i 

An-Najah National University 

Faculty of Graduate Studies 
 

 

 

 

 

The Impact of Applying Dictogram 

Strategy on Improving Students’ Writing 

Skills from Teachers’ Perspectives in 

Jenin’s City Schools 
 

 

 

 

 

By 

Miraj Wa’el Saleh Abu Al-Haija 
 

 

 

 

 

Supervisor 

Dr. Suzanne Arafat 

 

Co- Supervisor 

Dr. Fawaz Aqel 
 

 
 

This Thesis is Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the 

Requirements for the Master Degree of Methods of Teaching 

English Language, Faculty of Graduate Studies, An-Najah 

University, Nablus, Palestine. 

2021 

 



ii 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Impact of Applying Dictogram Strategy on 

Improving Students’ Writing Skills from Teachers’ 

Perspectives in Jenin’s City Schools 
 

By  

Miraj Wa’el Saleh Abu Al-Haija 

 
This thesis was defended successfully on 15/6/2021 and approved by: 

Defense Committee Members  Signature 

1- Dr. Suzanne Arafat  / Supervisor 

2- Dr. Fawaz Aqel / Supervisor 

………..……… 

……………….. 

3- Dr. Aydah Bakeir / External Examiner   

4- Dr. Ayman Nazzal/ Internal Examiner    

………..……… 

………………. 
 



iii 

Dedication 

This research is dedicated to:  

The sun  and the moon in my sky: my beloved father Wa’el and my 

sweetie mother Salma  for all the love, support, sacrifices and 

encouragement they have given me from the time I was a child until now. 

My way companion, my other half and my life partner (Amer). 

My cute little angel (Emran). 

 My shining stars my brothers (Saleh & Muhammed) and sisters (Mayar 

& Maryam); I love them more like a mother than a sister. 

My soul mate friends (Muna & Hadeel) who were always there to 

encourage and support me in my way. 

 All the people who helped and supported me with the best they can until 

reaching this point of my life, I dedicate this thesis. 

  



iv 

Acknowledgement 

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious. 

All praise be to Allah Almighty, who provided me with determination 

and strength to be where I am today. I am so thankful and I feel blessed 

with going through all my achievements that would not be done without 

Allah guidance and blessings. 

I owe a big thank to my amazing supervisors Dr. Fawaz Aqel and Dr. 

Suzanne Arafat for helping and guiding me. I really appreciate their 

efforts in putting me at the right way. 

I am grateful to my parents who always encouraged, supported and 

stood for me in every step on my way. They have always motivated me 

to make my dreams come true and cheered me up when I am down. 

I also would like to thank my uncles specially uncle “Muhannad” who 

was a great supporter in some points of my research. 

I would like to thank my friends specially “Muna” who was more like a 

sister to me. 

And last but not least, I would like to thank everyone who provided me 

with support during my university trip, even if it was unpretentious 

support. 

  



v 

 اإلقرار 

 أنا الموقعة أدناه، مقدم الرسالة التي تحمل العنوان:

 أثر تطبيق استراتيجية االمالء االنشائي بالرسم التوضيحي على تحسين  
 مهارات الكتابة عند الطالب من وجهة نظر المعلمين في مدارس جنين 

 

The Impact of Applying Dictogram Strategy on 

Improving Students’ Writing Skills from Teachers’ 

Perspectives in Jenin’s City Schools 

اقر بأن ما اشتملت عليه هذه الرسالة إنما هي نتاج جهدي الخاص، باستثناء ما تمت اإلشارة إليه حيثما 

أو أي جزء منها لم يقدم من قبل لنيل أية درجة علمية أو بحث علمي أو  ورد، وان هذه الرسالة ككل،  

 بحثي لدى أية مؤسسة تعليمية أو بحثية أخرى. 

Declaration 

The work provided in this thesis unless otherwise referenced, is the 

researcher’s own work, and has not been submitted elsewhere for any other 

degree or qualification.  

 :Miraj Wa’el Saleh Abu Al-Haija Student’s Name اسم الطالب : 

 :Signature ………………………………… التوقيع:  

 :Date 15/06/2021 التاريخ:  

  



vi 

Table of Contents 

No. Subject Page 

 Defense Committee Members ii 

 Dedication iii 

 Acknowledgement iv 

 Declaration v 

 Table of  contents vi 

 List of Tables viii 

 List  of appendixes x 

 Abstract xi 

Chapter One: Introduction and Theoretical Background 

1.1 Introduction and Theoretical background 2 

1.2 Statement of the study 7 

1.3 Objectives of the study 7 

1.4 Questions of the study 8 

1.5 Hypotheses of the study 8 

1.6 Significance of the study 9 

1.7 Limitations of the study 10 

1.8 Definition of the terms 10 

1.9 Summary 11 

Chapter Two: Literature Review 

2.1 Introduction 13 

2.2 Concept of Dictogram strategy 13 

2.2.1 Definition of Dictogram strategy 13 

2.2.2 Steps of Dictogram strategy 14 

2.2.3 Advantages of Dictogram 16 

2.2.4 Tips for using Dictogram  18 

2.3 Writing skills 18 

2.3.1 Definition of writing skills 18 

2.3.2 Definition of writing  20 

2.3.3 Importance of writing skills 20 

2.3.4 Problems with poor writing skills of ESL students                                                            21 

2.3.5 Stages of learning writing skills 22 

2.3.6 Reasons for writing skill weakness                                                    25 

2.3.7 The elements of writing skills 26 

2.3.8 The rules and standards of English writing 27 

2.4 Previous studies  28 

2.4.1 Studies related to Dictogram strategy  29 

2.4.2 
Commenting on previous studies related to Dictogram 

strategy 
31 



vii 

No. Subject Page 

2.4.3 Studies related to writing skills 32 

2.4.4 Comments on previous studies related to writing skills 37 

 Chapter Three: Methodology and Procedures 

3.1 Introduction 39 

3.2 Research methodology 39 

3.3 Population of the study 40 

3.4 Sample of the study 40 

3.5 Validity and reliability of the questionnaire  42 

3.5.1 External Validity 42 

3.5.2 Internal Validity 42 

3.5.3 Reliability 45 

3.6 The study variables 45 

3.6.1 The independent variables 45 

3.6.2 The dependent variables 46 

3.7 The study procedures 46 

3.8 Summary 46 

Chapter Four: The Results of the Study 

4.1 Introduction 49 

4.2 Statistical Analysis 49 

4.3 Results of the questionnaire analysis 50 

4.3.1 Questionnaire Part 1 50 

4.3.2 Questionnaire Part 2 58 

4.3.3 The results of the first hypothesis 61 

4.3.4 The results of the second hypothesis 65 

4.4 Summary 68 

Chapter Five: Discussion, Conclusions and Recommendations 

5.1 Introduction 71 

5.2 Discussion of the Results of the Study  72 

5.3 Conclusion 75 

5.4 Recommendation  76 

 References 79 

 Appendixes 90 

 ب  الملخص  

 

  



viii 

List of Table  

No. Title Page 

Table (3.1) Demographic Characteristics of the Sample 41 

Table (3.2) 
Correlation Coefficient of each Question of the first 

Field and the Total of the Field 
43 

Table (3.3) 
Correlation coefficient of each question of the second 

field and the total of the field 
44 

Table (3.4) 
Cronbch’s Alpha coefficient for Testing 

Questionnaire Reliability  
45 

Table (4.1) 
Hours Per Week Teachers Train Students on Written 

Expression  
50 

Table (4.2) 
Teachers’ Responses about Current Curriculum 

Ability to Improve Students’ Writing Skills  
51 

Table (4.3) Teachers’ Responses about Students’ Writing Level 51 

Table (4.4) Frequency of Writing Assignment Given by Teachers  52 

Table (4.5) 
Student Writing Improvement Throughout the School 

Year 
52 

Table (4.6) Committed Student Writing Mistakes 53 

Table (4.7) Students English Vocabulary Level 53 

Table (4.8) Students Effort to Learn Vocabulary 54 

Table (4.9) Teachers Presentation of New Vocabulary 54 

Table (4.10) Teachers Time Allocation to Learn New Vocabulary 55 

Table (4.11) Kind of Activities Provided by Teachers 55 

Table (4.12) The Writing Habit Development 55 

Table (4.13) Teachers' Familiarity with the Dictogram Strategy 56 

Table (4.14) Teachers usage of the Dictogram Strategy 56 

Table (4.15) Teachers' Familiarity with Dictogram 57 

Table (4.16) Teachers' Opinion about Dictogram Procedures 58 

Table (4.17) 
Teachers' Opinion about Required Time to Apply 

Dictogram 
58 

Table (4.18) 
Teachers' Attitudes Towards English Writing 

Teaching 
59 

Table (4.19) Teachers' Attitudes Towards Dictogram 60 

Table (4.20) 

The Results of the Mann-Whitney Test for the 

Differences of the Teachers' Perceptions in Terms of 

Gender Variable 

61 

Table (4.21) 

The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the 

Differences of the Teachers' Perceptions in Terms of 

Age Variable 

62 



ix 

No. Title Page 

Table (4.22) 

The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the 

Differences of the Teachers' Perceptions in Terms of 

Qualification Variable 

62 

Table (4.23) 

The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the 

differences of the Teachers' perceptions in Terms of 

Experience Years Variable 

63 

Table (4.24) 

The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis test for the 

Differences of the Teachers' Perceptions in Terms of 

Grade Teaching Level Variable 

64 

Table (4.25) 

The Results of the Mann-Whitney Test for the 

Differences of the Teachers' Perceptions due to the 

Number of Training Courses 

64 

Table (4.26) 

The Results of the Mann-Whitney test for the 

differences of the Teachers' Perceptions in Terms of 

Sex Variable 

65 

Table (4.27) 

The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the 

Differences of the Teachers' Perceptions in Terms of 

Age Variable 

65 

Table (4.28) 

The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the 

Differences of the Teachers' Perceptions in Terms of 

Qualification Variable 

66 

Table (4.29) 

The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the 

Differences of the Teachers' Perceptions in Terms of 

Experience Years Variable 

67 

Table (4.30) 

The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the 

Differences of the Teachers' Perceptions in Terms of 

Grade Teaching Level Variable 

68 

Table (4.31) 

The Results of the Mann-Whitney Test for the 

Differences of the Teachers' Perceptions due to the 

Number Of Training Courses 

68 

 

 

  



x 

List of appendixes  

No. Appendixes Page 

Appendix (1) List of arbitrators   91 

Appendix (2) Instrument of the study 92 

 

  



xi 

The Impact of Applying Dictogram Strategy on Improving Students’ 

Writing Skills from Teachers’ Perspectives in Jenin’s City Schools 

By 

Miraj Wa’el Saleh Abu Al-Haija 

Supervisor 

Dr. Suzanne Arafat 

Co- Supervisor 

Dr. Fawaz Aqel 

Abstract 

This study found out the impact of implementing Dictogram strategy on 

improving writing skills of public school students from the perceptions of 

English language teachers in Jenin. This is because writing skills are paid 

less attention in the classroom; moreover, teachers need to adopt new 

strategies and methods in teaching writing. 

