The impact of instruction based on Toulmin elements on the writing performance of NNES learners / Amirah Dent
This mixed methods study examined and analysed the impact of instruction based on Toulmin elements on the argumentative writing performance of four NNES learners and uncovered their perspectives on how the instruction of reasoning elements influenced their argumentative essays. The objective of t...
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| Format: | Thesis |
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2018
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| Online Access: | http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/9105/ http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/9105/1/Amirah_Dent.pdf http://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/9105/9/amirah.pdf |
| Summary: | This mixed methods study examined and analysed the impact of instruction based on
Toulmin elements on the argumentative writing performance of four NNES learners and
uncovered their perspectives on how the instruction of reasoning elements influenced
their argumentative essays. The objective of this study was to a) assess the argumentative
essays produced by NNES learners to find problems that occur during their writing
performance, b) to determine to what extent the instruction based on The Toulmin Model
of Argument affect the NNES learners’ argumentative writing performance, and c) to
uncover the NNES learners’ perspectives on how the instruction of Toulmin elements
impact their argumentative essays. The findings of the study will benefit the NNES
learners in relation to their need to improve their argumentative skills in their academic
writing. This study used the convergent parallel mixed methods design which involved
the collection of quantitative and qualitative data. The two sets of data were then
compared and analysed to yield an overall interpretation of results. Four NNES learners
participated in the eight-week long study and were asked to produce argumentative essays
from the pre-, post-, and delayed post-tests. The argumentative essays were then coded
for presence of Toulmin elements. Additionally, the essays were assessed for reasoning
quality using an argumentative writing scoring rubric adapted from Qin and Karabacak
(2010). The quantitative findings revealed that some Toulmin elements were not present
in the participants’ pre-test essays and exposed several problems in the quality of their
argumentative essays. After receiving instruction, the NNES learners employed Toulmin
elements in the argumentative essays produced in the post- and delayed post-test and had
shown improvement in their use of the reasoning elements. The assessments also revealed that the argumentative essays from the post- and delayed post-test contained more rich
and complex reasoning compared to the argumentative essays written in during the pretest.
The qualitative results revealed that during the early stages of the instruction, they
perceived the Toulmin elements data, qualifier, and rebuttal challenging to comprehend
and apply in their argumentative essays. Nevertheless, further instruction of Toulmin
elements facilitated their understanding of the reasoning features, their function, and
application. The semi-structured interview revealed that the NNES learners found the
instruction of Toulmin elements useful to their argumentative writing due to several
factors. The conclusion of this study recommended that argumentative writing models
and reasoning features must be introduced to NNES learners at an earlier stage in order
for them to achieve an expected standard of reasoning required in tertiary education
levels. |
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