TITLE:
Integration of Inquiry-Based Learning and Ongoing Assessment to Develop English Essay Writing in Upper Intermediate Level
AUTHORS:
Rabih Joseph Nabhan
KEYWORDS:
Essay Writing, IBLA, Ongoing Assessment, Blog, Deficiency, Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics,
Vol.7 No.2,
April
20,
2017
ABSTRACT: Many students of secondary classes in French medium schools struggle to write fluently and accurately as they approach university English entrance exams. However, very few students succeed in efficiently acquiring the necessary writing skills in due time. To investigate this deficiency, this study was conducted. The aim of this action research was to explore the impact of integrating Inquiry-Based Learning Approach (IBLA), ongoing assessment, and blogging to solve the problems students face when they write essays for varied purposes. The study was performed on two private French medium schools. In each school, the participants were divided into two groups: one experimental and one control. Both groups were taught the same essay genres. However, the experimental groups in both schools were taught by means of integrating the Inquiry-Based Learning Approach and ongoing assessment. On the other hand, the control groups continued using the conventional techniques. At the end of the instruction, a summative test took place. The results were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The analysis of the results showed that integrating ongoing assessment and IBLA resulted in better scores with the experimental groups.