In order to achieve the objectives of the study and find out teachers' 

perceptions regarding the teaching of English writing, and the efforts made 

to improve student outcomes, a descriptive-analytical approach was used. A 

questionnaire was prepared and distributed to 161 English language teachers 

in Jenin governorate. Data for this questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS 

program.  

The results showed that teachers agreed that using Dictogloss strategy could 

improve students' teamwork and improve vocabulary. The results also 

showed a significant agreement among teachers on the importance of writing 

skills, and they found that the level of writing skills of most students is 

average and below average. Moreover, the results indicate that the time 

available for teachers to teach writing skills in English for students is 



xii 

insufficient. The results also showed teachers' dissatisfaction with English 

language curriculum, as teachers agreed that the current textbooks are not 

equipped with appropriate teaching methods to improve students' writing 

skills. Results of statistical analysis showed that teachers are aware of this 

strategy and nearly (85.1%) of respondents have used it. However, according 

to most teachers (96.9%), Dictogram needs extra time to apply in the 

classroom. 

The study recommended that teachers are advised to adopt new learning 

strategies or enhance pre-existing strategies that help students store new 

lexical elements in their forms and meanings in the their mental dictionary 

to enable them to memorize these elements and use them accurately in their 

writings. 

 



1 

 

 

 

 

Chapter One 

Introduction and Theoretical Framework 

  



2 

Chapter One 

Introduction and Theoretical Framework  

1.1 Introduction 

Language is a non-instinctive human phenomenon for communicating 

emotions, ideas, and desires through a system of phonemic and idiomatic 

symbols (Sapir, 1921). It performs four essential functions: expressive 

function, call function, reference function, and communicative function 

(Jakobson, 1987). It serves three roles: communicating and interacting with 

others, facilitating thought processes, and facilitating information recall 

processes outside the range of memory stocks (Klein, 1986). 

Children in Palestine grow up speaking Arabic with their families, but they 

face English as a foreign language upon entering school. It is introduced as 

a foreign language taught according to a program and different classroom 

activities, but unfortunately, students’ degree of linguistic proficiency 

remains very limited (Ublaila, 2018).  

The learning of English as a second foreign language gives a special feature 

to learners, enabling them to communicate with people wherever they go. 

The English language has become the global language of science and 

knowledge and one of the most critical languages for communication 

between people. Therefore, the demand for  learning it is increasing day by 

day. 



3 

Besides, it has become a must for everyone who wants to upgrade his/her 

educational or professional level. S/he then should learn and master the 

English language in order to be able to keep pace with the rapid development 

in the world today. The English language is the official language in 53 

countries, and more than 400 million people speak it worldwide. 

Furthermore, it is considered a second /foreign language that is widely taught 

(Al-Saidat, 2009).  

One of the most important objectives of the Ministry of Education in 

Palestine is to develop English language level among its students to build a 

developed country capable of keeping pace with rapid global change. The 

Palestinian Ministry of Education gives great importance to teaching English 

as an essential subject in grades 1 to 12.  

The Ministry of Education has divided the objectives of teaching English 

into three stages according to the group of students. The objectives of the 

first group of the lower classes (1 to 4) are to create feelings of pleasure and 

appreciation of their first experience of a foreign language and to build 

confidence in the use of the foreign language providing young students with 

basic knowledge of English, in addition to enhancing the ability to 

understand and react to what is read and listened to and develop copying and 

writing skills. 

While the goals for the second group the basic upper classes (5-10) allow 

students to understand, interpret and appreciate texts of different genres on a 

variety of subjects, develop awareness and limited mastery of reading micro-



4 

skills (for example, skimming, scanning, guessing meaning from context, 

etc.), develop the ability to exchange and convey ideas, develop social 

interaction and communication skills, enhance the ability to produce texts 

guided/controlled writings, to develop awareness and appreciation of the 

English language culture and to develop high-level thinking skills. 

What has been learned in secondary grades (11,12) is to give emphasis on 

the previous grades (1-10), such as exposing students to learning experiences 

and opportunities to enable them to comprehend, interpret and appreciate 

written texts of different genres on different topics, refine the use of reading 

micro-skills, develop an awareness of stylistic techniques and variations in 

written and oral texts. Moreover, develop the ability to evaluate texts, ideas 

and arguments critically, exchange ideas, convey interactionally, develop 

social interactions and usage of the language appropriately, develop the 

ability to produce creative academic and functional writing, and read texts. 

Moreover, Understanding and appreciating cultural attitudes and values, 

develop high order thinking skills and cognitive and metacognitive 

strategies, and develop test-taking skills (Ministry of Education, 2015).  

Writing is an essential language skill for students who need to learn English 

as a foreign language. Writing skill is ordered the last according to its ranking 

among the rest of the skills; it comes after the skill of reading because it is 

related to it (Khaled, 2016). The ability to write in English enables students 

to transfer messages or ideas to readers around the world (Brown, 2007). 

Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide students with writing skills in 



5 

English to help them be more competitive in this modern era (Sabaruddin, 

2019). 

The data consistently shows that ESL students at all levels score lower in 

writing compared to any other field. Writing is the last area of second-

language learning to be fully developed. Researchers (Cole & Feng, 2015) 

have found many reasons for this problem, an essential part of how they feel 

themselves as writers. Becoming a competent English writer is a problem for 

many ESL students because they believe that they cannot write English. This 

is becoming more important at the higher levels of primary school and 

beyond. To ensure students' excellence in writing, new and innovative 

teaching methods must be adapted. Current methods do not bring these 

students to the level of skill expected from them (Cole & Feng, 2015).  

To make the process of teaching and learning of writing more comfortable, 

some researchers such as Brown (2001) and Ferris, Hedgcock, & S. 

Hedgcock (2005) presented a set of principles for designing written 

instructions. These principles include, but are not limited to, incorporating 

good authors' various practices, such as emphasizing a primary idea, public 

awareness, preparedness, request, and use of comments. 

 Dictogram is a reasonably recent instruction technique, introduced by 

Wajnryb and Maley (1990). Firstly, it combines traditional dictation with the 

integration of form and meaning. It is an effective way to improve English 

writing skills as a foreign language (Pertiwi, 2018).  



6 

The researcher defines the Dictogram strategy as a new method in which the 

teacher reads a text and takes notes to prepare for rebuilding the text. The 

teacher gives students time to discuss and organize their ideas to rewrite a 

meaningful text. 

Stewart et al. (2014) indicated that Dictogram allows learners to integrate the 

four skills through self-instruction and peer-evaluation. This procedure also 

helps teachers determine whether they need to change educational designs 

or guide learners by using or adapting tactics that facilitate individual 

learning tracks . 

Several researchers in this field (Bataineh & Bani Younis, 2016) revealed a 

significant effect for Dictogram on teachers’ strategies of teaching writing 

and students’ writing performance. They confirmed that Dictogram offers 

several potential benefits as it integrates individual and group activities to 

enable students to learn from each other. It also incorporates follow-up 

activities that involve teachers and students discussing the similarities and 

differences between the original and reconstructed versions of the text and 

the language used in its expression. This encourages the use of genuine 

exchanges and motivates students to participate more in the language 

teaching/learning process, potentially promoting their expression and 

argumentative skills. Also Pertiwi, Ngadiso, & Drajati (2018) recommended 

that the English teacher apply Dictogram to the writing activity to promote 

effective teaching of writing skills and improve students' writing skills.  



7 

Hence, after the researcher noticed the positive results of the experience of 

using the Dictogram strategy to improve writing skills among students in 

different stages and populations, the present study attempts to explore how 

Dictogram strategy can impact EFL students' achievement and performance. 

In so doing, the researcher will try to explore the issue from the teacher's 

perspectives. 

1.2 Statement of the problem 

Despite the importance of the writing skill, it does not receive enough 

attention as needed. Regrettably, there is a greater focus on some skills than 

others since teachers at their classes focus more on reading, vocabulary, and 

grammar. In addition, the majority of students face difficulties in writing 

skills since it is not a random skill. Writing requires special instructions and 

rules, and students must be aware of those rules and instructions to give the 

target message. Therefore, teachers must implement new methods, 

strategies, and techniques that enable students to learn writing language 

skills effectively; thus, this study will point out the impact of applying the 

Dictogram strategy on improving students' writing skills in Jenin's city 

public schools from the English teachers' point of view. 

1.3 Objectives of the Study 

The study sought to achieve the following objectives : 

1. Investigate the impact of implementing the Dictogram strategy on 

improving writing skills of students in public schools in Jenin. 



8 

2. Find out the level of awareness of Jenin public school teachers towards 

the Dictogram strategy usage. 

3. Determine Jenin public school teachers' perspective towards the 

Dictogram strategy usage in their classes. 

4. Investigate and study the current curriculum of teaching writing skills. 

1.4 Questions of the Study 

The Study sought to answer the following questions:  

1. What is the potential impact of the Dictogram strategy on teachers' 

pedagogical practices towards teaching English writing from teachers’ 

perspective?  

2. How do teachers perceive the use of Dictogram strategy in teaching 

writing? 

3. What is the level of teachers' awareness of the Dictogram Strategy? 

1.5 Hypotheses of the Study 

The study sought to test the following hypotheses.  

1. There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of teachers' perceptions towards teaching English writing in 

terms of gender, age, years of experience, qualifications, number of 

training courses and teaching grade level.  



9 

2. There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α≤ 0.05) in 

teachers' awareness towards using the Dictogram strategy in terms of 

sex, age, years of experience, qualifications, number of training courses 

and teaching grade level. 

3. There is no statistically significant relationship at the level (α≤ 0.05) 

between using the Dictogram strategy and student writing level as 

perceived by English teachers in Jenin city.  

