Integrating Divergent Assessment (DA) and Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in Argumentative Essay Writing Classrooms: An Experimental Study to Develop Iraqi EFL Learners’ Writing Skills

Abstract

The researchers delved into the practice of divergent assessment (DA) and participation in assessment while emphasizing task-based language learning (TBLT) as instruction in argumentative essay courses in an Iraqi EFL context. In doing so, they formed 3 classes, namely a traditional class, a DA exercise with a traditional class, and a TBLT exercise with a traditional class, to investigate the differences that such practices can induce in the writing quality of EFL learners. performance Post-test analysis and one-way ANOVA show that the CONV TBLT class (M = 3.97) significantly outperformed the CONV DA group (M = 2.98) in terms of better argumentative writing. This study shows how EFL learners respond to the integration of DA and TBLT with compliant writing instruction. The researchers used two parallel argumentative writing tasks before and after the DA and TBLT treatment. The results of the study rejected the researchers' null hypotheses, showing that both DA and TBLT were reliably effective in increasing Iraqi EFL students' argumentative essay excellence, with TBLT having a slightly higher neck than DA. The final result of the study clearly shows that the CONV TBLT group showed a significantly higher mean score than the CONV DA and CONV groups. The CONV DA group showed a significantly higher mean score than the CONV group.