Visual thinking strategy use in pre-writing stage: Effects on l2 writing and thinking skills

The study examines the impact of Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) on EFL learners' writing and thinking skills when applied in a pre-writing classroom discussion. The study was conducted with 9th grade students with intermediate level of English. The participants (n = 50) completed a test and a questionnaire before and after the intervention. During the intervention, the non-digital VTS group had face-to-face pre-writing discussions, while digital VTS group had the discussions. The writings were evaluated by two raters using two rubrics; ESL composition profile for writing performance and six continua for thinking. The results of the study showed that VTS enhances L2 writing performance in vocabulary, organization, and mechanics relative to whether or not the discussion occurs online. Regarding thinking skills, both VTS groups outperformed the non-VTS group, yet no statistically significant difference was found among the groups. The questionnaire results revealed that the attitude of the VTS groups' participants changed positively towards writing instruction after the intervention. Additionally, the findings showed that there was a strong relationship between learners' writing and thinking skills, whereas attitude did not have any relationship either with writing or thinking skills. In conclusion, VTS seems to be an effective tool in a language classroom in that it fosters higher-order thinking skills and improves learners' writing performance.