1.6 Significance of the Study 

It is hoped that this study will : 

1. Demonstrate the Dictogram strategy's utility for both teachers and 

students, increasing teachers' awareness of using different teaching 

writing methods. 

2. Focus on cooperative learning since students have to discuss what they 

write and cooperate to produce a complete writing text. 

3. Emphasize the importance of teaching students writing competencies as 

an essential skill. 

4. Help teachers adopt new methods that make teaching English writing 

more effective, communicative, and interactive. 

5. Draw the attention of supervisors to the importance of selecting new 

methods to be used in teacher training courses and workshops and 

encouraging participation in other researches. 



10 

6. Draw decision makers’ attention to new methods to develop students' 

listening skills, dictation, and self-evaluation. 

7. Encourage the conduct of new research and more field studies to measure 

the effectiveness of these methods in teaching the ability to write. 

8. Be beneficial to teachers, students and curriculum designers. 

1.7 Limitation of the Study 

1. Human limitation: the study will be applied to Jenin English teachers. 

2. Locative limitation: the study will be applied in Jenin's city public 

schools . 

3. Temporal limitation: the researcher will conduct the study in 2020/2021. 

4. Topical limitation: the study will investigate the effectiveness of 

applying the Dictogram strategy on improving students' writing skills in 

Jenin's city public school from the English teachers' point of view. 

1.8 Definition of terms 

Dictogram “Dictogloss”  strategy : 

Smith (2012) states, "Dictogloss, in which listening is the input that is the 

material, speaking is the communication tool, and writing is both the input 

and the output, or the product, is a collaborative task that promotes 

communicative competence through the use of all four skills (listening, 

reading, writing, and speaking) while primarily shining a light on grammar".   



11 

Operational definition of Dictogram strategy 

The researcher defined it as a new method in which the teacher reads a text 

and students take notes in preparation for rebuilding the text. The teacher 

gives students time to discuss and organize their ideas to rewrite the 

meaningful text. 

Writing skills  

According to Aria ( 2012), writing skills are those abilities that enable the 

writer to organize the message mentally and translate his thought and ideas 

into meaningful writing. Those skills enhance the writers' independence, 

creativity, and comprehensibility. 

The researcher defines writing skills as a complex cognitive process of 

thinking and creating ideas, organizing them into good paragraphs, 

reviewing and editing the draft to produce the final product. 

1.9 Summary 

The first chapter attempts to identify the study problems that aim to 

investigate the impact of applying the strategy of Dictogram on improving 

the writing skills of students in public schools in Jenin from the viewpoint of 

English language teachers.  

It also includes the hypothesis, objectives, and significance of the study. 

Moreover, it includes definitions of terms, limitations, and procedures for 

the study. 



12 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two 

Literature Review 

  



13 

Chapter Two 

Literature Review 

2.1 Introduction 

This chapter describes the theoretical framework of the study and consists of 

three sections. In the first part, the researcher reviews the concept of both the 

Dictogram (Dictogloss) strategy and writing skills and deals with each of 

them in some detail. In the second section, the researcher shows the 

relationship between the two variables, deals with many previous studies for 

each of them, and includes studies that deal with the two variables. The third 

section concludes this chapter by commenting on previous studies. 

2.2 Concept of Dictogram "Dictogloss" strategy 

2.2.1 Definition of Dictogram strategy 

Dictogram or in other words “Dictogloss strategy” is a dictation-based task, 

presented by Ruth Wajnryb in 1990 as one of the most effective and fun ways 

to understand English grammar, leading to higher accuracy in language use. 

The value of Dictogloss lies in its interactive approach to language learning, 

as rebuilding the text promotes negotiation of both meaning and shape. 

Dictogram strategy is thus a collaborative endeavor that forces learners to 

participate in the learning process actively. By engaging the active learner, 

students encounter their strengths and weaknesses in using the English 

language, discover what they do not know, and then discover what they need 

to know (Wajnryb, 1990). 



14 

Lim & Jacobs (2001) and Storch (1998) stated that Dictogloss strategy is a 

considerable skill and has a systematic activity. Students can practice 

listening, speaking, and then writing depending on their knowledge of 

semantic, syntactic, and discourse systems of the target language to finish 

the task. 

Dictogram or Dictogloss is a collaborative task which includes the four main 

English learning skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking), in addition 

to enhancing communicative competencies while at the same time focuses 

on grammar (smith,2012).  

2.2.2 Steps of Dictogram strategy 

Wajnryb (1990), Wajnryb & Maley (1990) mentioned four phases to conduct 

the strategy as follows: 

Preparation stage, teachers, must Prepare the text that students will listen to 

by reviewing, brainstorming suggestions in each lesson so that students are 

prepared for the topic and make them more receptive to listening in the 

second stage. People listen more effectively when they can anticipate what 

they will hear. This arouses their interest in the topic and motivates them to 

participate personally in the discussion. After that, students prepare the text's 

vocabulary in each unit. Moreover, students must be taught vocabulary in 

advance if the teacher suspects that these vocabularies are unknown by 

his/her students or difficult to infer them. Then ensure that students know 



15 

what they are expected to do at every stage of the procedure. Finally, classify 

students into groups before dictation begins . 

Dictation stage, here the teacher should read twice with the usual spoken 

speed, as the students listen for the first time and write nothing. The second 

time, students should take notes while listening, and they should be 

encouraged to write words that help them compile the text in the subsequent 

rebuilding stage. These words are words of content or information, for 

example (farmer, sale, and horse) that serve as signs to remember – those 

words that refer to something taught . 

Once the spelling is complete, students who work in groups begin collecting 

their notes and building their text. It will be helpful if each group has a writer 

by him; all suggestions are made in the group discussion are direct to the 

group upon completion. Then, the group checks the text for rules of 

language, textual coherence, and sense. The teacher's role in the meantime is 

to monitor the activity but not to provide any actual language inputs. Rather, 

s/he facilitates the fourth stage, "error analysis and correction." It helps to 

anticipate the problem of errors. If the group's text is full of grammatical 

errors, it is difficult in the fourth stage to focus on the main activity. To avoid 

this, the teacher in the rebuilding stage should point out some errors in the 

groups' texts during the formulation 

Finally, the analysis and correction stage when learners analyze and compare 

their text with the texts reconstructed by other groups. Differences in the 

texts are discussed, compared to the original text, and the necessary 



16 

corrections are observed. There are different methods for this procedure; 

teachers can conduct this session in their preferred way. Alternatively, the 

blackboard is used to write students' texts on, so that everyone can read and 

discuss them. The projector could be another choice as well.  

Maxom (2014) confirmed that Dictogram is one of the dictation activities 

that could be actively adopted to develop the four skills of English as 

follows: Teacher presents what will be given to students, explains the 

vocabulary items after that teacher plays the record and students listen to, 

teacher plays the recorder again, Then, Students write their notes separately, 

Teacher divide the students into groups, and makes groups (students) 

compare their writing with the original one. 

2.2.3 Advantages of Dictogram 

Viker (2012) noted that Dictogloss creates a real reason for effective 

communication and cooperation among students aiming to gather as much 

information as possible to complete the construction of the text. It also 

enables shy students feel comfortable as the activity requires the cooperation 

of a group of students. Therefore, Dictogloss is an excellent solution to deal 

with groups with mixed abilities . 

Smith (2012) indicated that the cooperation and active interaction result from 

the use of Dictogloss is that one that makes it different from spelling. 

Collaboration in rebuilding the text enhances both negotiations of meaning 

and form and makes students reflect on their outputs. Vasiljevi (2010) noted 



17 

that this activity provides students with a sense of achievement and 

responsibility, encourages them to think about the language learning process 

and how to deal with it more effectively. Shin et al. (2016) and Jingjing's 

(2008) study also confirmed the effectiveness of Dictogloss to promote 

meaningful interaction between learners and their awareness of targeted 

grammatical structures; focus on the basic Vocabulary for understanding 

original texts and the ability to rebuild them (Husseinali, 2013). 

Peter's Study (2013) and Jibir-Daura (2013) addressed the effectiveness of 

using Dictogloss to improve understanding of listening and retaining spoken 

English language inputs for English learners as a foreign language. Stewart 

et al. (2014) noted that Dictogloss allows learners to integrate the four skills 

through self-memorization and peer-assessment. This procedure helps 

teachers determine whether they need to change educational designs or guide 

learners in adapting tactics that facilitate learning individual tracks . 

 However, without proper preparation to help students understand the 

original text, the result of students' interaction and negotiation may be 

constrained (Nabei, 1996).  Johnson & Johnson (1994) also indicated that 

when simply placing students in groups and assigning them a Dictogloss 

assignment, that may often not result in familiar levels of success. Lim & 

Jacobs (2001) said that second language teachers need to think carefully 

about the type of preparation students may need to reap collaboration 

benefits. 

 



18 

2.2.4 Tips for using Dictogram 

Teachers should choose a short text, as this helps with memorization, as well 

as using familiar words known to students. Learners may write similar text 

with the same meaning but with different synonyms (Maxom, 2014). 

Teamwork is a must here, and the formation of groups should be under the 

teacher's supervision because he knows the level of his students well 

(Sahabuddin, 2018). Moreover, the teacher should carefully explain and 

ensure that students understand before forming groups, and he should 

consider whether the students in the group do not know each other. They 

should spend some time letting them get to know their colleagues before 

starting group work, and the teacher should allow groups to work in the way 

that suits them, provide assistance to them when necessary, answer their 

questions, watch what happens carefully, and keep calm during group work. 

Finally, after the group work is over, the teacher should ask the students what 

they discussed, check the texts, clarify any questions students have, review 

errors, and explain some examples of how they work (Joseph, 2008). 

2.3 Writing Skills 

2.3.1 Definition of Writing Skills 

Language is a primary function of every person's life. It is the primary means 

of communication for expressing personal feelings, thoughts, and 

aspirations. Language is also a window that overlooks the world and 

increases human knowledge and intellectual production. One of the skills of 

a language is writing. It is a linguistic wealth that an individual uses to face 



19 

all challenges in a literal and figurative sense. For this purpose, teachers and 

learners always strive to search for new programs and strategies to improve 

writing skills, as writing is one of the essential human means of 

communication. It is also the main product that we seek to achieve by 

learning English. It is no less important than the skill of reading. It is a 

process that relies on form and sound. The writing mechanism is to draw 

with letters and words, and through which the student expresses those 

concepts, meanings, and fantasies that shape self.  

