Enhancing Argumentative Essay Structure and Quality through a Collaborative Argumentation Environment in University EFL Students

Abstract

Previous research has highlighted significant challenges faced by university-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in their argumentative essay writing. In this study, a collaborative argumentation environment was adopted where students could collectively generate and refine writing ideas before composing their argumentative essays. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to examine the impact of this environment on the EFL university students’ argumentative writing performance in terms of structure and quality. Two groups of students participated: A control group (n=30) exposed to a face-to-face discussion environment, and an experimental group (n=25) using the collaborative argumentation environment. Both groups underwent pre- and post-study evaluations of their argumentative essays. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the two learning environments when it came to improving argumentative essay structure and claims for both groups. In terms of grounds and rebuttals, the experimental group outperformed the control group (P< 0.05).