Brainstorming strategies and writing skill

Abstract

Writing can be a challenge for EFL learners, especially when there is not a previous structure which can facilitate the writing process. On it, there are various stages, the ones that could be different depending on the author but all of them keep the same purpose that is producing the language in its written form. In the same way, it is required to organize and reflect on the content of the writing. For that reason, this investigative work aimed to determine the relationship in the use of brainstorming strategies and the development of writing skill in students of first semester at Carrera de Pedagogía de los Idiomas Nacionales y Extranjeros at Universidad Técnica de Ambato. This study had a qualitative and quantitative approach and a quasi-experimental modality with the participation of two groups of 17 students. Moreover, both groups of participants took a pre-test from Cambridge (KET), but just the experimental one took a treatment based on four sessions in which brainstorming strategies were applied. At the end, a post-test was taken to compare the results between the experimental and control group. Those were analyzed by using the statistical software T-Student and it showed that there was a significance difference in the performance of the students who were part of the treatment. At last, a survey was applied to students to known their perspective about writing in daily English classes and it helped to raise the conclusions. Finally, it was determined the effectiveness of brainstorming strategies to improve the quality of writing ski