Exploring EFL Teachers’ Strategy-based Instruction in Writing: The case of First-year Students at Naama University

Abstract

This doctoral thesis explores the instructional methods used by EFL writing instructors who teach first-year university students at NaamaUniversity, Algeria. The research adopts an exploratory case study approach within a convergent mixed-methods design to thoroughly examine teaching practices and provide a comprehensive analysis of the educational setting. Data collection involved a variety of tools: a questionnaire directed at teachers of other modular courses, learners' questionnaire, semi-structured interviews with writing instructors, and classroom observations, along with document analysis specifically conducted with writing teachers due to their essential role in planning and implementing writing instruction. The results highlight a significant disparity between the beliefs expressed by teachers and their actual classroom practices, which are largely teacher centered and focused on sentence-level instruction, lacking a systematic application of effective teaching strategies. This research offers important insights and practical recommendations aimed at improving teacher training and fostering better collaboration among instructors of different modules within the English department, ultimately enhancing the quality of writing instruction in higher education contexts