Collaboration of Learners in Developing Writing Skills in English: A Narrative Inquiry

Abstract

My research study aimed to explore English language teachers' understanding and practices regarding the use of collaborative language learning in teaching and learning writing skills in their English language classroom practices in public secondary schools through their life stories. I developed my research plan based on experiences and strategies to foster writing skills. I adopted the interpretive research paradigm and Vygotsky's social constructivist theory (1978), which facilitates learners in enhancing their writing skills. Constructivist theory taught me that no child's cognitive development is exactly the same as that of children from varied social origins and backgrounds. I used narrative inquiry as a research method to generate meaning from the life stories of the teacher participants in teaching English. I purposely selected four English language teachers, one female and three males, from four public secondary schools for this research. I conducted in-depth interviews and field notes, and recorded the interviews to gather information about their teaching and learning experiences. After the interview sessions, I transcribed the participants' recorded responses into English. I coded and categorized the collected information to develop themes. Then I analyzed and interpreted the themes. Teachers' stories, vignettes, and experiences helped me generate knowledge and insights. To ensure the ethical conduct of this research, I addressed genuine issues related to quality standards and ethical considerations. I interpreted participants' stories to understand the practices of collaborative language learning in teaching writing skills. Thus, the culture of collaboration in learning supports learners in the current language-teaching and learning era. The research showed that students from all backgrounds collaborate on the given task in a relaxed setting, receive feedback from one another, share their original ideas, and develop social skills to improve their writing. The participant teachers' stories of their teaching experiences revealed that they learned to run collaborative activities through training and to participate in workshops, seminars, and conferences. Through collaborative activities, teachers inspire students to develop their knowledge and creativity in writing. This research study contributes to the discourse of collaborative practices in English language classrooms with special reference to teaching general English and writing skills in the Nepalese context. In addition, it helps explore current teaching and learning practices to enhance writing skills. Teamwork, pair work, group work, think-pair-share, and jigsaw activities facilitate and motivate students to develop creative perspectives on the assigned topic they are intended to write about.