writing and reflection perceptions of

SOUTH ASIAN LANGUAGE REVIEW VOL.XVI. No. 2, June 2006.

Writing and Reflection: Perceptions of Arab EFL Learners

Sultan Al-Hazmi

Jazan University, Saudi Arabia

Abstract. The field of EFL writing in the Arab world suffers from being abstracted, depersonalised and product-oriented. To overcome this deficit, the present study was founded on the premise that writing-as-a-process is uniquely suited to promoting the skills of critical thinking and self-reflection, since it is that very area of self-expression where ideas can be reviewed, reflected on and refined. This paper reports on a study of nineteen Saudi EFL university students’ reflections on writing in Arabic and English in a composition classroom at King Khalid University. Data were elicited via an open ended questionnaire emphasizing that this was to be a self-reflection on how the participating subjects normally write in Arabic and English. The study revealed positive results with regard to promoting students’ critical reflection in the service of EFL writing. Other positive indications included making a writing class a personal process, that is, a continual critical reflection on the problems posed by the EFL context; a search for meaning; a process of acknowledging students’ need to be understood; and a protocol of communicating perceptions. Plausible exp lanations of the emerging results are provided and implications for EFL/ESL composition teaching are accordingly drawn.

1. Introduction: Teaching Writing to Arab EFL/ESL learners

Teaching writing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as is the case in much of the Arab World, , can be described as guided-composition at lower levels and free-composition at higher levels, with a mixture of both at intermediate levels (Asiri, 2003). The teaching of writing skills, Halimah (1991) says, still focuses on a final product and its linguistic features. Kharma (1985) maintains that a major feature of weakness in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in the Arab World is that most of the practice given is limited to language use at the sentence level. He outlines further that:

? there is no systematic preparation for composition; ? naturalness is usually sacrificed for the sake of convenience

or practicality; and ? guided writing is mainly practised as composition tasks.

Writing and Reflection: Perceptions of Arab EFL Learners 37

In addition to this focus on the sentence level and on the linguistic features in teaching EFL writing in the Arab world, overt teacher-centeredness has a negative impact on the development of the writing of the learners (Liggett, 1983). As a result, EFL learners have problems in self-reflection; in expressing themselves adequately; and in formulating critical and analytical thoughts (Al-Hazmi 1998; 2007). Al-Sharah (1996), surveying the perceptions of 210 Jordanian EFL students of L2 writing in academic settings, reported that his subjects showed lack of awareness of important strategies such as outlining ideas on paper, group collaboration and peer conferencing.

However, research into EFL writing methodology since the 1980’s has overwhelmingly supported the process approach to writing (Krapels, 1991). As Asiri (2003: 41) notes, modern methodologies of teaching writing in the English as Second language (ESL) classroom emphasise co-operative learning between teachers and learners, and emphasise that learners should be given more opportunities to think critically, to initiate learning, and to express themselves. In her discussion on modern emphases in writing in a foreign language, Leki (1994) states: “... now students are writing about what they are interested in and know about, but most especially, what they really want to communicate to someone else, what they really want a reader to know .... For the most part, writing is easiest to do and is likely to have the highest quality when the writer is committed intellectually to expressing something meaningful through writing.” Liggett (1983) says that learning should not be a threat to the ego; that learning only takes place when it is initiated by the learner, not when it is demanded by the teacher; that there are fewer limitations than we might imagine to what learners can do if they are actively and mentally engaged in the learning process.

Justifying her assertion that writing has now become much more important in the ESL/EFL curriculum, Leki (1994) states that it “is the one language skill where the language student has ... complete control over that ornery, slippery new linguistic code. This feeling of control can be very invigorating and satisfying”. It is on this very subject of learner control and empowerment that Brown (1993), quoting Pennycook, reminds teachers of their mission to empower learners, to get them intrinsically involved in their own learning of English as a second or foreign language so as to gain a measure of control over their own lives.

