Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

Writing Essays Made Easy with Instawrite

Melor Md Yunus, Tan Ming May, Muhammad Asyraf bin Khaja Mohideen

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v9-i1/5401

Open access

Writing is a mammoth task especially to English as a Second Language Learners (ESL). In the Malaysian education setting, Year 6 Pupils are required to sit for a public exam where their writing skills are evaluated. However, it was discovered that feedbacks from teachers to pupils take more time. This action research was carried out to determine how far the use of InstaWrite can improve writing essays among Year 5 Pupils. These pupils were from rural primary schools in Alor Gajah, Melaka and Jempol, Negeri Sembilan. The research participants were a total of seven males and seven females with low to intermediate proficiency levels. Participants would use InstaWrite to help them to write narrative essays. These essays are based on a specific context and in an environment that is relatively fun for the participants. The data collected for this research were analysed using document analysis and semi-structured interviews. Participants wrote a single paragraph daily and feedbacks were given by both teachers and other participants. These feedbacks were used to refine the work. After the implementation of InstaWrite, results of the study showed an increase in the number of correct sentences written. The sentences constructed post-InstaWrite adhered to the Subject-Verb Agreement (SVA) structure. The study showed that the use of Instawrite could be a suitable teaching tool to strengthen pupils writing of paragraphs to form an essay. This beneficial use of technology would encourage more pupils to practice writing in English.

Chitravelu, N., Sithamparan, S., Teh, S.C. (2005). ELT methodology : Principles and practice (2nd ed.). Selangor : Oxford Fajar Sdn. Bhd.
Domingo, M.G., Gargante, A.B.(2016). Exploring the Use of Educational Technology in Primary Education: Teachers’ Perception of Mobile Technology use in the Classroom. Computers in Human Behavior, Vol 56, pp. 21-28.
Elliot, R. (2006). Subject-verb agreement. Retrieved from http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/Subject-Verb-Agreement.htm

English score in UPSR takes a dip. (2013, November 15). The Star Online. Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013 /11/15/English-score-in-UPSR-takes-a-dip-Percentage-of-A-scorers-sees-a-reduction-from-176-last-year-to-174/
Frazier, D. (2015). Malaysia's workforce losing ground as regional rivals catch up. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/donaldfrazier /2015/03/26/malaysias-workforce-losing-ground-as-regional-rivals-catch-up/
Ghazali, N. and Mohamad, M. (2017). The Challenges of Using Social Media on ESL Learners’ Writing Skills. 2017 MELTA Conference Proceedings.
Gillespie, A. and Graham, S. (2012). Evidence-based practices for teaching writing. Retrieved September 20, 2018 from http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons /Better/articles/Winter2011.html.
Gilakjani, A. P., Leong, L. M., & Ismail, H. N. (2013). Teachers’ use of technology and constructivism. International Journal of Modern Education and Computer Science (IJMECS), Vol5(4), pp. 49.
Goh, L. H. (2012). A practical guide to writing your action research. Teluk Intan: CIPTA Printing & Publishing.
Godwin-Jones, R. (2018). Second language writing online: An update. Language Learning & Technology, Vol 22(1),pp. 1–15.
Hashim, H. (2018) Application of Technology in the Digital. International Journal Of Research In Counseling and Education. Vol 01(02), pp. 2620-5769
Hashim, H., Yunus, M.M., Ibrahim, N.S.M, Jeri I.E., Sukr, M.A.M., Ilahi, N.S.N & Hassim, M.A.N, (2018) Social Media and Its Impact on Students’ Writing skills. International Journal of Engineering & Technology. Vol. 7(4.21), pp. 102-106.
Howe, N. and Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation. New York: Vintage Books.
Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (2014). Dokumen Standard Kurikulum dan Pentaksiran Bahasa Inggeris SK Tahun Lima. Kuala Lumpur : Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia.
Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. (2013). Malaysia education blueprint 2013-2025. Kuala Lumpur : Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia.
Lim, K.I., Yunus, M.M., Embi, M. A. (2017). Build Me Up: Overcoming Writing Problems Among Pupils In A Rural Primary School In Belaga, Sarawak, Malaysia. Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora Vol5(1),pp. 1-7.

Myles, J. (2002). Second language writing and research: The writing process and error analysis in student texts. Retrieved from http://tesl-ej.org/ej22/a1.html
Nazril, N.M., Yunus, M.M. Shukor, D.M.A (2017). The Effectiveness of using Mindomo as a Pre-Writing Tool in Improving Writing Scores among ESL students. The Asian EFL Journal Vol 9 (1), pp. 84-94
Nowacek, R. (2011). What makes writing so important? Retrieved December 7, 2018, from http://www.marquette.edu/wac/WhatMakesWritingSoImportant.shtml
Rio Salado College (2015). Subject-Verb Agreement and Verb Tense. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from http://www.riosalado.edu/web/oer/WRKDEV10020012_INTER_0000_v1/lessons/Mod01_SubjectVerbAgreementandVerbTense.shtml
Samuel, R and Zaitun Bakar (2008). The effectiveness of ‘VELT’ in promoting English language communication skills: A case study in Malaysia. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT) Vol. 4(3), pp. 109-126.
Singh, S. (2013, March 8). Muhyiddin: English a compulsory pass subject as early as 2016. The Star Online. Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com .my/News/Nation/2013/03/08/Muhyiddin-English-a-compulsory-pass-subject-as-early-as-2016/
Smialek, M.A. (2015). How do children learn? Retrieved from

In-Text Citation: (Yunus, May, & Mohideen, 2019)
To Cite this Article: Yunus, M. M., May, T. M., & Mohideen, M. A. bin K. (2019). Writing Essays Made Easy with Instawrite. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 9(1), 331–344.