ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
The Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) in language teaching has been proven as an effective strategy according to considerable empirical research conducted by scholars, but many of which employ standardized test scores as the sole measure. However, while IBL has a big impact on students’ writing awareness, self-efficacy, and motivation, it does not always translate into immediate score improvements. This paper proposes the conceptual framework of the ‘Process-Outcome Gap ’, which has a large impact on the difference between the immediate effects at multiple levels, including cognition, motivation, and self-efficacy, and the potentially delayed outcome effects observed in the writing exams. Zooming in on the teaching context of IELTS Writing Task 2 – essay writing, and due to its popularity globally, this paper indicates that its time pressure and high-stakes nature make this gap particularly salient. This paper explains how IBL influences IELTS writing capacity through integrating Swain’s Output Hypothesis, Krashen’s Input Hypothesis, Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, and Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory. This multi-level conceptual work suggests that IBL firstly affects students’ mental states and learning processes and ultimately influences students’ writing performance through input-output cycles, satisfying students’ basic mental needs, and activating their self-efficacy sources. This paper further discusses how the conceptual work influences IELTS writing teaching and learning, assessment design, and further research. By advocating for the introduction of a process-oriented exam perspective in IBL writing research, this paper further discusses the implications of this framework for IELTS writing instruction, assessment design, and future research.
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