In EFL writing, in the Arab world as in anywhere els e, the object of curriculum development has now become one of exploring how to give learners a “feeling of control”; a sense of “personal fulfilment”; a measure of “self-integration in and through the material learned”; the “opportunity to think critically, to initiate learning, and to express themselves”; and to engender an “intellectual commitment to expressing something meaningful through writing” (Daoud and Al-Hazmi 2002).

Sultan Al-Hazmi 38

Given that language teaching in the Arab world is dominated by a traditional, top-down, textbook-oriented, teacher-led methodology, where can one start to introduce the skills of critical self-reflection? Is it possible to ask students to attempt reflection and critical thinking when their competence in the target language is limited? This study was an attempt to introduce critical and self-reflective thinking skills into a traditional EFL writing class of pre-intermediate students at the King Khalid University in Abha, Saudi Arabia. The development of the study is outlined, and the reflections of the students are examined.

2. Reflection and the Writing Process

This section briefly outlines the theoretical background to the study. It deals with the notion of reflection and writing-as-a-process .

Critical thinking, maintains Hanley (1995), derives from both cognitive and metacognitive processes. The cognitive skills operate with information and data, which are isolated, then encoded, integrated, organized, transformed, stored and retrieved. Metacognitive skills, on the other hand, are used in monitoring and controlling mental processes and the various states of knowledge (King 1995: 16). Metacognitive skills take as their object the cognitive skills themselves, in that they involve the conscious, planned, informed, deliberate control of (a) how to think and (b) what to think in order to maximize progress and minimize error.

Problem-solving, critical reflection and deep-level thinking do not take place in a social vacuum. Bernstein (1995:23) concludes that any theory of problem solving or critical thinking as an aspect of problem solving "must be grounded in a more socially based view of knowledge and cognition". Likewise, Vygotsky (1978:86) maintained that true learning takes place in that area of intellectual functioning between the actual (current) developmental level (determined by independent problem-solving and thinking), and the level of potential development (determined by cognitive functioning with guidance from or in collaboration with more capable others.

Cognitive and metacognitive skills act in consort with the affective, the emotional, and the humane dimension of human existence (cf. Al-Arishi 1994 and Al-Arishi and Tarvin 1991). Carl Rogers (1980:272) wrote, with regard to his note on the necessity of “empathic understanding” in the classroom that when the teacher has the ability to understand each student’s reaction “from the inside” and has a sensitive awareness of how the process of education and learning seems to the student, then “the likelihood that significant learning will take place is increased”.

Wade (1995) convincingly argues that writing is an essential ingredient in critical thinking instruction, since it promotes greater self-reflection and the


taking of broader perspectives than does oral expression. Suitable written assignments, she believes, can stimulate classroom writers to enhance their active learning spontaneously. Writing, especially the process approach, is, by nature, a self-critical one. It lends itself to the kind of introspection that would prompt students to reflect on their understanding, and to communicate their feelings about what they know, what they are doing, what they are struggling with, and how they are experiencing their learning (cf. White and McGovern 1994).

3. Purpose of the Study

Traditional teaching is abstracted, depersonalised and product-oriented. The field of EFL writing in the Arab world suffers from this deficit. To overcome this deficit, therefore, the present study was founded on the premise that writing-as-a-process is uniquely suited to promoting the skills of critical thinking and self-reflection, since it is that very area of self-expression where ideas can be reviewed, reflected on and refined.

The purpose of the study was to promote critical thinking and reflection in the service of EFL writing. The study aimed at making a writing class a personal process, that is, a continual critical reflection on the problems posed by the EFL context; a search for meaning; a process of acknowledging students’ need to be understood; and a protocol of communicating perceptions.

