USING MIND MAPS IN THE PRE WRITING STAGE TO IMPROVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ WRITING SKILLS

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
VINH UNIVERSITY

TRAN THI THU HIEN

USING MIND MAPS IN THE PRE-WRITING STAGE TO
IMPROVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ WRITING SKILLS

MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION

Vinh, 2017


MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
VINH UNIVERSITY

TRAN THI THU HIEN

USING MIND MAPS IN THE PRE-WRITING STAGE TO
IMPROVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ WRITING SKILLS

Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION

Supervisor: Assoc.Prof.Dr. NGƠ ĐÌNH PHƯƠNG


STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
I certify that the thesis entitled “Using mind maps in the pre-writing stage to

improve high school students’ writing skills” is my own work, and that the thesis has
not been submitted to any university or institution.
Vinh, June 2017
Author’s
signature:


Tran Thi Thu Hien

l
ABSTRACT
Writing still presents a big challenge for the majority of students at high schools.
As teachers, we feel the responsibility to find new ways to improve this skill among
other skills. Teachers, in the process of teaching writing need strategies that can attract
the students' interest and render the task of writing more enjoyable. To this end, Mind
Mapping, a technique developed by Tony Buzan (1960s), has proved to be a promising
instrument for the teacher and the learner alike. The principal objective of the research
was making an effort to investigate the impact of applying Mind Mapping technique as
a pre-writing tool on enhancement of high school learners’ writing ability. To do so, 30


high school learners at the same level were divided into two experimental and control
groups. Prior to treatment, participants of the both groups were given a pretest in order
to ensure comparability of their writing skill. Having introduced the mind mapping
technique to members of the experimental group and finished the treatment period, a
posttest was administered to measure the effect of the intervention. During the treatment
period, participants were instructed how to make mind maps work in generating ideas,
connecting them by the use of codes, colors and images and finally creating a wellorganized piece of writing. The results showed that the experimental group
outperformed the control one.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am fully aware that this thesis cannot be finished without other people’s help.
In this opportunity, I would like to thank all of those who have supported and guided me
in the process of writing this thesis.
Firstly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Ngo
Dinh Phuong, for his support, valuable criticism, guidance, and encouragement.
I am also grateful to my colleagues and students of K71 A1 and K71 D3 at Phan
Dinh Phung high school without whom I was not able to finish the study.
My thanks go to my beloved family and friends to whom I feel indebted for their
giving me strength and motivation to fulfill this thesis.
Finally, I hope that this thesis will be useful for the readers although it is still far
from being perfect. Therefore, I greatly appreciate any criticisms, ideas, and suggestions
for the improvement of this thesis.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.2

6

Page


1.2.1

Definition

1.2.2............................................................................................................ 9
4.1

7


4.2 The result from the eight topics on organization and idea
development

38

4.2.1
The comparison between the average score of eight sessions for both
groups... 39
4.2.2

The comparison between the average score of the first session and the

average of
1.2.3.................................................................................................................................
1.2.4...............................................................................................................
1.2.5
Table 4.13 The differences between the four initial
sessions’ score and the

1.2.6................................................................................................................

8


1.2.7................................................................................................................
1.2.8

1.2.9
1.2.10 Figure 4.1 The first and the last sessions mean's score for both
groups on organization

1.2.11..........................................................................................................................
45

1.2.12 Figure 4.2 The first and the last sessions mean's score for both groups on idea
1.2.13..........................................................................................................................
1.2.14...............................................................................................................................
1.2.15 ESL: English as a Second
Language EFL: English as a Foreign
Language CLT: Communicative
Language Teaching ELLs: English
language learners L1: First Language
L2: Second Language P: Participant S:
Session
1.2.16 E.G:
Experimental Group
C.G: Control Group


1.2.17

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
1.2.18 This chapter is written with the purpose of giving the rationale, objectives
of the study, the research questions, the significance of the study, the scope of the study,
an overview of research methodology and finally introducing the outline of the thesis.

