ELT students’ reflections on reading and writing course at preparatory class

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze ELT students’ reflections on reading and writing course at preparatory class. Case study design, one of the qualitative research methods, and convenient sampling technique were used in the study. 15 ELT students at preparatory class participated in the study voluntarily. The data were analyzed using content analysis. After the analyses, the students’ opinions were grouped into four categories as (a) objectives and outcomes, (b) content and materials, (c) learning experiences and (d) evaluation process. For objectives, the students stated that that wanted to learn different reading and writing techniques. In terms of outcomes, the students expressed that they had read different kinds of passages and books and learned how to write a paragraph and an essay. For content and materials, although the majority of the students were satisfied with the content, some of them were not satisfied with the course book. In addition, all of students pointed out that the extra materials provided by the lecturer improved their learning. All the students had unique learning experiences. Some of them admitted that they still struggled with grammar problems in writing, or they could not find anything to write in their writing assignments. All the students expressed their satisfaction with the classroom atmosphere. All the students declared that they were satisfied with the evaluation process as formative assessment was applied at preparatory class. The findings of the study showed that the outcomes of the instruction in preparatory class mostly met the students’ expectations and reached the objectives of the course. Despite the fact that the study’s subject was reading and writing course, a significant conclusion was that the students’ reflections tended to focus more on writing than reading. Based on the results of the study, reading and writing course is recommended to include more teaching writing.