Coordinator: Mehdi B. Mehrani
Assistant professor of ELT, English Department, University of Neyshabur
Email: Mehrani@neyshabur.ac.ir
Guidlines for Publishing in Action Research
We have recently specified a special column in Roshd FLT Journal for
publishing small-scale research studies that teachers conduct in their own
classes. We intend to publish at least one action research report in each issue
of Roshd FLT Journal. Thus, we encourage you to submit the reports of your
classroom research to be published in our “Action Research Column”.
We accept papers on the basis of their relevancy to our readers,
simplicity, readability, and freshness of viewpoint. Your papers do not have to
follow the standards of scholarly, academic research papers. We do not use
complicated statistical analyses, technical terms or footnotes. Thus, write in
a simple, plain and easy to understand manner. Please cite all of your sources
within the text, and provide a list of references at the end of your article.
When writing your paper, please include the following information in your
report:
• Your research questions and your plan for answering the research
questions
• The actions that you did over a period of time in order to answer the
questions
• Your evaluation of the effects of the actions and any evidence that
support your
evaluation
• Your conclusion and suggestions for other teachers
To be accepted for publication, your articles need to:
• Be maximum 2500 words, including references
• Be on a topic of relevance or interest to Iranian language teachers
• Include an abstract of no more than 200 words, and a list of
references
We are looking forward to your action research reports. Should you have
any inquiries about how to prepare a report of your action research, you can
send an email to Dr. Mehrani at the following address: meh.mehrani@gmail.com
I Used Mind Mapping to Develop My Students’ Writing Skill
Vahideh Rastgoo, Freelance English Instructor
چکیده
معلمان همواره در پی
ایجاد محیط‌هایی
برای تشویق مشارکت فعال دانش‌آموزان در روند یادگیری بوده‌اند. نقشة ذهنی یکی از روش‌های تدریس و یادگیری
است که در این راستا مورد استفاده قرار می‌گیرد. در مقالة اقدام‌پژوهشی در پی آن
هستیم تا تأثیر تکنیک نقشة ذهنی را بر رشد مهارت‌های نوشتاری زبان‌آموزان ایرانی، در سطح متوسط زبان
انگلیسی، بررسی کنیم. برای این منظور، دو کلاس آموزشی شامل سی دانش‌آموز دختر از مؤسسة
شکوه طبس در استان خراسان مورد مطالعه قرار گرفتند. در یک کلاس آموزش‌های مرسوم و در کلاس
دیگر تدریس مهارت نوشتن اجرا شد. نتایج
تحقیق نشان داد که استفاده از نقشة ذهنی در تدریس نوشتن می‌تواند مهارت‌های نوشتاری را بهبود بخشد. این مهارت‌ها شامل توانایی دانش‌آموزان در سازمان‌دهی متن، استفاده از
گرامر، توسعة منطقی متن، نقطه‌گذاری و سبک است. علاوه بر این، نویسنده در این مقاله بحث می‌کند که استفاده از
تکنیک نقشة ذهنی در کلاس‌های نوشتاری می‌تواند در نوشتن مؤثرتر متن کمک کند و انگیزه و علاقة دانش‌آموزان را نیز افزایش
دهد.
کلید‌واژه‌ها: نوشتن، مهارت‌های نوشتاری، نقشة
ذهنی
Abstract
Educators have always sought to create environments that actively engage
students in their learning process. Mind mapping is one of the teaching and
learning strategies emerged in this regard. The present paper used mind mapping
technique for the development of intermediate Iranian EFL learners’ writing
skills. Two classes consisting of 30 students were studied. While in the first
class conventional techniques of language teaching were used, in the second
class the instructor taught the students through mind mapping technique. The
research findings indicated that the use of mind mapping in teaching writing
could improve the learners’ writing skills. This includes their abilities in
organizing the text, grammar use, logical development of the text, punctuation,
and style. Moreover, the paper argues that applying mind mapping technique in
writing classes helps the learners in writing more effectively and increases
their motivation and interest in the task as well.
Key Words: writing, writing skills, mind mapping
Planning
Scholars have considered mind mapping a very effective method of optimizing
learning capacity and understanding of how the elements of complex structures
are connected together. By definition, a mind map is a powerful graphic
technique which provides a full range of cortical skills in a single, strong
manner. Mind mapping has been defined as ‘visual, non-linear representations of
ideas and their relationships’ (Biktimirov & Nilson, 2006). In other words,
mind maps support cognitive depth as one of the main learning strategies
recommended by educationalists (Borovková, 2014).
Mind maps give space for making our notes and learning more personal.
Connecting known and unknown, old and new, personal and general information is
possible through mind mapping. In addition, mind maps which are created by the
students themselves are unique products of theirs and therefore much more
valuable for them (Borovková, 2014).