1.1 Rationale
1.2.19 English is the fourth most widely spoken native language in the world,
and in terms of sheer number of speakers, it is the most spoken official language in the
world. It is the primary language used in international affairs. The English language has
official status even in nations where it is not the primary spoken language. English is
indisputably the primary language of global trade and commerce. In many countries,
most tourism authorities and other officials in contact with the public speak English to
interact and engage with tourists and immigrants. Knowing English opens job and
employment opportunities in many countries and markets. Therefore, the necessity for
learning and mastering its different skills and sub-skills is deeply felt.
1.2.20 However, one of its most essential and challenging components is writing
which is found a complex, boring, and devastating task by most EFL/ESL learners.
Writing is a difficult skill to acquire in the writers' native languages and apparently the
difficulty gets huger as far as the second or foreign languages are concerned.
1.2.21 One of the major problems of learners is getting started while having the
thoughts and ideas in their minds well-organized and developed. Although in order to
create a rich piece of writing, lexical, mechanical, and organizational aspects should be
taken into account and work simultaneously, some EFL learners stick to the first two at
the expense of the organizational part. Such a thing ends in losing track of what they
have in mind regarding the topic they are supposed to write about. Obviously, a
cluttered and poorly-organized piece of writing leads to losing the message that the
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learner intends to impart to the reader. According to Byrd (2011) unfortunately most
students do not take the time to form and organize their ideas in an L2 writing project,
rather they simply aim for the final product, thinking that one draft is enough.
1.2.22 The inability of EFL learners to organize their ideas and thoughts is
sometimes due to lack of their knowledge about different techniques in this respect

which can be applied during the pre-writing process. Consequently, looking for a
technique to make writing a fascinating and interesting experience for EFL learners and
to improve their ability to write well, specifically with regard to the organizational
aspect, is heavily required. One technique which can be used in this respect is mindmapping. Mc. Griff (cited in Al Naqbi, 2011) states mind maps are an excellent way to
help learners organize knowledge, to empower themselves to better comprehend the key
concepts and principles in lectures, readings, or other instructional materials. It is seen
as a powerful tool to help students overcome problems with their writing skills.
Therefore, by mastering this technique, learners can have the ability to create and
organize their ideas and thoughts, to write more smoothly with higher accuracy. If you
just start writing paragraphs, it is easy to forget the main idea you presented in the
introduction whilst filling out details of supporting paragraphs. But if you have a mind
map to refer back, you can quickly and easily check the relevancy of what you are
typing (Fotheringham, 2012).
1.2.23 For high school students, developing strong writing skills not only helps
their high school grades and final examination results, but also prepares them for their
academic and professional futures. Whether writing essays, taking notes or applying for
scholarships, high school students must learn to develop their ideas and proofread their
written work before sharing it. Hence, it can be assumed that writing skill is one of the
most important skills in the teaching of English in high schools.
1.2.24 As a teacher of Phan Dinh Phung high school, from my observation and
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my own teaching experience, it is true that students have many difficulties in their
writing lessons. And what troubles them most is how to start, how to organise and
develop the ideas. Consequently, writing tasks are found to be struggling and boring.
Therefore, one of the challenges to the teacher is to find out the answer to the question
“How to make students of English get involved actively and effectively in writing
lessons?”

1.2.25 For the above-mentioned reasons, the author aims at conducting the study
entitled “Using mind maps in the pre-writing stage to improve high school students’
writing skills”
1.2 Aims of the study
1.2.26 The purpose of this research is to investigate if using mind maps in the
prewriting phase helps to improve high school students' writing ability.
1.3 Research questions
1.2.27 In order to meet the aim of the study, the following research questions are
generated:
-

Does the use of mind maps improve EFL learners’ organizational skill in writing?

-

Does the use of mind maps enhance EFL learners’ ability of developing ideas?

1.4 Scope of the study
1.2.28 Among many strategies to improve writing skill for EFL learners,
mindmapping is considered to be one of the most important ones. This study is
concerned with the effectiveness of mind maps in pre-writing phase on enhancing high
school students’ writing skills. Only two aspects were examined: organization and idea
development.
1.5 Methods of the study
1.2.29 The main method used in the study was experimental method. Two groups
of high students in Phan Dinh Phung high school involved in experimental process. All

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comments, remarks, recommendations and conclusion were based on the data analysis.
The combination of different instruments used in this study helped to gain reliable data,
from which the researcher could have a closer look on how mind maps affect high
school learners’writing skills.
1.6 Design of the thesis
1.2.30The thesis consists of the following parts:
1.2.31 Chapter 1: Introduction
1.2.32This part introduce the issues leading to the study, including rationale,
aims, methods, scope, and organization of the study.
1.2.33 Chapter 2: Literature review
1.2.34This chapter provides theoretical background relevant to the topic such as
the definition of mind mapping and pre-writing, stages in a writing lesson, the
importance of pre-writing, common types of mind maps and its roles in improving
writing skills. Chapter 3: Research methodology
1.2.35 This part presents the study and these include, research questions, participants,
material, procedures and results.
1.2.36 Chapter 4: Data analysis and discussion
1.2.37 This chapter presents their analysis and interpretation.
1.2.38 Chapter 5: Conclusion
1.2.39Main points and contents of the study are summarized based on the results
of the study. The implication of the study and the recommendation for further research
will be presented.
1.2.40