Nunan (2003) defined writing skill as the thought process for creating ideas, 

thinking about expressing them in good writing and arranging ideas in a 

paragraph.  

Brown (2007) defined it as the product of written thinking, drafting, and 

review that requires specialized skills on how to generate ideas, organize 

them coherently, how to use speech marks, how to review text to clarify the 

meaning, how to edit text according to the appropriate grammar, and how to 

produce the final product . 

The researcher concluded that writing skill is a complex cognitive process of 

thinking and creating ideas, organizing them into good paragraphs, and 

finally reviewing and editing the draft to produce the final product . 

  



20 

2.3.2 Definition of writing 

Writing is a representation of the spoken language in the form of written 

symbols. It is the second communicative system that comes after the spoken 

language. Writing is an integrated activity based on two aspects:  

The automatic side: It means the learner's ability to control the small muscles 

at the fingertips and move accurately in drawing the letters' forms, taking 

into account the consistency of the letters of the words, their size, and the 

follow of the line when writing. 

The intellectual aspect: It is the learner's ability to distinguish between 

the alphabets and preserve the positions of drawing them in words. For this, 

the child or the learner must control the rules of calligraphy and spelling. 

 Writing can also be defined as drawn letters or symbols representing words 

indicating the meanings that the writer intended from the written text 

(Khaled, 2016). 

2.3.3 Importance of writing skills 

Murad (2017) noted that teaching writing is essential to language teaching 

as it promotes learning and helps teachers monitor the students in the 

processes of teaching, learning situations, assessment, and evaluation. 

Harmer (2004) believed that writing encourages students to focus on the 

proper use of language. This is because students think about how to use 

language when they participate in the writing process. This activity 



21 

stimulates the development of language because students solve the problems 

that writing puts in their minds. 

Writing skill is valuable, as students can express themselves and explain their 

thoughts, their opinions, imaginations, and impressions of anything using 

grammar-based language (Sharples, 1999; Troyka, 2010). 

Through the ability to write in English, students can transfer messages or 

ideas to readers worldwide (Brown, 2007). Therefore, there is an urgent need 

to provide students with writing skills in English to help them be more 

competitive in this modern era (Sabaruddin, 2019). 

2.3.4 Problems with poor writing skills of ESL students 

The writing skill among students suffers from many problems that educators, 

in general, and teachers in particular still notice. These problems are found 

in the form and content. Of the problems that are found in the form: not 

arranging the words properly on one line, ascending and descending from 

the font for writing, in addition to the difficulty in drawing letters, and lack 

of the feature of mastery in size and shape. This could be because of not 

remembering the shape of the letter or the increase or decrease in its shape, 

or add or delete points, leave spaces unevenly between words and even 

within a single word (Al-Bashir, 2018). 

These problems are almost common among all English language learners in 

the early educational stages, except for some form-related difficulties such 

as leaving some letters or not distinguishing between each other, as it is the 



22 

case between (O) and (Q) or (P) and (b), (j), (g), (N) and (M) and other issues 

that are the concern of English language teachers.  

Writing is one of the most critical obstacles to the success of ESL students. 

When a child writes, ideas and knowledge are mixed (Jones et al., 2010). 

Accordingly, students learn writing skills with more difficulties than 

listening and reading (Berman & Cheng, 2010).  Therefore, teachers often 

look for ways to improve the skills of writing for students of English. The 

production of students with impressive writing skills seems like a difficult 

task for teachers. Writing is a complex cognitive skill that requires students 

to use appropriate intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, oral information, 

and grammar (Tierney et al., 1989). 

 Before stopping at these problems, diagnosing them, and treating them 

according to correct educational and scientific foundations, it is necessary to 

define the stages of learning the writing skill that we consider necessary to 

highlight the causes of the weakness among students in writing skill . 

2.3.5 Stages of learning writing skills 

The stages of teaching students differ in teaching writing according to the 

target group of the study. The researcher emphasizes an important thing that 

we cannot overlook - the clear contrast between the levels of mother tongue 

learners and foreign language learners: "acquiring the mother tongue is 

carried out according to organized stages affected by emotional and cultural 

atmosphere and beginning from sounds to complex sentences and in an 



23 

automatic way (unconscious learning), Whereas the foreign language is 

learnt voluntarily and in different patterns under the influence of stimulating 

factors such as social, educational and functional environment" (Roquet, 

2012). 

Therefore, we try to identify the most important stages using educators' 

opinions and the experiences of those interested in teaching English as a 

foreign language. The study focused on the first stages of this category 

(Attia, 2008; Al-Busais, 2011; Murad, 2017) mentioned the following 

stages:  

The preparatory stage for writing: it is an elementary stage in which the 

learner is trained in some physical and muscular nature exercises. In this 

stage, learners acquire the flexibility required in writing, In addition to 

developing the students' visual compatibility. At this stage, it is important to 

have the tools available for writing and the progressive use of these tools. 

The teacher can use some activities and exercises to prepare students for 

writing. S/he trains them on the proper method to hold the pen, training them 

to drip into the closed spaces, connecting points to each other, drawing lines 

with different patterns, and other related skills to writing . 

The next stage is writing through drawing. It is the actual writing stage that 

involves drawing written symbols or figures from semantics. This stage is 

known as modelling or simulation in writing. Thus, there can be several skills 

in this aspect, such as students writing alphabets, associating some words 

such as: writing their names and the names of their relatives and colleagues 



24 

and using words to build useful sentences, written short sentences, good font, 

punctuation, and graphic correction, arrange their thoughts when they write 

and write a summary of the lessons or subjects they are studying. 

What distinguishes this stage is the learner's motivation to try to express 

his/her ideas, even by using simple, expressive methods such as short 

sentences with meanings and describing live observations in short and 

meaningful sentences. 

Then, the following stage is the expression written stage; at this stage, a 

student can express his/her needs, feelings, impressions, and reactions in 

writing. Students adhere to the rules of drawing, punctuation, and the 

requirements required by the context of speech. The written expression is 

divided in terms of function into two types, namely : 

1. Functional written expression: it is the written expression that performs 

a functional purpose required by the learner's life inside and outside the 

school, such as writing official letters, reports, and important subjects 

(Lavie, 2012).  

2.  Creative written expression: the student expresses the ability to control 

the language as a method of thinking, expression and communication 

under the aesthetic standards of pronunciation, style, meanings, and 

ideas. This represents an opportunity for the student to practice using the 

language as a tool for expression. This could be as writing a story or a 

diary (Ruslan, 2005). The teacher can interfere in the editing process of 



25 

these types of writing and suggest modifications to them. The teacher 

must also be concerned about the accuracy of spelling, punctuation, and 

other aspects that facilitate the reading process. It is recommended that 

the teacher follow the previous steps (Essberger et al., 2008). 

2.3.6    Reasons for writing skill weakness 

Thomas (1993) noted that there are many reasons for poor writing skills 

among students. The problem is that students have a feeling that they should 

be writers, but they also believe that they cannot write English, especially at 

the beginning stage. Unfortunately, this leads to suspicion of their abilities 

and not reaching proficiency in writing. 

 Megawati & Anugrahwati (2012) also cited other reasons for the lack of 

interest in the English language among learners, such as limited 

understanding of vocabulary and grammar, the teaching method applied by 

English language teachers, and the absence of educational multimedia. 

However, Kasper & Petrello (1998) believed that the task of writing is not 

frightening but needs feedback and evaluation by teachers or colleagues. 

Teachers' comments play a significant role in reducing writing anxiety 

among English learners (Tananuraksakul, 2015). 

  



26 

2.3.7 The elements of writing skill 

Kokemuller (2017) indicated that writing is an essential skill that has many 

elements. Whenever the writer masters these elements' rules, writing will be 

easier for readers to be understood. 

The writer should understand the purpose of writing and know why s/he 

writes and for whom in order to determine the direction. This varies 

according to the audience; for example, in the English essay class, students 

write for the teacher who assesses their writing. In persuasive writing, the 

audience is the people to whom the message speaks. In the newspaper or 

magazine report, the readers who entertain and got information are the 

audience. In the book, the writer tells a story or gives insights about the 

specific subject.  

The writing has to be clear and concise. The writer tells the story, writes a 

paragraph, and forms sentences in an effective way as possible as he/she can. 

The writer should not use unnecessary words that can cause a distraction 

from the main idea.  

Good writing should be well-organized and structured. Structure varies 

based on writing (a paper, report, message, dissertation, book, article, or 

poem). The writing product is cohesive and logical if the writer defines the 

topic, writes the thesis or the principal idea, and outlines the sections and 

main points. According to the single paragraph, it should contain an 

introduction, writing details, and a conclusion. 



27 

Good writing includes proper grammar, correct spelling, and correct 

punctuation use. If there are many errors and incomplete sentences, the 

meaning can be affected or even changed.  

The more the writer presents the main points clearly, the higher its 

proficiency. The writer should determine the suitable language for every 

writing type, for example, using slang language in informal writings while 

avoiding it when writing formal works.  

2.3.8 The rules and standards of English writing  

Starkey (2004) noted that writing in the English language within the 

academic context must meet the acceptance criteria for various writing 

aspects that include organization, vocabulary, language use, punctuation, 

capitalization, and paragraphs. 

Lazaro (n.d.) mentioned six aspects students should consider while writing; 

purpose, audience, content, organization, grammar, vocabulary, and 

mechanics and presentation.  

The first aspect is the purpose; there are many types of writing; narrative, 

descriptive, expressive, persuasive, argumentative, referential, expository, 

and literary. Whatever the type used, the writer has to set a purpose.  

The second aspect is the audience; as there is a writer, there is a reader 

(audience) in return. The structure and style used when describing a town for 



28 

tourists is different when writing an informal. Thus, it is vital to consider the 

audience during the writing process.  

The third aspect is the content; it is crucial to present the writing material 

clearly. The ideas have to be relevant and support the purpose of the writing. 

There is no need to use unnecessary material since it gets the writer out of 

the topic. The sentences have to present information related to the ideas. 

The fourth aspect is the organization; the writer has to present an organized 

and coherent order based on careful planning. If there are no repetitions, 

unrelated ideas, correct order, the reader will appreciate the writers' work. 

The fifth aspect is grammar and vocabulary; Paying attention to the language 

used in writing is essential. Writing has to be accurate and follow the rules 

of nouns, verbs, pronouns, prepositions, articles, word order, and so on. 

