Writing and Research course covering 14 skills through five broad aspects of learning

Design · All designs
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

The writing and research (WR) course is a required first-year course in the Saudi preparatory program culminating in a 3,500-5,000-word research paper. The instructor emphasized five broad aspects of learning, including "the requirement for cooperation, mutual support, and teamwork" and "the appropriate utilization of technology in order to find an answer." Through these five areas, 14 writing and research skills (Table 1) are covered, ranging from differentiating qualitative and quantitative research types to designing appropriate research tools. Student mastery was measured by a 20-question multiple-choice final exam checked for content validity by professionals in ESL and education.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• Students must complete the foundational preparatory year English language program or IELTS level 5.0 in writing before enrollment

Constraints

• The study was conducted on the women's campus only because education is gender segregated in Saudi Arabia

Target Learners

• female undergraduates ages 18-21 with Arabic as a first language in a Saudi preparatory year

Learning Goals

• academic research skills such as writing proposals, literature reviews, hypotheses, and APA-formatted papers

Claims

• Active learning students outperformed traditional-instruction students on each of the 14 individual writing and research skills, with an average 10.5-point higher score [+W]

Related Designs

Examples

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Key Sources

• Hamdan Alghamdi, A. K., & Deraney, P. (2018). Teaching Research Skills to Undergraduate Students Using an Active Learning Approach: A Proposed Model for Preparatory-Year Students in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 30(2), 184-194. http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	design
id	writing-and-research-course-14-skills-element
title	Writing and Research course covering 14 skills through five broad aspects of learning
description	The writing and research (WR) course is a required first-year course in the Saudi preparatory program culminating in a 3,500-5,000-word research paper.
status	review
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-11-03
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — hamdan-alghamdi-2018

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