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW
1.2.41 This chapter discusses the review of related theories underlying this
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research. The discussion covers the basic concept of pre-writing, the importance of
prewriting, and pre-writing strategies. The next part of the chapter includes a brief
description of mindmapping, some common types of mind maps, how to make a mind
map and its roles in improving the writing skills.
2.1.

Writing

2.1.1.

Definition

1.2.42 Writing is an activity of exploring opinions and ideas into words. It
includes the organization of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences into coherent and
cohesive paragraphs and texts. There is no doubt that writing is the most difficult skill
for all language users: foreign, second, and even for first language. Writing needs a well
preparation and a lot of practices. According to Richards (2002: 309), written language
is complex at the level of the clause. Writing consists of many constituent parts: content,
organization, originality, style, fluency, accuracy, or using appropriate rhetorical forms
of discourse.
1.2.43 In relation to writing, Brown (2001: 335) states that writing makes the
product through thinking, drafting, and revising. It means that in producing written
language, the writer should follow those steps to produce a final product.
1.2.44 Writing is a skill that needs a process so that ideas that have been
possessed can be expressed through writing. It needs in teaching-learning process to
made the teaching-learning process can be done well. Certainly, writing in English is not
easy. Expressing ideas is not enough, because the ideas still have to be told in English.

For that reason, a technique that can support the learning process is needed.
2.1.2.

Writing Skills

1.2.45 Heaton (1975: 135) states a view that the writing skills are complex and
sometimes difficult to teach, requiring mastery not only of grammatical and rhetorical
devices but also of conceptual and judgmental elements. The varied skills are grouped
into five general components or main areas. They are:
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1) Language use: the ability to write correct and appropriate sentences.
2) Mechanical skills: the ability to use correctly those conventions peculiar to the
written language - e.g. punctuation, spelling.
3) Treatment of content: the ability to think creatively and develop thoughts,
excluding all irrelevant information.
4) Stylistic skills: the ability to manipulate sentences and paragraphs, and use
language effectively.
5) Judgment skills: the ability to write in an appropriate manner for a particular
purpose with a particular audience in mind, together with an ability to select,
organize and order relevant information.
1.2.46 Matthews, et al. (1985: 71) states that writing skills have several specific
skills which are grouped under five headings; they are graphical or visual skills,
grammatical skills, expressive or stylistic skills, rhetoric skills, and organisational skills.
Details of each heading are as follows:
1) Graphical or Visual Skills. Under this first heading, graphical or visual skills,
there are sub-headings, i.e. writing graphemes, spelling, punctuation and
capitalization, and format.

* Writing graphemes is the use of letters of the alphabet, in upper or lower case as
appropriate, joined in the standard way. This skill is especially difficult for
students whose first language is written in a different alphabet.
* Spelling. As a result of the first language interferes, students may apply the
phonetic conventions of their native language to spelling English words.
* Punctuation and capitalization. Here students’ attention needs to be drawn to the
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fact that conventions differ from language to language.
* Format, such as the layout of a letter, or memo. Again these differ from one
language to another.
2) Grammatical skills refer to the students’ ability to use a variety of sentence
patterns and constructions.
3) Expressive or stylistic skills refer to the students’ ability to express precise
meanings in a variety of styles or registers. In order to do this, they will not only
have to be able to select appropriate vocabulary, but also appropriate sentence
patterns and structures for the written medium.
4) Rhetorical skills is the students’ ability to use linguistic cohesion devices such as
connectives, reference words, ellipsis, and so on, in order to link parts of a text
into logically related sequences.
5) Organisational skills are similar to those involved in rhetorical skills above, but
here they concern with the organisation of a piece of information into paragraphs
and texts. This involves the sequencing of ideas as well as the students’ ability to
reject irrelevant information and summarize relevant points.
1.2.47 Another classification is suggested by Brown (2001: 343) which identifies
and enumerates micro skills of writing as follows: (1) producing graphemes and
orthographic patterns of English; (2) producing writing at an efficient rate of speed to
suit the purpose; (3) producing an acceptable core of words and using appropriate word

order patterns; (4) using acceptable grammatical systems (e.g., tense, agreement,
pluralisation), patterns, and rules; (5) expressing a particular meaning in different
grammatical forms; (6) using cohesive devices in written discourse; (7) using the
rhetorical forms and conventions of written discourse; (8) appropriately accomplishing