Thus, editing is essential to avoid any mistakes in language. 

The sixth aspect is mechanics and presentation; spelling and punctuation are 

parts of the effective writing skills in addition to clear writing, consistent 

indentation, and margins.  

2.4 Previous studies 

In this section, the researcher introduces previous studies related to 

Dictogram strategy and writing skills. The studies are presented from the 

newest to the oldest ones. 

  



29 

2.4.1 Studies related to Dictogram strategy 

Pertiwi (2018) conducted an experimental study to investigate the effect of 

Dictogloss on teaching writing in Surakarta Islamic schools, Indonesia. The 

sample conducted was random cluster sampling; two classes, the 

experimental class was taught using Dictogloss, while the conventional 

method was used to teach the control group. The tools that were used were 

two instruments, namely, the writing test and the motivation questionnaire. 

The experiment lasts for eight classes, and then a writing post-test was given 

to students. The data were analyzed by using ANOVA. In addition, a pre-

requisite test of normality and homogeneity was conducted.  The results 

showed that Dictogloss is more effective than the conventional method.  

Murad (2017) studied the effect of adopting Dictogloss to develop 10th 

graders' English grammar and writing skills. The researcher used the 

experimental approach to a sample of (68) females. The study sample was 

divided into two classes; (34) students in the control group and (34) students 

in the experimental one. The researcher used two achievement tests; a 

grammar pre-test and post-test consisted of four domains and (35) items; and 

a writing pre-posttest containing (25) items. The results indicated that there 

were statistically significant differences at (α ≤ 0.05) between the mean 

scores of the experimental group and those of the control group in favour of 

the experimental group that was taught by the dictogloss strategy. 

Yeganeh (2015) compared the effect of dictogloss and oral dialogue on the 

Iranian EFL learner's pragmatic competence. The research used two 



30 

experimental groups to examine the two methods and compare them. A 

sample consisted of (120) EFL female Iranian students whose level is high 

and were tested by a pre-proficiency request speech act test. 

To achieve equality; a written discourse test contained (10) aspects. A 

dictogloss and oral dialogue tasks were used in the 16 classes of experiment 

over a period of 8 months. The data were scored by Tagutchi (2006) rating 

scale of pragmatic competence. The findings showed statistically significant 

differences between the two experimental groups, and the mean scores of the 

dictogloss were higher.  

Asmawati's (2013) study aimed to determine the effect of dictogloss on 

students' listening comprehension and find out the factors that inclined the 

students listening comprehension. Classroom action research was followed. 

The sample included (29) second year students. The research used two 

instruments: a listening test and an observation checklist. The data were 

analyzed by using qualitative and quantitative methods.  The research found 

out that the student's comprehension, motivation, and cooperation improved 

due to the application of the dictogloss strategy.  

Cardona et al. (2013) investigated the effect of Dictogloss tasks on 

developing listening comprehension skills and defining the participant's 

perceptions concerning the strategy. The quasi-experimental approach was 

adopted. The sample contained (6) Spanish speaking students of4th grade in 

Cartago. The group was taught by the use of Dictogloss. The treatment 

remained for 45 days. To collect the data, the researcher used interviews, 



31 

teacher journals, observations, and questionnaires. The study showed that the 

Dictogloss proved its positive impact on improving participants’ listening 

comprehension. 

Sugiarti's (2012) study investigated the impact of Dictogloss on developing 

writing among Nigerian students. The effectiveness could be observed 

through the learners' characteristics in writing. The researcher used a pre-

post writing achievement test. The qualitative data was collected by 

observation, interview and questionnaires. The results approved the 

effectiveness of Dictogloss to develop writing among students, and thus, 

their motivation in writing was increased. The learners' learning method was 

improved by the use of Dictogloss to teach writing. 

2.4.2 Commenting on previous studies related to Dictogram strategy 

All the previous studies mentioned the Dictogram strategy as an independent 

variable. They tested the impact of the Dictogram strategy on various 

learning skills. On the contrary, the following studies: Pertiwi (2018), Murad 

(2017), Sugiarti (2012) focused on the issue of Dictogloss strategy impact 

on writing skills. All the previous studies confirmed the effectiveness of the 

Dictogloss strategy, and have shown students improvement in language 

performance as a result of implementing this particular teaching method.  

Moreover, all the previous studies adopted experimental approach except 

Cardona et al. (2013) that used quasi experimental and Asmawati (2013) that 

used classroom action. 



32 

In addition to that, the used tools; in order to collect data, varied between the 

previous studies. As for Pertiwi (2018) and Yeganeh (2015), the researchers 

used writing tests to collect data. However, Asmawati (2013) used a listening 

test to collect data. Additionally, Murad (2017) and Sugirati (2012) adopted 

pre-test and post-test in order to collect data. Pertiwi (2018), Cardona et al. 

(2013) and Sugiarti (2012) used questionnaires. Some studies; which are 

Asmawati (2013), Cardona et al. (2013) and Sugiarti (2012), used 

observations. Cardona et al. (2013) and Sugiarti (2012) also used interviews 

to collect data. 

2.4.3 Studies related to writing skills 

Yusuf et al. (2019) investigated the impact of cooperative learning on 

improving writing among 9th grades in a middle school in Kuala Lumpur. 

The quasi-experimental design was adopted using narrative essays pre-test 

and post-test. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The outcomes 

revealed that the use of cooperative learning strategy is useful to teach 

writing to students 

Muflih (2019) study investigated the use of visual organizations to improve 

students' reading and writing skills with learning disabilities. The teachers' 

views were taken, and gender, scientific qualification, and educational 

experience were checked among teachers.   The Study used the descriptive-

analytical method using a sample of (87) teachers, (38) males and 49 

females. The tool of the Study used was a questionnaire including (53) items. 

The results revealed that the most noticeable item in the effectiveness of 



33 

visual organizations' use to improve students' writing is: "able to read 

sentences enhanced with pictures and without pictures, and distinguish 

between the image of the character and its writing." The most noticeable 

difficulty in the effectiveness of using visual organizations is not adopting 

visual organizations that fit students with learning disabilities. The Study 

showed that there are gender differences in favour of females 

Girmen et al. (2019) study defined the role of digital storytelling to improve 

writing skills. The Study was designed as action research. The study sample 

contained (22) 4th graders in a public elementary school in Turkey. Data were 

collected during the year 2017-2018. Full participant observation, 

researcher's diaries, students' diaries, student digital processing products, and 

video recordings were used. The researcher developed learning materials 

based on enriching texts and digital storytelling. Data collected by the use of 

the researcher's diaries, video recordings, observations, and documents. The 

results revealed that digital story writing studies are very useful in 

developing writing skills among elementary school 4th graders. Besides, the 

digital story writing activities developed the computer literacy of the students 

and their attitudes and motivation towards writing. Mainly, incorporating 

technology in writing activities made the students see the course as more 

modern. 

Al-Samdani's Study (2018) investigated the effect of blogs among students 

and how logs develop writing skills. The sample contained (40) 

undergraduate students in an ELT department at a Saudi university.  The 



34 

section of data collection depended on the groups that write before and after 

using blogging. The duration of the experiment lasted for (14) weeks. The 

researcher used writing Assessment and Evaluation Rules that were 

published by Glencoe McGraw Hill Journal in 2000. The results showed that 

the availability of blogs affected language learners. 

Furthermore, (46%) of the participants did not hear about blogging before 

being asked to use blogs. On the contrary (14%) had positive views about 

blogging. Only (2%) of the participants actively participated in the process 

of blogging. The Study showed that (48%) showed their negative use to 

them. Those students read blogging materials, but they did not involve in 

activities such as interacting, writing, creating, and discussing.  

Ataman and Mirici (2017) investigated the relationship between corrective 

feedback through work folio based tasks and writing skills development 

among learners. The Study was applied on 64 B1 students in Ankara in 

Turkey. The study remained (13) weeks. The experimental group was taught 

by explicit corrective feedback on their written tasks. The control group was 

not exposed to written feedback. Participants took (3) progress tests. In 

addition to the quantitative data, qualitative data were also obtained via 

interviews with both teachers and participants. The results showed that 

females in the experimental group showed more progress than males in the 

same group. 

Moreover, students said that corrective feedback was good for them as they 

learn from their mistakes, and there is a kind of motivation for the lesson. On 



35 

the other side, teachers stated that corrective feedback was beneficial for 

their students. To sum up, the results revealed that corrective feedback 

positively influences students' writing skills. 

Takil (2016) study explored the effect of the "Ask, write, throw" (AWT) 

technique to improve the writing skills of B2 level learners of Turkish as a 

foreign language. For this purpose, the Study included (35) as the study 

sample. (18) Learners in the AWT (experimental) group and (17) learners 

were taught by the traditional technique and were in the (control) group. The 

experiment remained for (45) days. The results of the Study showed that 

AWT improved learners' writing skills. Learners in the AWT group showed 

more progress in relevancy, vocabulary, punctuation in writing.  

Janfaza et al. (2014) investigated the effectiveness of using email to develop 

writing skills among Iranian EFL students. The Study included (42) students 

in an English language institute in Shiraz, Iran. The participants of the Study 

were divided into an experimental group and a control group. (21) students 

were in each. The experiments were conducted in three sessions a week. The 

total duration lasted for three weeks. The students used email to 

communicate their assignments. The students in the experimental group 

were communicated with their teacher via email. On the contrary, the control 

group taught writing without the use of a computer or emails. A pre-test was 

given to students. Then, three weeks after, a post-test was given to students 

to check their improvement in writing. The outcomes showed that the 



36 

experimental group students showed positive scores than the students in the 

control group. 

Sarie (2013) investigated the effect of directive feedback on developing 

writing skills. The Study also aimed to find out the most grammatical errors 

committed by the student while they write. Furthermore, the Study aimed to 

know the students' feelings towards directive feedback. This is a case study 

that used (3) students from Universitas Siswa Bangsa Internasional, who had 

PETA (Principle of Effective Teaching and Assessment) course. Two tools 

were used; observation and interviews. The result showed that directive 

feedbacks improved learners writing skills. It is to say that students should 

consider their teachers' feedback. 