4. The Subjects

Nineteen Arabic-speaking students, aged between 20 to 24 years, majoring in English as a Foreign Language at King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia, participated in this study. The subjects were enrolled in the Writing 314 class. The subjects were all male and came from similar socioeconomic backgrounds. The learners can be regarded as typical of the university population of Saudi Arabia in general, and homogeneous in cultural and prior educational background. Despite six years of English classes in school, and having completed three one-semester writing courses prior to this one at the university (Writing 010, Writing 114, and Writing 213), their language proficiency in absolute terms can only be termed as “pre-intermediate”.

5. Methodology

Taking into consideration, the subjects’ language ability and thinking ability, the researcher endeavoured to make writing lessons a “communication event” based on a common theme, as Ur suggests (1996:90). This would enable

Sultan Al-Hazmi 40

students to engage with subject-specific language and meaning in context. The author thus chose the topic “writing about my writing”. As a prewriting activity for this writing task, students were required to respond to an open-ended questionnaire the answers to which were intended to be incorporated by students in their essay "writing about my writing". These qualitative answers to the questionnaire were also used by the teacher (the researcher) as the data for the study.

The author devised a questionnaire that, as Seliger and Shohamy (1990:172) maintain, would collect data on students’ attitudes, motivation and self-concept. The questions of the questionnaire (see Appendix 1) came from the author, Daoud and Al-Hazmi (2003), White and McGovern (1994), Quirke (1999), and other researchers in the same field of study (Deming 1987; Hawisher 1986). Questions in Part A (9 questions) focused on student perceptions of writing in the English writing and Arabic writing classes at the university. Questions in Part B (10 questions) dealt with how students write in Arabic and English. The focus of Part C questions (5 questions) was on the feelings of students towards reviewing and writing in both Arabic and English. Part D (6 questions) tackled the difficulties students face when writing; the writing tasks they consider the most difficult to do; and the difficulties they experience in revising their first drafts. The same questions were asked about writing in English as about writing in Arabic in order to bring the students’ perceptions of writing in English into greater relief.

The questionnaire comprised general, open-ended questions, to be answered partly in class and completed at home. The questions of the questionnaire emphasized that this was to be a self-reflection on how they normally write in Arabic and English. Students, in group discussion, talked about the issues posed, framed oral responses, took notes, and then wrote their full answers at home. Students returned their answers to the teacher before the next class.

5.1 Analysis

The open-ended data which the questionnaire elicited were manually summarized and counted in percentages for the purpose of identifying emergent trends and patterns. Plausible explanations of the emerging results are provided and implications for EFL/ESL composition teaching are accordingly drawn.


6. Results and Discussion

6.1 How Students See Writing in English and Arabic

Table 1 shows the results of the first question. Nearly half of the subjects (10) see themselves as good writers in Arabic. Only one student describes himself as a good writer in English where 9 of them (47%) believe that they are fair writers. None describes himself as a bad writer in both languages. This moderate perception of the sample as to whether or not they, are good writers in Arabic and English is not unexpected since writing in mother tongue and foreign language is a challenging task. As for the type of writing they produce (Q2), the majority of answers fell into letter-writing or assignment; covering 74% of the students reiterating they write during week-ends, free time or when demanded with the percentage of 58%.

Table 1 How students see their writing

Arabic English

How they see themselves as

writers

Good Fair Bad Good Fair Bad With difficulty

Frequency 10 1 0 1 9 0 3

Percentage 53 5 0 5 47 0 16

The third question was about the usefulness of Arabic and English writing

courses which they had at university. 69% of the students claimed that such courses helped them in improving their writing. 2 subjects assume that these courses never helped them while 2 others see that they were boring.

The urge for mastering writing in English for future jobs raises the students' responses to 95% with almost the same percentage for writing in Arabic. This clearly shows that the subjects of the study are aware of the needs and requirements of the Saudi job market.

