IMPROVING STUDENTS’ PARAGRAPH WRITING SKILLS THROUGH BLENDED LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES AT HIGHER PEDAGOGICAL EDUCATION

Abstract

Composing a paragraph in English is almost the same as writing an essay, namely by consisting of three main parts (introduction (topic sentence), body (supporting sentences), conclusion (concluding sentence)) to deliver a message to the readers. Because of this feature of teaching students how to create paragraphs under the proper instruction in practice, blended learning technologies enable both teachers and students to adapt the educational environment for the system of improving their (learners’) paragraph writing skills in the digital era of educational development. This study investigates the potential of blended learning technologies on students’ writing skills, especially paragraph writing in English as a foreign language (EFL). It examines students’ most improved EFL writing areas and perceptions while utilizing blended learning technologies to foster their paragraph writing skills in a systematic way. In this experiment, two groups of EFL writing course students participated during the first-semester 2021-2022. A mixed-method design was implemented into the experiment: course evaluation questionnaires, achievement tests, and students’ portfolios on writing tasks. Findings of the investigations illustrated that most of the participants’ mistakes were in composing topic sentences, creating ideas, and providing concluding sentences coherently and cohesively. The study showed that blending learning technologies in the environment of higher pedagogical education assisted both teachers and students to conduct lessons on the writing skills in a more effective and convenient way.