The Effectiveness of a Proposed Strategy Based on Extended Mind Theory in Developing Argumentative Writing Skills and Awareness of Writing Processes Among Fourth-Year Literary Students

Abstract

The current research aimed to develop a proposed strategy based on the Extended Mind theory and to determine its effectiveness in developing argumentative writing skills and awareness of writing processes among fourth-grade literature students. The researcher adopted a descriptive approach in developing the proposed strategy, following the steps for constructing proposed strategies. Its validity was verified by presenting it to a panel of experts. To determine the strategy's effectiveness, the researcher employed experimental procedures, adopting a post-test design with a randomized control group. The research was conducted on a randomly selected sample of (63) students, divided into two groups: an experimental group of (32) students and a control group of (31) students. The researcher statistically ensured the equivalence of the students in the two research groups across a range of variables. As for the research instruments, the researcher prepared a test for argumentative writing skills, consisting of (15) essay-type test items. The researcher also developed a standard for scoring the test. As for the other instrument, the researcher prepared a test for awareness of writing processes consisting of (20) objective-type (multiple choice) items.

The researcher verified the validity of the two instruments after presenting them to a group of referees. After conducting the experiment, the researcher applied the two research instruments to the students in the research sample. After statistically processing the data, the research results revealed the effectiveness of the proposed strategy in developing argumentative writing skills and awareness of writing processes. The research recommended adopting modern strategies in teaching expression, especially those that develop higher mental processes. The researcher suggested a number of research projects that can be carried out to develop other variables.