As for the meaning of the word composition, 63% of the students consider it 'expressing ideas' while 37% regard it as mere 'writing'. Similar results have

Sultan Al-Hazmi 42

been reported by Al-Sharah (1996) and Doud and Al- Hazmi (2003). For the subjects, the word 'revision' means 'correction' (53%) or 'discovering mistakes' (32%). This latter finding is widely supported in the literature on Arab EFL writers (Liggett 1983; Kharma 1985; Doushaq and Al-Makhzoomy 1989; Kharma and Hajjaj 1989; Halimah 1991; and Al-Hazmi 1998). Indeed, these researchers indicate that 'correctness' (the mechanical, superficial, manifest elements of writing) is the feature that students focus mainly on when composing and revising. This is probably because, as the abovementioned researchers report, teachers themselves concentrate mainly on these features in their teaching, and give feedback principally in this area. Question 9 asked the sample subjects if they ever write to themselves; keep personal diaries; or try to solve problems on paper. Only 43% of the students often write to themselves or keep personal diaries and 79% do not write about problems, while 85% do not solve their problems on paper. The respondents (Q8), on the contrary, see writing as a way of communication with others (74%).

6.2 Perceptions of the Writing Process in Arabic and English

The second part of the questionnaire was about the methods students use to write in Arabic and English. Subjects seem to follow various processes of writing in both languages. As shown in table (2) below, 32% state that they start writing spontaneously in Arabic. The primary differences between the process used by 58% of the students for writing in English and Arabic are located in structure and content (Qs 1-3). When asked if they plan before they write (Q6), 58% of the students responded in the positive, pointing out that the process takes place in their minds, while 63% say it occurs on paper on the spot. Interestingly enough, the main concern of 63% of the subjects when writing (Q7) is collecting and arranging ideas, whereas 58% focus on grammar and 47% on spelling.

A considerable time is spent by 47% of the students when writing about interesting topics (Q9), while a relatively longer time is spent by 58% students when the topics are uninteresting. As for reviewing the first draft of writing (Q10), 74% of the students respond in the positive. 63% of them focus on reviewing the whole topic, not only the important aspects. The main concern while reviewing is focused on grammar as reported by 79% of the students, while 74% concentrate on spelling and 63% on punctuation. The results of the study support previous research (Liggett 1983; Kharma 1985; Doushaq and Al-Makhzoomy 1989; Kharma and Hajjaj 1989; Halimah 1991; Zaid 1993; and Al-Hazmi 1998) that the mechanical aspects of writing stand as a major concern for Arab EFL/ESL learners.


Table 2 Methods used in writing both in Arabic and English

6.3 Feelings towards Reviewing and Writing in Arabic and English

Concerning the student’s feelings towards writing and reviewing, 32% of students say that they are careless while 16% feel upset when writing in English. Only 16% of respondents feel excited about writing revision. 42 % of participants like to select their own topics. The feelings of the subjects towards reviewing and writing in Arabic are divided between excitement (32%), and carelessness (32%). 63% of the students feel it is fair and relaxing to write the first draft of any topic. When it comes to finishing writing the first draft, 68% of them feel relaxed and 53% have a sense of achievement. Letters constitute the most enjoyable type of writing in both Arabic and English for the subjects (58%), while 69% of them do not enjoy writing about difficult or unfamiliar topics that are unrelated to life. 42% of the students regard letters as the easiest and most interesting type of writing when reviewing. Short notes and long texts are roughly selected by 45% of the respondents.

6.4 Writing and Reviewing Difficulties in Arabic and English

Collection of information and ideas is considered by 63% of the students as a major difficulty they face when writing in both Arabic and English. For 58%, it is linking and arranging ideas, while 42% regard grammar and structures

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Sultan Al-Hazmi 44

among the language difficulties in writing. The most difficult task seems to be writing and reviewing long texts (68%) and the easiest is letter writing. This might be due to the fact that students get technical training in letter writing at school.

69% of the students mention that there is a relationship between enjoying writing a topic and its easiness. Enjoyment is directly proportional to easiness. Among the difficulties they mentioned when writing are linking and arranging ideas (47 %), reviewing ideas (16%) and other general difficulties (16%).

