogeneous participants, they were divided into three groups including CSR/ direct instruction in persuasion group, direct instruction in persuasion only group, and control group. Then, they were presented with the pre-test writing prompt and were asked to write in response. All the students in the three treatment conditions received the same instructions for this lesson.   In the next stage, the students in the CSR/direct instruction in persuasion group (1) and the direct instruction in persuasion group (2) participated in six weeks of instruction in persuasive writing strategies on different topics. Finally, at the end of the six-week intervention the students in all three groups were given the final prompt and wrote the post-test essay. The findings from the present study suggest that Collaborative Strategic Reading and direct instruction in persuasion is a powerful combination for teaching students to write persuasively. Therefore, the results of this study lends support to the notion of using explicit instruction to teach persuasive writing.

Key words: Collaborative strategic reading, Direct instruction, Persuasive writing, EFL learners