In the present action research I intended to examine whether mind
mapping can help my students improve their writing skill. I began this study by
considering a key question of whether the use of mind mapping technique can
have any effects on my students’ writing achievement. Since I had already
studied about the effect of this technique on speaking skill, I predicted that
such an effect can also be applicable to writing skill, if used properly.
Action
The context of this study was a language institute in Tabas, where I
have been teaching English during the last few years. I conducted this study in
two intermediate classes. In each of my classes there were 15 students; thus a
total of 30 students comprised the subjects for this study. My students were
all female and their ages ranged from 15 to 20 years old. Since I intended to
examine the effects of mind mapping in a rather controlled manner, I decided to
use this technique only in one of the classes and consider the other class as a
control group. I began the study during the summer semester because the
students had more free time and could participate in the classes more
conveniently. The classes were held twice a week, each for 90 minutes.
During the main phase of the study, I provided the students in the
experimental class with some mind mapping techniques and taught the control
group in a traditional way. A sample of the mind mapping techniques is provided
in the appendix. To minimize the varieties of instruction in both classes, I
managed to monitor students’ activities very closely and provided similar
instruction in both classes. While doing
the exercises and working on their writing activities, I provided individual help,
where required. Every session, the students were given a short quiz and their
quizzes were always graded, returned to them with comments on strengths and
weaknesses. Similarly, words of encouragement were always given to students in
both classes. The slightest improvement were noted and commended. Answers were
also discussed in both classes.
Observation
Prior to the beginning of the study I tested my students’ writing
performance by asking them to sit for a writing test. The students in both
classes were supposed to write about the following topic: “Write about Yalda
Night. What do people usually do in your country on this occasion?” Their
writing samples were scored and recorded for future comparisons.
After teaching the students for 20 sessions (in 10 weeks), they were
tested at the end of the summer course.
More specifically, they were asked to write a 100 word essay about the
following topic: “Write about the first day of your elementary school. How did
you feel?” All writings were reviewed and graded and the performances of the
two groups were then compared.
As I mentioned, the goal of this study was to improve the writing skills
of my intermediate learners in conducting the research. I monitored the
students’ progress based on ongoing assessments. However, in order to ensure
the consistency of my ongoing assessments, I took a final test at the end of
the semester. Therefore, I had the students sit for a writing test about their
first day of elementary school and how they felt. I scored and compared the
students' writing performance to examine the effects of mind mapping on their
writing skill.
Evaluation
The progress of the students in terms of writing skill was investigated
through three main sources. First my observation throughout the course, helped
me develop a judgment about the effectiveness of mind mapping technique. In
particular I observed that the use of this technique increased students’
motivation for writing and at the same time engaged them in the process of
education. In addition, the daily quizzes provided a benchmark for comparing
the students’ performance in the two classes of control and experimental
groups. Although providing a systematic account of the students’ gradual
progress went beyond the purpose of the research study, the overall comparison
of the average scores of the students showed the positive impact of mind
mapping technique. The last source that I relied on to examine the
effectiveness of mind mapping technique was the final exam of the students.
That is, in order to see the treatment effects on students’ scores in the final
exam their scores were calculated. As the following table shows, the
experimental group achieved higher scores.
In order to examine the potential effect of mind mapping on students’
scores, independent samples T-test was conducted on students’ scores of the
post-tests. The results showed that there was a significant difference between
the students’ scores in the experimental and control conditions. (t (14) =
6.90, p < 0.5). The test, therefore, showed that the overall mean scores of
experimental condition were significantly higher than those of the control
condition.
In sum, the results of the study and the examination of three sources of
data revealed that the students who were taught through mind mapping technique
could improve their writing skill more effectively.
Reflection
In this action research, I carefully examined the effects of mind
mapping on the development of the students’ writing skill. The results of the investigation based on
three sources of my own observation, regular quizzes, and final exam showed
that the use of mind mapping techniques enhanced the writing abilities of the
learners of the experimental group more than the learners who were taught
through the conventional teaching techniques in the control group. This study,
thus suggests that teachers can effectively employ this technique to enhance
their students’ productive skills.
However, since the scope of this study was limited to writing skill,
future studies can be conducted on other areas such as note taking, preparation
for conferences, giving presentation, as other preparatory techniques for the
development of different language skills.
Acknowledgements: The author would like to thank all participants of the
study who patiently attended the classes and cooperated sincerely during the
study period. The author would especially thank Ms. Zinat Mortazavi Yek, who
collaborated in students’ scoring.
References
Biktimirov, E. N., & Nilson, L. B. (2006). Show them the money:
Using mind mapping in the introductory finance course. Journal of Financial
Education, 32, 72-86.
Borovková, M. P. (2014). Application of Mind Maps in ELT with the
Emphasis in Lexis. Prague: Charles University Press.
Appendix
Examples of mind maps drawn by students: