Writing strategies used in EFL teaching and learning: a case study of public education in southern Ecuador

Abstract

Abstract: This research work is aimed at investigating the types of writing strategies used by teachers and students from public education in their English classrooms and their attitudes and believes about the EFL writing process. The study was carried out in two public high schools in the city of Loja, Ecuador. The sample population was comprised of 90 students and 2 teachers of the second year of high school. Moreover, qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze the obtained information. The instruments used to gather data were questionnaires, which were completed by students, a survey for teachers and an observation sheet that was used in a total of five classes. The most relevant finding was that most teenage students in both public high schools know and use different types of writing strategies during the teaching-learning process; however, pre-writing strategies are the most useful for learners when it comes to choosing and focusing on the topic because it is the easiest way to compile information before writing a text.