BASIC DATA ON ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Brief Statement of the Problem

When asked to write a text, my false beginner students at university have difficulty in writing descriptive compositions. This happens because they do not have enough knowledge about how to create a descriptive paragraph­, and they do not have the appropriate strategies and tools to generate a well structured text.

Research Questions

Main Question:

To what extent does the implementation of practicing naturalistically strategy help improve students’ ability to write descriptive paragraphs?

Sub Questions:

1. How do my students use the practicing naturalistically strategy when taking part in the writing process of descriptive paragraphs?

2. Does the use of the practicing naturally cognitive strategy help improve the quality of descriptive paragraph writing in my false beginners?

Research Objectives

General objective

To analyze the relationship between the practicing naturalistically cognitive strategy and my students’ ability to write descriptive paragraphs.

Specific objectives

1. To observe and analyze how my false beginners use practicing naturalistically cognitive strategy in the classroom context during the writing learning process.

2. To evaluate to what extent the practicing naturalistically learning strategy becomes a valuable tool for my students to improve their writing ability when composing descriptive paragraphs.

Constructs

1. Practicing naturalistically cognitive learning strategy.
2. Writing process of descriptive paragraphs.

Data Collection Tools by Stages

Pre stage:

• Diagnose compositions at the beginning of the research process.
• Introductory Questionnaire about student's feelings regarding their writing proficiency.

While stage:

• Artifacts about practicing naturalistically cognitive learning strategy with face to face sessions and use-training.
• Learning guides about the use of the practicing naturalistically learning strategy.
• Students' writing products.
• List of conventions for writing.
• Rubrics and checklists.
• First and middle term writing final evaluations.
• Portfolio to register and gather students’ products.
• Teacher's fieldnotes.

The use of these tools has been organized with the following purposes:

1. Provide students the resources to acquire knowledge regarding grammar, vocabulary and writing abilities.

• Learning guides about the use of the practicing naturalistically learning strategy.

2. Provide Students with the assessment tools for them to understand the feedback process and follow the mechanics of writing.

• List of conventions for writing.
• Rubrics and checklists.

3. Register all observation process carried out along the implementation.

• Teacher's fieldnotes.

4. Gather all the Students artifacts or final products derived from their writing work.

• Students' writing products.
• First and middle term writing final evaluations.

Post stage:

• Students' writing products gathered into a Writing Portfolio.
• End of term writing exams.
• Final Questionaire regarding the Students' feelings about their writing process along the implementation.

References:

• Burns, A (2010) Collaborative Action Research for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Cohen, D., Manion, L., Morrison, K. (2005). Research Methods in Education. Taylor & Francis e-Library (5th ed). (pp. 287-288).
• Hopkins, D. (2008). A Teachers' Guide to Classroom Research. Open University Press. (pp. 75-128)
• O'Malley, M., Valdez, Lorraine. (1996). Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners. Longman.