Salem's (2013) study aimed to find out the impact of using the writing 

workshop approach to develop basic writing skills of English language 

teachers in Hurgada faculty of Education. To that end, the researcher created 

and validated a teaching program on the writing workshop approach. A 

checklist of the skills and sub-skills of basic writing skills was used. A Pre-

posttest of basic writing skills also was used. The study sample included (40) 

students in the Hurgada Faculty of Education, English Division (teachers of 

English). The sample of the Study was randomly chosen as an experimental 

group. The experimental group students were taught using the writing 

workshop approach after having basic writing skills pre-test. The outcomes 

showed that the writing workshop-based program improved the participants' 

basic writing skills. 



37 

2.4.4 Comments on previous studies related to writing skills 

All the previous studies handled writing skills as a Dependent variable. The 

current Study agrees with them as it measures the effectiveness of a strategy 

on learning writing skills. All the previous studies found an improvement 

and positive progress in writing skills . Also, the previous studies adopted 

the experimental design except the following studies; Yusuf et al. (2019), 

Muflih (2019) in which they adopted the descriptive method.  

  



38 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Three 

Methodology and Procedures 

  



39 

Chapter Three 

Methodology and Procedures 

3.1 Introduction 

The state of English writing skills appears to be disregarded in English-

language programs. This study will discover the impact of Dictogram 

strategy on improving students' writing skills in public schools in Jenin City 

from the English teachers' perspective. This chapter discusses the 

components of the study design. It includes the society, subjects, instruments 

used with their validity and reliability, as well as the procedures and 

implementation of the study. This chapter also describes the procedures of 

analyzing research questions.  

3.2 Research Methodology 

This study aims to examine English teachers' attitudes regarding the 

implementation of the Dictogram strategy and its impact from their point of 

view. To achieve this study's objectives, the researcher follows the 

descriptive analytical approach in carrying out this research, as it is 

considered the most common and suitable. This section presents the methods 

used to conduct the study, comparison, explanation, and evaluation to obtain 

significant generalization.  

Descriptive research is defined as a research method that describes the 

characteristics of the study population or phenomenon studied, and 



40 

descriptive statistics are used to analyze descriptive research data in general 

in terms of dispersion and tendency. Thus, the researcher adopted this type 

of research because of the difference in examining teachers' views with 

respect to the Dictogram strategy. 

The researcher used quantitative data in this study. Quantitative data were 

described in the questionnaire and were numerically described as descriptive 

research.  

3.3 Population of the Study  

The study population includes all teachers (males and females) working in 

public schools in Jenin City during the school year (2020-2021). The 

population of the Study was (241) teachers.  

3.4 Sample of the Study  

The researcher calculated the sample for the study, and it was 150 teachers. 

Then the researcher distributed the questionnaire to 241 teachers and 

received back 161 valid questionnaires. 

In order to figure out the characteristics of the study sample, the researcher 

classified the sample according to gender, age, qualification, years of 

experience, teaching level, and the number of training courses, as seen in 

table (3.1). 

According to the table, seventy teachers are males, with a percentage of 

43.5%, and ninety-one are females, with 56.5%.   Besides, 40.4% of teachers 



41 

are less than 30 years old, 47.2% are between 30 to 45, and only 12.4% are 

higher than 45 years old. 

Most of the teachers have a B.A. degree with a percentage of 65.8% and 

31.1% have a master's degree, while 5 of them have a diploma degree, which 

makes a percentage of 3.1%. 

For the experience years, 43.5% of teachers have less than 5 years working 

as a teacher, while 12.4% have between 5 and 10 years of experience, and 

44.1% of the sample has more than 10 experience years. As presented in 

table (3.1). 

Table (3. 1):  Demographic characteristics of the sample 

Variable Variable Level Number Percentage% 

Gender 
Male 70 43.5% 

Female 91 56.5% 

Age 

Less Than 30 65 40.4% 

Between 30-45 76 47.2% 

More than 45 20 12.4% 

Qualification 

Diploma 5 3.1% 

B.A. 106 65.8% 

Graduate Studies 50 31.1% 

Years of 

Experience 

Less than 5 70 43.5% 

5 -10 Years 20 12.4% 

More than 10 Years 71 44.1% 

Teaching 

Level 

Grade 1 to 4 45 28.0% 

Grade 5 to 10 86 53.4% 

Grade 11 to 12 30 18.6% 

Training 

Courses 

Less than 2 40 24.8% 

Two or more 121 75.2% 

Only 18.6% of the sample are teaching grades eleven to twelve, 28% are 

teaching grades one to four, and the majority (53.4%) are teaching grades 

five to ten. 



42 

Most of the teachers joined more than two training courses during their work 

with a percentage of 75.2%; however, 24.8 % received joined courses at 

most. 

3.5 Validity and reliability of the questionnaire 

Validity refers to the extent to which an instrument measures what is 

supposed to be measured. Validity has a number of different evaluation 

aspects and approaches. Statistical validity is used to assess the validity of 

instruments, including external and internal instruments.  

3.5.1 External validity 

In order to ensure a high level of validity, the questionnaire was submitted 

to a number of interested experts. These arbitrators were pleased to present 

their views on the questionnaire in terms of content, clarity of the elements' 

meaning, and relevance. They also proposed what they considered necessary 

to change the items' wording to avoid misunderstandings and ensure that the 

questionnaire met the study's objectives. The final version of the 

questionnaire was amended in accordance with the recommendations of the 

experts.  

3.5.2 Internal Validity 

The questionnaire's internal consistency was verified by calculating the 

correlation coefficients between each paragraph of the questionnaire's axes 

and the total degree of the axis itself.  



43 

Table (3 .2) shows that all related elements of the first dimension are 

correlated with their total degree, within the significance level <0.01, 

indicating the first dimension's internal consistency. Therefore, it can be said 

that the questions are valid to measure what has been established for. 

Table (3.2): Correlation Coefficient of Each Question of the First Field 

and the Total of the Field 

Item 
Correlation 

Coefficient 
Significance 

1. I think the development of writing skills 

in English Language is so essential 
0.898** 0.000 

2. I find Learners devote effort to cope up 

with writing skills in the English 

Language 

0.742** 0.000 

3. I experience many challenges in the 

teaching of writing skills 
0.848** 0.000 

4. I think teaching strategies are essential 

for improving writing skills 
0.855** 0.000 

5. I believe School Library plays a vital role 

in improving students writing skills 
0.682** 0.000 

6. I think School written expression 

sessions are enough to improve students' 

writing 

0.347** 0.000 

7. I receive periodically teaching training 

courses by experienced experts in the 

field of teaching 

0.561** 0.000 

8. I think the current teaching written 

expression program is sufficient to 

improve students' writing skill 

0.443** 0.000 

9. I think the level of students' writing could 

be improved 
0.599** 0.000 

10. I am Keeping up with the field through 

regular reading and conference or 

workshop attendance 

0.598** 0.000 

Table (3.4) shows that all related elements of the second dimension are 

correlated with their total degree, within significance level <0.01, indicating 

the second dimension's internal consistency, except statement 9, which has 



44 

a negative correlation level, thus will be removed from the questionnaire. 

Therefore, it can be said that the questions are valid to measure what has 

been established for. 

Table (3.3): Correlation Coefficient of Each Question of the Second 

Field and the Total of the Field 

Item 
Correlation 

Coefficient 
Significance 

1. I think Dictogram helps in group 

brainstorming and questions-answers. 
0.849** 0.000 

2. I believe Dictogram helps students to 

overcome their writing problems.  
0.867** 0.000 

3. I think Dictogram encourages discussion 

in an organized way. 
0.897** 0.000 

4. I think Dictogram encourages me to 

devote independent sessions to improve 

students' Vocabulary. 

0.721** 0.000 

5. I find Dictogram a very useful teaching 

and learning strategy. 
0.891** 0.000 

6. I think the peer discussion process 

provides students with the ability to 

compete and improve. 

0.891** 0.000 

7. I think Dictogram promotes collaboration 

and interactions. 
0.932** 0.000 

8. I think Dictogram motivates students to 

engage through group working. 
0.912** 0.000 

9. I think the idea of Dictogram is a waste of 

time 
-0.093 0.238 

10. I think Dictogram helps the students to be 

more confident. 
0.861** .000 

11. I find Textbooks are equipped with useful 

teaching materials that will improve 

students' language learning. 

0.224** .004 

 

  



45 

3.5.3 Reliability 

To analyze the data and obtain reliability, the researcher used Cronbach Alfa; 

the stability of the questionnaire is intended to give the same result if the 

questionnaire is redistributed more than once under the same conditions, or 

in other words that the stability of the questionnaire means stability in the 

results of the questionnaire and not to change it significantly if it is 

redistributed to the sample members several times during periods of time. 

Table (3.4): Cronbach's Alpha Coefficients for Testing Questionnaire 

Reliability 

Reliability Statistics 

Cronbach's Alpha N of Items 

0.916 2 

Table 3.4 shows the Cronbach Alpha value (0.916) for the overall 

questionnaire. This value is considered very high, which indicates the 

excellent reliability of the entire test. This makes the measure very 

appropriate to measure the objectives of the study. 

3.6 The Study Variables 

3.6.1 The independent variables are 

• Gender 

• Age 

• Qualification 

• Years of Experience 

• Teaching Level. 

• Number of Training Courses 



46 

3.6.2 The dependent variables 

• The attitudes of teachers towards teaching writing 

• The attitudes of teachers towards Dictogram 

3.7 The Study Procedure 

The researcher has studied and reviewed previous research and studies 

related to the subject, then design the research tool, which is a questionnaire 

consisted of two parts, then preview the questionnaire to a group of 

specialized and supervisors to judge the questionnaire, after modifying the 

required changes. The research applies the questionnaire to a pilot group to 

ensure its validity, after final modification, the researcher distribute the 

questionnaire to 241 teachers and receive back 161 valid questionnaires. 

After that, the researcher analyzed the data using SPSS to get results and 

formulate recommendations and suggestions in the light of the study results. 

3.8 Summary 

This chapter introduces procedures for designing and implementing a 

research tool used for data collection, study sample, and statistical analysis 

used in the Data of statistically analysis. 

Furthermore, the current chapter discusses the research methodology. And 

research design also explained the procedures of the study by describing the 

sample and its demographic characteristics. 



47 

This chapter also presented the research tools, their validity, and their 

reliability. Moreover, a detailed description of the study process and data 

analysis are discussed in this chapter. The results of the study are displayed 

in the next chapter. 

  



48 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Four 

Results of the Study 

 

  



49 

Chapter Four 

Results of the Study 

4.1 Introduction 

Writing in the mother tongue or a second or a foreign language is a 

challenging skill to master, whether by schoolchildren or professionals, due 

to the complex cognitive processes involved in the writing process. 

