The study explored the expressiveness in two types of writing modes: the pen-
paper and the blog entries. It also studied the students’ attitude towards implementing these tools. This paper was conducted through a mixed method approach. Eleven participants of the age range 15-16, were from one of the groups in the Experimental English Courses at the American University of Armenia. Data collection was from the students’ reflective writings and two interviews. The reflective writings were analysed quantitatively through Excel program to find the percentages and create the visuals. The qualitative data from both semi-structured interviews was analysed descriptively. The study concludes that blog helped students express themselves more freely than in writing in terms of the three criteria of expression chosen for this study.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Introduction
1.1. Purpose of the Study
1.2. Research Questions
1.3. The Structure of the Thesis
Chapter Two: Literature Review
2.1. Writing
2.1.1. What is Writing?
2.1.2. Types of Writing
2.1.3. Expressiveness in Writing
2.1.4. Pedagogical Perspective Benefits of Expressive Writing
2.1.5. Challenges of Expressive Writing
2.2. Blogging
2.2.1. What is Blog
2.2.2. Who and Why should Blog
2.2.3. Features of Blogging
2.2.4. Blogging as a teaching tool in Education
2.3. Blog in ESL/EFL
2.3.1. Benefits of Blog
2.3.2. Challenges of Blogging
Chapter Three: Methodology
Chapter 3.1: Research Question Restatement
Chapter 3.2: Setting
Chapter 3.3: Participants
Chapter 3.4: Instruments
Chapter 3.5: Research Design
Chapter 3.6: Treatment
Chapter 3.7: Data Collection
Chapter 3.8: Data Analysis
Chapter Four: Results
Chapter 4.1: Analysis of the Findings of the first Research Question
Chapter 4.2: Analysis of the Findings of the first Research Question
Chapter Five: Discussion and Conclusion
Chapter 5.1: Discussions of the Results
Chapter 5.2: Limitations and Delimitations
Chapter 5.2.1: Limitations
Chapter 5.2.2: Delimitations
Chapter 5.3: Pedagogical Implications
Chapter 5.4: Recommendations for Further Research
Chapter 5.5: Conclusion
Research Objectives and Thematic Scope
This study aims to investigate the differences in student expressiveness between digital blog entries and traditional pen-and-paper writing, while also exploring student attitudes toward the implementation of these two mediums within an EFL educational context.
- Comparison of expressiveness in digital blogging versus traditional writing.
- Analysis of linguistic indicators such as visual aids, punctuation usage, and first-person references.
- Evaluation of students' attitudes, engagement, and learning experiences with technological tools.
- Investigation of privacy concerns and motivation in non-structured writing assignments.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1.5. Challenges of Writing.
Byrne (1988) explains the difficulties of writing bringing three main reasons. First reason is the psychological problems. Unlike speaking, where we communicate with someone who is physically present and communication is happening in context with feedback of some kind, writing requires to create the context on our own, it is purely and activity with no interaction or feedback. Second reason that makes writing difficult is related to linguistic problems. As it was mentioned above writing involves no physical interaction with anybody, which in its turn may hinder the reader’s comprehension of the writing is it is not done clearly, and well structured. In speaking however, physical presence and the alive context help the normal interaction. Unlike writing speech is more spontaneous and there is a limited time to organize sentences correctly.
Third challenge is related to cognitive problems. The first thing we do without making much effort is learning how to speak, and we do it without giving much thought to it. Writing however is learned through the instruction. It is taught and needs efforts to learn structures, organize our thoughts so clearly that can be understood by the reader (Byrne, 1988).
Summary of Chapters
Chapter One: Introduction: Provides an overview of blogging as a technological tool in education and outlines the research project comparing EFL learners' experiences with digital versus traditional writing.
Chapter Two: Literature Review: Discusses theoretical perspectives on writing, the definition of expressiveness, and the pedagogical advantages and challenges of blogging in ESL/EFL contexts.
Chapter Three: Methodology: Describes the mixed-method research design, including the participant group, the 8-week treatment period, and the data collection techniques used for analysis.
Chapter Four: Results: Presents the quantitative and qualitative findings, focusing on linguistic indicators like visual elements, expressive punctuation, and the use of personal pronouns.
Chapter Five: Discussion and Conclusion: Analyzes the study's outcomes, addresses limitations, and suggests pedagogical implications, concluding that blogs provide a more supportive, authentic, and expressive platform for learners.
Keywords
Blogging, Pen-and-paper writing, Expressiveness, EFL, Language acquisition, Self-expression, Linguistic indicators, Educational technology, Student attitudes, Reflective writing, Motivation, Digital literacy, Writing performance, Pedagogical tools, Mixed-method research.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The study investigates whether using a blog versus traditional pen-and-paper methods significantly impacts the expressiveness of EFL learners in their reflective writing.
What are the core research questions?
The research asks if there is a difference in students' expressiveness between these two media and what students' specific attitudes and opinions are toward using each method.
Which scientific methodology was employed?
The researcher used a mixed-method approach, collecting quantitative data from writing assignments (analyzed via Excel) and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews.
What key linguistic indicators were used to measure expressiveness?
The study measured expressiveness by evaluating the usage of visuals (pictures/illustrations), expressive punctuation, and first-person personal references.
What did the findings reveal regarding writing environments?
The study concludes that blogging creates an authentic and motivating platform where students feel more comfortable expressing themselves compared to traditional, more "official" pen-and-paper writing.
What were the main student challenges identified?
Students reported issues such as limited typing skills, initial technical difficulties with blogging software, and concerns regarding privacy and the permanence of their digital reflections.
How did students perceive the role of the audience in blogging?
Students noted that the awareness of a broader, potential audience in a blog motivated them to write more carefully and improve their grammatical and spelling accuracy.
Did students prefer one method over the other in the end?
While some students appreciated the speed of pen-and-paper, the majority preferred blogging due to the creative features, interactivity, and the fun, modern nature of the tool.
- Quote paper
- Nelli Asatryan (Author), 2014, Expressiveness in blogs vs. pen-paper writings, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/278088
