Incorporating electronic dialogue journal writing in an Armenian EFL classroom: action research

Abstract

Dialogue journal writing (DJW) has gained popularity and has proven its effectiveness in EFL classrooms worldwide. Dozens of research studies have been carried out to study the functionality of this writing tool in teaching foreign languages throughout the world. However, there is little evidence of DJW implementation in the Armenian educational setting. The current study adopted an action research approach to investigate the potential and limitations of DJW implementation in a high school in the Lori region and find out the attitudes of key stakeholders towards it. The study addresses such facets as improving students' writing and creating an authentic platform for genuine written communication by integrating DJW. The participants of the research were 10th-grade students and their EFL teacher. Within the action research framework, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data. The qualitative data were collected through teacher interviews, dialogue journals, and field notes, while the quantitative data were gathered through pre-and post-study essays and student surveys. The results of the study provided insights into the potential of DJW implementation and supported the use of dialogue journal writing in developing students’ writing. DJW appeared to be a practical writing tool for improving grammar in an authentic context and offered a flexible opportunity for the teacher to engage students in a process-oriented interactive writing practice. The results also revealed the participants' positive attitudes towards the method.