Journal Article

The Effectiveness of a Constructivism-Based Program in Developing some English Reading and Writing Skills of Prep School Students and their Attitudes

Ebedy, Hanan Gamal Mohamed

2021

Overview

The main aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a constructivism-based program in developing some English reading and writing skills of prep school students and their attitudes. Recent research that affirms the importance of EFL reading and writing skills and their crucial role in learning, endeavors have been made to suggest modern approaches focus on the process rather than the product and affirm the active role of learners in the process of their own learning. These has been a call for integrating new dimensions such as learner autonomy and learning strategies in the course of the learning process; aspects endorsed by the constructivist theory of learning. In spite of the importance of the reading and writing skills to prep school students, studies confirm that most of students are poor and inefficient in reading and writing and their negative attitudes towards the English language. Thus the need for the present study was established on both the theoretical and the actual bases to investigate the effectiveness of a proposed constructivism- based instructional program to improve the reading and writing skills of prep school students and develop their positive attitudes towards English language. The results of the study hypotheses as a proof to the proposed program. So, it can be concluded that the proposed program is effective on improving students' reading and writing skills and developing their positive attitudes towards the English language, as it provides a variety of methods and techniques that enhance learning, depends on students' prior experiences and backgrounds, develops their ability to interact in a situation, introduces knowledge in context and real situations, and improves the students' ability to apply rules appropriately in reading and writing. The findings of this study are in live with the findings of previous research (Hendry, 1996; Nyikos and Hashimoto, 2007; and Christianson and Fisher, 2009) that indicate that the constructivist approaches show a significant impact on the students' learning outcomes. They facilitate students' learning, allow students to be more autonomous, improve their capacity for critical thinking, and to look for and analyze information needed to propose a solution. Furthermore, a constructivist approach builds up students' team work skills and communications abilities. Findings also show that learning should involve activities to process the new material, linking it to what the student already knows. Tasks should be authentic, set in a meaningful context, and related to the real world (Larochelle, 2010). Thus, constructivism offers real promise for improving the students' reading and writing skills and developing their positive attitudes towards English language.

• Publisher: جامعة مصر للعلوم والتكنولوجيا
• Subject: اللغة الإنجليزية / طلاب المرحلة الإعدادية / مصر / مهارات القراءة / مهارات الكتابة