Al-Hazmi and Scholfield (in press) reported similar results for another group of Saudi EFL university students: “difficulties are experienced in discourse organisation, paragraphing and cohesion, as well as by some still at the lower levels of language, and in writing at length.”

Concerning their behavior when they face difficulties, 63% of the students declare that they refer to other sources when they face difficulties in writing, while 53% of them express their need for help.

7. Conclusions and Recommendations

Reflection on the educational process is a vital component in the development of learning and thinking skills on the part of the student. By the same token, reflection on the educational process is a key component in the development of teaching skills on the part of the educator. Simply put, critical self-reflection is not just something students do. It is something teachers have to do, too (Daoud and Al-Hazmi 2002). As Richards (1990:5) states, “teachers move from a level where they may be guided largely by impulse, intuition, or routine, to a level where their actions are guided by reflection and critical thinking” (cf. also Pennington 1995).

The study attempted to provide students with learning environment for reflection and thinking to take place. The students had done a great deal of pre-writing discussion. They had learned more about the writing process. They had written substantial answers to the questions of the questionnaire in which they were asked to think and write about their writing. These answers were then incorporated into a guided essay.

The study can claim success in making the classroom a scene of discussion, of answering oral and written questions, of comprehension and recall, of thinking about the problem at hand, of application, of analysis, of synthesis and of evaluation (cf. Bloom 1956). The classroom was a place where some measure of cognitive activity and metacognitive rationalisation could co-exist in a conducive atmosphere. The study draws attention that posing critical questions (by means of the questionnaire) was of consequence. In other words, engaging students in thinking and reflecting on their own writing certainly


sparked the students’ ideas and thoughts, premised on their personal beliefs, concepts, experiences and views of what writing is about (cf. Kabilan 2000).

The procedure followed in this study aimed at supporting students in 314 Writing Class in their thinking and reflection activities. The teaching strategy included teaching the skills of writing a first draft, which, at the same time, would involve reflection, introspection and a reciprocal communication of impressions, as well as meet the aims of the Writing 314 course. The study cannot claim that they achieved complex, deep-level meta-cognition given their limited means of self-expression. The participating students, however, reflected on, and expressed, their thoughts and feelings about their writing and their writing tasks. Furthermore, it is evident that any claim for having engendered reflective and thinking skills would require proof of permanent, sustained change, and that the skills could be transferred to other areas of reflection and cognition. This kind of proof delves into the realms of cognitive psychology, something that needs to be researched more thoroughly in a subsequent research project.

A major recommendation of the present study is that EFL/ESL instructors be committed to afford writing students greater opportunity for introspection, sharing and communication. Deep-level reflection and critical thinking are vital strategies that might help learners in the acquisition of new EFL writing and language skills. Promoting thinking about one’s own process of writing is appropriate, accountable and effective in the EFL context. Similarly, encouraging reflection and teaching thinking skills is part and parcel of teaching writing.

References

Al Hazmi, S.H. (2007). Current issues in English language education in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Modern Languages. Vol.17, pp. 129-150.

Al Hazmi, S.H. (1998). The effect of peer feedback and self-assessment on the quality of word-processed ESL compositions. Unpublished PhD thesis. University of Essex.

Al-Hazmi, S. and Scholfield, P. (In Press). Enforced revision with checklists and peer feedback in EFL writing: The example of Saudi university students.” King Fiasal University Journal.

Al Arishi, A.Y. (1994). Practical ways to promote reflection in the ESL/FL classroom. Forum, Vol. 32 (2) April-June. Retrieved from the World Wide Web at http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol32/no2.htm

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Al-Sharah, Nayel. (1996). An investigation into EFL students’ perceptions of L2 writing in academic settings. Second Language Acquisition and Writing: A multi-disciplinary approach. Proceedings. University of Southampton, UK, pp.110-124.

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Asiri, I.M. (1996). University EFL teachers’ written feedback on compositions and students’ reactions. Unpublished PhD thesis. University of Essex.