This chapter includes a complete and detailed presentation of the results of 

the study to answer questions and investigate hypotheses using appropriate 

statistical methods. 

4.2 Statistical Analysis 

The researcher presents the conclusive results of this study. The results of 

the study based on the results of the study questions and hypotheses were 

analyzed statistically by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 

using standard deviation and mean. Hypotheses of the questionnaire were 

tested at α = 0.05 level using the following statistical tests: Correlation 

coefficient (Pearson Correlation), reliability coefficient (Cronbach alpha), 

and since the data do not follow a normal distribution, the following 

nonparametric statistical tests, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, were used. 

  



50 

4.3 Results of the questionnaire analysis 

4.3.1 Questionnaire Part 1 

1. The number of hours per week, Teachers train students on the written 

expressions in English: 

Table (4.1): Hours per Week, Teachers Train Students on Written 

Expression 

Number of Sessions per Week Frequency Percentage 

2 or less 85 52.8 

3-5 76 47.2 

5 or more 0 0 

With reference to table 4.1, 52.8% of Teachers in schools train their students 

two or less per week, and 47.2% spend three up to five times per week; while 

no teacher from the study population spends more than five times per week, 

the researcher believes that the teacher's classes load prevents teachers from 

spending more time with their students to strengthen them in written skills, 

and also to the number of English classes available to the students per week. 

2. Teachers Responses about the current curriculum's sufficiency to teach 

written expression and its role to improve students' writing skills: 

Regarding Table 4.2, most teachers (80.7%) believe that the current 

curriculum designed to teach written expression is not sufficient to improve 

students' writing skills, while only (19.3%) think it is adequate to develop 

student's English writing skills.  

  



51 

Table (4.2): Teachers Responses on Current Curriculum Ability to 

Improve Student's Writing Skills 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Yes 31 19.3 

No 130 80.7 

3. Teacher's point of view about students’ writing level: 

Regarding table 4.3, teachers believe that only 3.1% of students' writing level 

is above average, and the majority are average and below average with a 

percentage of 44.1%, 52.8%, respectively. The result reflects the students' 

homogeneity. 

Table (4.3): Teachers Responses about Students Writing Level 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Below Average 85 52.8 

Average 71 44.1 

Above Average 5 3.1 

The researcher attributes the results to the relative difficulty of writing, as 

it's a skill that depends on the other skills. Learning to write is very 

difficult, especially for those who write in a second language or a foreign 

language, because they do not know enough about how to create ideas for 

writing. 

4. Frequency of giving writing assignments : 

Writing assignments is one of the main factors contributing to improving 

students' writing skills; The researcher finds it essential to know how often 

teachers provide writing assignments. According to table 4.4, (37.9%) of 



52 

teachers always give their students writing assignments in order to develop 

their skills to the expected level, and a higher percentage (43.5%) provide 

assignments sometimes, but a low percentage (18.6%) rarely provide their 

students with writing assignments. 

Table (4.4): Frequency of Writing Assignment Given by Teachers 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Always 61 37.9 

Sometimes 70 43.5 

Rarely 30 18.6 

5. Student writing improvement throughout the school year: 

According to the result summarized in table 4.5, Teachers agreed with a 

higher percentage (77.6%) that there is an improvement in students' writing 

skills during the school year. The result reflects that students' writing skills 

performance can be improved by focusing on this skill, while just (22.4%) 

of teachers contradict that; and indicated that students' writing abilities 

cannot be further enhanced. 

Table (4.5): Student Writing Improvement throughout the School Year 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Yes 125 77.6 

No 36 22.4 

6. What kind of mistakes do your students make in their writing frequently? 

According to the results obtained, most teachers surveyed (45.3%) indicated 

that students make grammatical mistakes, while (36%), say that the most 

common errors are syntax related. In addition, a total percentage of (17.4%) 



53 

considers that lexical mistakes are the most common mistake made by 

students. 

Table (4.6): Committed Student writing mistakes  

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Grammatical 73 45.3 

Lexical 28 17.4 

Syntactical 58 36.0 

Other 2 1.2 

It is noted here that grammar mistakes recorded the most significant number 

of responses, followed by syntax-related errors. 

7. How do you describe the vocabulary level of your students? 

To get a general idea of the vocabulary level of students, from the table (4.7), 

more than half of the teachers, (55.9%), responded that their students' 

vocabulary level is satisfactory; on the other hand, a considerable percentage 

(37.3%) responded that students' English vocabulary level is unsatisfactory. 

In comparison, only 3.7% of teachers responded with a very satisfactory 

level for their students. A minuscule percentage is the outstanding level with 

only 3.1%. 

Table (4.7): Students English Vocabulary Level 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Outstanding 5 3.1 

Very satisfactory 6 3.7 

Satisfactory 90 55.9 

Unsatisfactory 60 37.3 



54 

These results are not encouraging. They show that students facing difficulties 

and limited stock of vocabulary while producing a piece of writing. 

8. Do you think that students work hard to learn Vocabulary? 

Results in table 4.8, show that teachers' point of view regarding their 

students' effort to learn English vocabulary, were divided equally between 

yes and now, nearly the same, 49.7% for yes, and 50.3% for no. 

Table (4.8): Students’ Effort to Learn Vocabulary 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Yes 80 49.7 

No 81 50.3 

9. Do you present new words in every lesson? 

According to table 4.9 (90.7%), teachers present new words every lesson on 

a regular basis, and only (9.3%) don't do that regularly. 

Table (4.9): Teachers Presentation of New Vocabulary 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Yes 146 90.7 

No 15 9.3 

10. Do you provide enough time to improve students' Vocabulary within 

your classes? 

According to table 4.10, most teachers (96.9%) provide enough time to 

improve students' vocabulary. But only (3.1%) don't consider that. 

  



55 

Table (4.10): Teachers Time Allocation to Learn New Vocabulary 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Yes 156 96.9 

No 5 3.1 

The results reflect teachers' commitment to improving students' stock of 

vocabulary, which will affect their ability to express themselves in writing. 

11. Kind of activities or tasks teachers use: 

According to Table 4.11, more than half of teachers (56.5%) use vocabulary 

games to improve students' vocabulary achievement, (18.6%) use matching, 

and (12.4%) use spelling. Moreover, (12.4%) of teachers use all activities. 

Table (4.11): Kind of Activities provided by teachers 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Matching 30 18.6 

Vocabulary games 91 56.5 

Dictation 20 12.4 

All of Them 20 12.4 

12. The Writing habit development: 

Table 4.12 shows that almost all teachers try to develop their students' 

writing habits with 96.9%. In comparison, only a minority equal to 3.1% 

does not make any effort to benefit their students. 

Table )4.12): The Writing Habit Development 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Yes 156 96.9 

No 5 3.1 

 

  



56 

This indicates that teachers believe in the importance of acquiring writing 

skills, and they are trying to build a writing habit for their students in classes 

to make the students practice writing and motivate them to improve their 

writing skills. 

The researcher attributes the results in which a minor percentage of teachers 

are not developing their students' writing ability to the shortage of enough 

time to apply new methods taking into account students' level and the 

required curriculum in the school year. 

13. Teachers’ familiarity with the term "Dictogram": 

Table (4.13): Teachers' Familiarity with the Dictogram Strategy 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Yes 137 85.1 

No 24 14.9 

According to table 4.13, (85.1%) of teachers are familiar with the term 

Dictogram, but (14.9%) are not aware of Dictogram.  

14. Teachers usage of Dictogram: 

Table 4.14 shows that most teachers (85.1%) applied the Dictogram strategy 

in their classes, and (14.9%) had not applied it before in their classes. 

Table (4.14): Teachers’ Usage of the Dictogram Strategy 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Yes 137 85.1 

No 24 14.9 



57 

These results are in line with the results in the previous table, indicating the 

same percentage of 85.1% of teachers who are familiar with this strategy 

have used this strategy before. 

15. What teachers like most about Dictogram: 

Looking at Table 4.15, and bearing in mind that 137 teachers answered this 

question with “yes” according to previous Table 4.14, the teachers equally 

preferred group work and new word learning at (31.1%) each. While (18.6%) 

think they like Dictogram because of reading texts and stories while 

implementing the strategy.  

Table (4.15): Teachers' Preferences about Dictogram 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

New Vocabulary 43 31.1 

Group work 43 31.1 

Text or stories read 25 18.6 

I would not say I like it 17 12.4 

Creating sentences and ideas 4 3.1 

A and B 5 3.65 

On the other hand, 12.4% of teachers neither like nor prefer anything in the 

strategy. 

16. If you used Dictogram before, how did you find its procedures? 

According to Table 4.16, (47.2%) of teachers think Dictogram procedures 

are average, and (6.2%) believe their steps are easy to implement. 

Furthermore, (28%) of teachers have difficulty applying it, while (18.6%) 

think it cannot be applied at all. 



58 

Table (4.16): Teachers' Opinion about Dictogram Procedures 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Easy 8 6.2 

Average 65 47.2 

Difficult 38 28.0 

It cannot be applied at all. 26 18.6 

17. If you used Dictogram before, do you think it needs much time to be 

applied? 

According to Table 4.17, most teachers responded that Dictogram 

implementation needs a long time with a percentage of (96.9%). In 

comparison, a small percentage (3.1%) believed that it did not require 

excessive time. 

Table (4.17): Teachers' Opinion about Required Time to Apply 

Dictogram 

Teachers Responses Frequency Percentage 

Yes 132 96.9 

No 5 3.1 

4.3.2 Questionnaire Part 2 

Teachers' perspectives towards English writing teaching 

Table (4.18) shows teachers' perspectives towards teaching English writing; 

The standard deviations were low, the overall attitude towards teaching 

writing skills is positive with a percentage of (70.64%), and the highest mean 

was (4.25) for item number 1, which indicates the importance of teaching 

students writing skills. The second rank was for the importance of using 

strategies in the teaching process; this demonstrates that teachers like to use 

methods and strategies to provide students with the best practices to improve 

students’ skills 



59 

On the other hand, the lowest mean was (2.58) for item number 6, which 

indicates that teachers' available time to teach students' English writing 

competencies is not sufficient. Not far from this mean came item number 9, 

with a mean of (2.83); this item presents that schools' current material is 

insufficient to enhance students' writing skills. 

