Developing Expressive Skills through Non–Linear Thinking Tasks: An Exploratory Study

EFL learners face dual challenges in writing sessions due to inadequate writing skills and the inability to generate and organize ideas as expected by the instructor. Differences in cultural backgrounds too act as hindrances and prevent them from thinking in a uni-directional way. Thus, a good number of learners show disinterest in writing sessions. Therefore, it becomes imperative to encourage learners to think differently from peers and acknowledge their efforts. The study adopted an exploratory sequential method to find the impact of non-linear/multiple-solution tasks on the expressive writing skills of learners. The sample comprised 39 students pursuing the first level of an undergraduate course at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University. This study went through two stages of data analysis, first: Performance Evaluation, based on a four-level assessment process. The performance indicators were: fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. Second, a questionnaire was distributed to the participants after the fourth intervention to measure four indicators of motivation: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. The results showed a significant relationship between divergent thinking, motivation, autonomy, and expressive writing skills. Based on the results of the present study, it can be suggested to give adequate importance to divergent thinking to develop expressive writing skills in students.