Bernstein, D. A. (1995). A negotiation model for teaching critical thinking. Teaching of Psychology, 22 (1):pp 22-24.

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Brown, H.D. (1993). TESOL at twenty-five: What are the issues? In Silberstein, S. (ed.) State of the Art TESOL essays: Celebrating 25 years of the discipline. Alexandria (Virginia.) (USA): TESOL Inc.

Daoud, S. and Al-Hazmi, S. (2002). ‘Teaching writing through reflection and thinking’. In Z. Syed, C. Coombe, and S. Troudi (eds.), TESOL Arabia Conference Proceedings: Critical Thinking and Reflection, Vol. VII, 335-359. 14-16 March 2002. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Daoud, S. and Al-Hazmi, S. (2003). Designing an EFL Writing curriculum for Arab students using the tenets of Counseling-Learning . King Khalid University Journal: Islamic and Arabic Studies and Humanities . Vol. 1, pp. 3-41.

Deming, M.P. (1987). The effects of word-processing on basic college writers’ revision strategies, writing apprehension and writing quality while composing in the expository mode. Unpublished PhD thesis. Georgia State University.

Doushaq, M.H. and AL Makhzoomy, K. (1989). A study of teachers’ evaluation of English composition in secondary schools in Jordan. Arab Journal for the Humanities, Vol. 9 (22): pp. 388-404.

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Hawisher, G.E. (1986). The effects of word processing on the revision strategies of college students. Unpublished PhD thesis. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Kabilan, M. (2000). Creative and critical thinking in language classrooms. The Internet TESL Journal Vol. 6 (2) June 2000. Retrieved from the World Wide Web at http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Kabilan-CriticalThinking.html

Kharma, N. (1985). “Problems of writing composition in EFL: A contrastive rhetoric approach”. Abhath al Yarmouk, Vol. 1: pp. 7-29.

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Liggett, M. (1983). Teaching English to Arabic speakers: Methodology materials development and classroom management. Cairo: American University Press.

Pennington, M. (1995). The teacher change cycle. TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 29 (4): pp. 705-731.

Quirke, P. (1999). Maximising student writing and minimizing teacher correction. In “Unity through Diversity”, Conference Proceedings of the TESOL Arabia 4th International Conference, held in Al Ain (UAE) March 1998, Vol. 3: pp.12-20.

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Rogers, C.R. (1980). A way of being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Seliger, H.W. and Shohamy, E. (1990). Second language research methods. Oxford:

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design. In Piskurich, G. (ed.). The ASTD handbook of instructional technology. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Appendix 1: The Questionnaire

Reflecting on My Writing The following questions are designed to make you reflect on your writing in a general way. The more you think about your writing the better writer you would become, and you will quickly learn how to improve yourself. Besides, if you answer these questions in details, they will help your teacher to understand you and your needs. Put down your answers full, organized and clear. If the space provided is not enough, you could always write on the back of the paper pointing out the number of the question.

A. How you see writing in English and in Arabic 1- Are you a good writer? Are you a good or a bad writer in both Arabic

and English, or in one of them? Which one? ……………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………..

2- With the exception of academic assignments, when do you write (e.g. essays, letters, notes …etc.)?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3- Take your memory back and think about Arabic and English writing courses which you had here at the university. What do you think of them? Did they or did they not help you? Did they made you bored, upset you or entertain you?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sultan Al-Hazmi 48

4- In your point of view, how important is writing in Arabic for your future job?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

5- In your point of view, how important is writing in English for your future job?

6- What does the word “Composition” mean? ……………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………..

7- What does the word “Revision” mean? ……………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………..

8- Should you look at writing as a way of communication with another person? Why? Why not?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

9- Do you ever write to yourself? Do you sometimes keep personal diaries? Do you try to write the problems that you face or try to solve them on paper?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

B. How you write in Arabic and in English 1- How do you write (a topic …etc.) in Arabic? What method or process

do you follow when you write? ……………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………..

