Extensive Writing in Tertiary Education

Abstract

The current study seeks to find out whether Extensive Writing (EW) practices has an effect on attitudes of students towards writing and if their attitudes towards writing differ by gender. The study was conducted with two groups of intermediate level English language preparatory class students at a state university in Turkey. In the study, explanatory sequential design of mixed methods research was used for data collection and analysis procedures. In order to collect data, a four-week research lesson cycle was planned. Together with learners’ written works, a questionnaire and learning reflection questions were used. The findings of the study revealed a notable improvement of writing performance in the experimental group. As for gender differences in attitudes and writing scores, there appeared significant differences in test scores of the control group, with males outperforming females. In the experimental group, however, there was no indication of gender-based difference neither in test scores nor in their attitudes regarding writing. By analyzing learning reflection questions, it was concluded that the participants were mostly positive about this new practice. These findings collectively suggest that while observable gains in writing skills are evident, the treatment did not have an effect on gender-related differences in writing.