EFFECTS OF PEER (GROUP) DISCUSSIONS ON L2 WRITING OF STUDENTS WITH AND WITHOUT LEARNING DIFFICULTIES (LD): IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING OF WRITING IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Although a limited number of studies have been undertaken to support the argument that peer(Group) discussion facilitates L2 writing of students with and without learning difficulties(LD), few studies have provided statistical proof for this The present study was designed to compare the written work of two groups of Pakistani students, in order to identify the differences in writing outcomes achieved with different teaching methods: conducting peer(Group) discussions with the Experimental Group (EG) and teacher-dominance with the Control Group (CG). By comparing the two groups written products and analyzing the sample writings and questionnaire results, the study suggests that peer (Group) discussion facilitates students writing better than traditional classes, in terms of content, readership and thinking patterns.

Keywords: teaching of writing; peer (Group) discussion; English writing ability

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