2- How do you write (a topic …etc.) in English? What method or process do you follow when you write?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3- Is there a difference between the process (or method) of writing (topics, letters… etc) in Arabic and that in English?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..


4- Is there a similarity or a difference between the way (or process) you follow when you write and the process approach that we discussed at the beginning of last week? Where is the similarity? Where is the difference?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

5- Do you do anything in particular when you start the first draft of any topic? Does anything in particular happen to the way you work or the way you think?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

6- Do you plan before you write? If the answer is ‘Yes’, do you plan in your mind or on paper? If the answer is ‘No’, how do you set about writing?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

7- When you write, what is your main concern? Is it grammar, spelling and punctuation? Is it content (i.e. the ideas that you want to express or writing on something interesting)? Is it arrangement of ideas (i.e. that there should be an introduction, conclusion and recommendations; that is smoothness of ideas?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

8- What do you do or do you concentrate on when you have to write to someone (e.g. your teacher)?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

9- How much time do you spend when you write about things that are of no interest to you? Do you spend more time when you write about things that are of interest to you?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

10- Do you review (i.e. read to correct/ edit/ change/ polish/ rewrite) the first draft of any topic? If you do review, answer the following questions:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Sultan Al-Hazmi 50

* Do you review all what you have written or just the important/ easy/ interesting parts?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

* How do you review? Do you review in your mind or on paper or by using both?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

? When you review, what is you main concern? Is grammar, spelling and punctuation? Is it content (i.e. the ideas that you want to express or writing on something interesting)? Is it arrangement of ideas (i.e. that there should be an introduction, conclusion and recommendations; that is smoothness of ideas?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

How much time do you spend when you review things that are of no interest to you? Do you spend more time when you review things that are of interest to you?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

C. Your feelings towards reviewing and writing (in Arabic and in English)

1- How do you feel about writing in Arabic and in English? Do you feel upset/ excited/ or careless when you have to write any topic? How do you feel when you set about writing any topic?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

2- How do you feel when you write the first draft of any topic? ……………………………………………………………………………

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3- How do you feel when you finish writing the first draft of any topic? ……………………………………………………………………………

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4- What are the types of writing (i.e. a task or a written work like writing letters, writing a text, filling forms or writing short notes) that you enjoy most? What are the types of writing that you do not enjoy?

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5- What are the subjects that you enjoy writing? What are the subjects that you do not enjoy writing?

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6- If you review the first draft (see question 10 B), then answer the following questions:

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*How do you feel about reviewing what you have written? ……………………………………………………………………………

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* What are the types of writing (i.e. a task or a written work like writing letters, writing a text, filling forms or writing short notes) that are the easiest and most interesting when reviewing? What are the types of writing that are the worst when reviewing?

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D. Difficulties that you face when writing and when reviewing (in Arabic and in English)

1- What are the difficulties that you face when writing? ……………………………………………………………………………

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2- What are the types of writing (i.e. a task or a written work like writing letters, writing a text, filling forms or writing short notes) that are the most difficult to you? Is there a relation between how much you enjoy a type of writing, and how difficult that type of writing is? Is this relation always there or is just sometimes?

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Sultan Al-Hazmi 52

3- If you do review the first draft (see question 10 B), then answer the following questions:

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* What are the difficulties that you face when reviewing? ……………………………………………………………………………

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* What are the types of writing (i.e. a task or a written work like writing letters, writing a text, filling forms or writing short notes) that are the most difficult in reviewing? What are the types of writing that are the easiest in reviewing? Is there a relation between the difficulty of reviewing a type of writing and how much you enjoy that type of writing and its subject, and how difficult that type of writing or the topic on which you are writing is?

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5- What do you do when you face difficulties in writing or in reviewing? Do you leave writing or reviewing for a while and then go back to it later? Do you refer to notes or other resources? Do you refer to books? Do you give up and turn in your work?

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writing and reflection perceptions of

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