Table (4.18): Teachers' Attitudes Towards English Writing Teaching 

Item 

M
ea

n
 

S
ta

n
d

a
rd

 

D
ev

ia
ti

o
n
 

%
 

O
rd

er
 

1. I think the development of writing skills 

in English Language is so essential. 
4.25 1.231 85% 1 

2. I find Learners devote effort to cope up 

with writing skills in the English 

Language. 

3.57 1.139 71% 6 

3. I experience many challenges in the 

teaching of writing skills. 
3.80 1.090 76% 3 

4. I think teaching strategies are essential 

for improving writing skills. 
4.11 1.087 82% 2 

5. I believe School Library plays a vital role 

in improving students writing skills. 
3.33 1.182 67% 7 

6. I think School written expression 

sessions are enough to improve students' 

writing. 

2.58 .884 52% 10 

7. I receive periodically teaching training 

courses by experienced experts in the 

field of teaching. 

3.09 1.164 62% 8 

8. I think the current teaching written 

expression program is sufficient to 

improve students' writing skill 

2.83 1.028 57% 9 

9. I think the level of students' writing 

could be improved. 
3.70 .962 74% 4 

10. I am Keeping up with the field through 

regular reading and conference or 

workshop attendance. 

3.58 .870 72% 5 

Teachers' attitudes towards English 

Writing Teaching 
3.532 0.724 70.64% Positive 

 



60 

Table (4.19): Teachers' Attitudes Towards Dictogram 

Item 

M
ea

n
 

S
ta

n
d

a
rd

 

D
ev

ia
ti

o
n
 

%
 

O
rd

er
 

1. I believe Dictogram helps students to 

overcome their writing problems.  
3.85 1.091 77.00% 4 

2. I think Dictogram encourages discussion 

in an organized way. 
3.89 1.072 77.80% 2 

3. I think Dictogram encourages me to 

devote independent sessions to improve 

students' vocabulary. 

3.87 0.976 77.40% 3 

4. I find Dictogram a very useful teaching 

and learning strategy. 
3.72 0.95 74.40% 8 

5. I think the peer discussion process 

provides students with the ability to 

compete and improve. 

3.84 1.07 76.80% 5 

6. I think Dictogram promotes collaboration 

and interactions. 
3.75 1.039 75.00% 6 

7. I think Dictogram motivates students to 

engage through group working. 
3.94 1.023 78.80% 1 

8. I think Dictogram helps the students to be 

more confident. 
3.74 0.912 74.80% 7 

9. I find Textbooks are equipped with useful 

teaching materials that will improve 

students' language learning. 

2.86 1.126 57.20% 9 

Teachers' attitudes towards Dictogram / 

Dictogram 
3.75 .83382 74.95% Positive 

Table (4.19) reveals teachers' attitudes towards Dictogram; The standard 

deviations were low. The overall attitude towards the Dictogram strategy to 

enhance writing skills is positive, with a percentage of (74.95%). The highest 

mean was (3.94) for item number 7, which indicates one benefit of 

Dictogram, which is the group working, that reveals that teachers would use 

Dictogram for such benefit. The following item was number 2 with a mean 

of (3.89), which indicates the organization manner of Dictogram while 

teaching English. The other responses are close to each other, which reflect 



61 

the teachers' believes in Dictogram. These benefits are the primary 

motivations for teachers to use Dictogram as a teaching strategy. 

On the contrary, the lowest mean was (2.86) for item number 9, which 

indicates that the current textbooks are not equipped with useful teaching 

methods that help teachers to improve students writing skills. 

4.3.3 The result of the first hypothesis 

1. There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of Teachers' perceptions towards English writing teaching due 

to gender, years of experience, and qualifications.  

There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of Teachers' attitudes towards English writing teaching due 

to gender. 

Table (4.20):  The Results of the Mann-Whitney Test for the Differences 

of the Teachers' Perceptions due to Gender Variable 

Gender N Mean Rank Z Value Significance 

Male 70 84.08 
-.739 0.460 

Female 91 78.63 

From the table above, we can see that the significance value is 0.460, which 

is higher than 0.05, which means that we accept the hypothesis that there are 

no significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in the degree of teachers' 

attitudes towards English writing teaching due to gender. 



62 

There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of Teachers' attitudes towards English writing teaching due 

to age. 

Table (4.21): The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Differences 

of the Teachers' Perceptions due to Age variable 

Age N Mean Rank Kruskal-Wallis Significance 

Less Than 30 65 83.71 

4.161 .125 Between 30-45 76 74.44 

More than 45 20 97.13 

From the table above, we can see that the significance value is 0.125, which 

is higher than 0.05, which means that we accept the hypothesis that there are 

no significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in the degree of Teachers' 

attitudes towards English writing teaching in terms of ages. 

There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of teachers' attitudes towards English writing teaching due 

to qualifications.  

Table (4.22): The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Differences 

of the Teachers' Perceptions in terms of Qualification Variable 

Qualification N Mean Rank Kruskal-Wallis Significance 

Diploma 5 28.00 

9.488 0.009 B.A. 106 86.92 

Graduate Studies 50 73.74 

From the table above, we can see that the significance value is 0.009, which 

is lower than 0.05, which means that we reject the hypothesis that there are 

no significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in the degree of teachers' 

attitudes towards English writing teaching due to qualification. The 



63 

difference goes for the B.A. holders, since they have the highest mean among 

the other degrees (86.92), followed by Graduate studies (73.74), and finally 

the Diploma degree (28.00). 

There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of teachers' attitudes towards English writing teaching in 

terms of years of experience.  

Table (4.23):  The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Differences 

of the Teachers' Perceptions in terms of Years of Experience Variable 

Years of Experience N Mean Rank Kruskal-Wallis Significance 

Less than 5 70 81.62 
12.342 

 

0.002 

 
5 -10 Years 20 48.38 

More than 10 Years 71 89.58 

From the table above, we can see that the significance value is 0.002, which 

is lower than 0.05, which means that we reject the hypothesis that there are 

no significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) due to years of experience. 

The difference goes for the teachers who have more than 10 years of 

experience, since they have the highest mean among the other degrees 

(86.58), followed by teachers with less than 5 years of experience (81.62), 

and finally the teachers with experience between 5 and 10 years (48.38). 

There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of Teachers' attitudes towards English writing teaching duo 

to the grade teaching level. 

  



64 

Table (4.24): The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Differences 

of the Teachers' Perceptions in terms of Grade Teaching Level Variable 

Teaching Level N Mean Rank Kruskal-Wallis Significance 

Grade 1 to 4 45 88.21 

25.694 0.000 Grade 5 to 10 86 65.70 

Grade 11 to 12 30 114.05 

From the above table, we can see that the significance value is 0.000, which 

is less than 0.05. We reject the hypothesis that there are no statistically 

significant differences at (α ≤ 0.05) due to the teaching grade level. The 

difference applies to teachers who teach grades 11 to 12 because they have 

the highest mean (114.05), followed by teachers who teach grades 1 to 5 

(88.02), and finally, teachers who teach grades 5 to 10 with the mean (65.70). 

There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of Teachers' attitudes towards English writing teaching due 

to the number of training courses.  

From table 4.24, we can see that the significance value is 0.172, which is 

higher than 0.05, which means that we accept the hypothesis that there are 

no significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in the degree of Teachers' 

attitudes towards English writing teaching due to the number of training 

courses. 

Table (4.25): The Results of the Mann-Whitney Test for the Differences 

of the Teachers' Perceptions due to the Number of Training Courses 

Training Courses N Mean Rank Z Value Significance 

Less than 2 40 89.69 
-1.367 0.172 

2 or more 121 78.13 

 



65 

4.3.4The result of the second hypothesis 

There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of Teachers' perceptions towards the Dictogram strategy in 

terms of sex, years of experience, and qualifications.  

There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of Teachers' attitudes towards the Dictogram strategy in 

terms of gender. 

Table (4.26): The Results of the Mann-Whitney Test for the Differences 

of the Teachers' Perceptions in terms of Gender Variable 

Gender N Mean Rank Z Value Significance 

Male 70 74.71 
-1.507 0.132 

Female 91 85.84 

From the table above, we can see that the significance value is 0.132, which 

is higher than 0.05, which means that we accept the hypothesis that there are 

no significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in the degree of Teachers' 

attitudes towards using Dictogloss strategy for teaching writing in terms of 

gender. 

There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of Teachers' attitudes towards the Dictogram strategy in 

terms of years of experience. 

Table (4.27): The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Differences 

of the Teachers' Perceptions in terms of Age Variable 

Age N Mean Rank Kruskal-Wallis Significance 

Less Than 30 65 73.27 

3.709 0.157 Between 30-45 76 84.21 

More than 45 20 93.93 



66 

From the table above, we can see that the significance value is 0.157, which 

is higher than 0.05, which means that we accept the hypothesis that there are 

no significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in the degree of Teachers' 

attitudes towards the Dictogloss strategy in terms of ages. 

There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of Teachers' attitudes towards the Dictogloss strategy in 

terms of qualifications.  

Table (4.28): The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Differences 

of the Teachers' Perceptions in terms of Qualification Variable 

Qualification N Mean Rank Kruskal-Wallis Significance 

Diploma 5 12.50 

17.419 0.000 B.A. 106 89.56 

Graduate Studies 50 69.70 

From the table above, we can see that the significance value is 0.000, which 

is lower than 0.05, which means that we reject the hypothesis that there are 

no significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in the degree of Teachers' 

attitudes towards English writing teaching due to qualification. The 

difference goes for the B.A. holders, since they have the highest mean among 

the other degrees (89.56), followed by Graduate studies (69.70), and finally 

the Diploma degree (12.50). 

There are no statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) in 

the degree of Teachers' attitudes towards the Dictogloss strategy in 

terms of years of experience.  

  



67 

Table (4.29): The Results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Differences 

of the Teachers' Perceptions in terms of Years of Experience Variable 

Years of Experience N Mean Rank Kruskal-Wallis Significance 

Less than 5 70 80.09 

8.925 0.012 5 -10 Years 20 54.35 

More than 10 Years 71 89.40 

From the table above, we can see that the significance value is 0.012, which 

is lower than 0.05, which means that we reject the hypothesis that there are 

no significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) due to years of experience. 

The difference goes for the teachers who have more than 10 years of 

experience, since they have the highest mean among the other degrees 

(89.40), followed by teachers with less than 5 y