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the communicative functions of written texts according to form and purpose; (9)
conveying links and connections between events and communicate such relations as
main idea, supporting idea, new information, given information, generalization, and
exemplification; distinguish between literal and implied meaning when writing; (10)
correctly conveying culturally specific references in the context of the written text;
develop and use a battery of writing strategies, such as accurately assessing the
audience’s interpretation, using prewriting devices, writing with fluency in the first
drafts, using paraphrases and synonyms, soliciting peer and instructor feedback, and
using feedback for revising and editing.
1.2.48 So, it can be concluded that writing is the act of expressing ideas or
thoughts in communication using graphic symbols which are arranged based on certain
rules and conventions. The rules and conventions are concerning with the aspects of
content, organization, word choice, language use, and mechanics. Aspect of content is
talking about the ability to think creatively and develop thoughts, excluding all
irrelevant information. Organization is the logical order of sentences presented so that
the arrangement of the sentences makes sense; it involves unity and coherence.
Vocabulary is the ability to choose and use wide range of proper words, and idioms.
Language use is the ability to apply sentence structure and other grammatical features.
1.2.49 Mechanical aspect is related with the ability to use correctly those conventions
peculiar to the written language, counting punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.

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2.2.

Pr

e-writing
2.2.1.
Definitio
n
1.2.50

Pre-writing is the first stage of the writing process, typically

followed by drafting, revision, editing and publishing.
1.2.51

"Prewriting is the 'getting ready to write' stage. The traditional

notion that writers have a topic completely thought out and ready to flow onto the page
is ridiculous. Writers begin tentatively-talking, reading, brainstorming-to see what they
know and in what direction they want to go."
1.2.52

(Gail Tompkins, Rod Campbell, and David Green, Literacy for the

21st Century. Pearson Australia, 2010)
1.2.53

In composition, the term prewriting refers to any activity that helps

a writer think about a topic, determine a purpose, analyze an audience, and prepare to
write. Prewriting is closely related to the art of invention in classical rhetoric.
1.2.54

"The objective of prewriting," according to Roger Caswell and

Brenda Mahler, "is to prepare students for writing by allowing them to discover what
they know and what else they need to know.
1.2.55

Prewriting invites exploration and promotes the motivation to

write" (Strategies for Teaching Writing, 2004).
1.2.56

"Prewriting involves anything you do to help yourself decide what

your central idea is or what details, examples, reasons, or content you will include.
Freewriting, brainstorming, and clustering/ mindmapping . . . are types of prewriting.

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Thinking, talking to other people, reading related material, outlining or organizing
ideas-all are forms of prewriting. Obviously, you can prewrite at any time in the writing
process. Whenever you want to think up new material, simply stop what you are doing

and start using one of these techniques . . .."
1.2.57 (Stephen McDonald and William Salomone, The Writer's Response, 5th
ed. Wadsworth, 2012)
1.2.58 "Prewriting plans are not carved in stone; they are simply tools for
generating and organizing ideas. Writers frequently change their minds as they write,
eliminating some details, adding and changing others. That's why some writers say that
'prewriting' is a misnomer; they return to their plans over and over during all stages of
the writing process, often revising and adjusting the plans as they go."
1.2.59 ( Lori Jamison Rog, Marvelous Mini-essons for Teaching Intermediate
Writing. International Reading Association, 2011)
2.2.2.

The importance of pre-writing.

1.2.60 Pre-writing consists of four main steps: choosing a topic, considering a
purpose, identifying the audience, and gathering and organizing ideas (Elbow, 1998).
Effective prewriting makes the rest of the writing process easier and less stressful.
1.2.61

The more time and effort you put into prewriting, the less time you

will have to spend on the rest of the writing process. If you develop a plan before you
start writing, your writing will start with a purpose and a structure. You won't slog your
way through an agonizing complete draft and then realize that your topic isn't fleshed
out, you have no purpose, and you dislike your stance. When you prewrite, you can
create a projection of your final project before you even start. "At a glance, you can see
where you're heading, and if you don't like it, you can change it in the prewriting stage,
before you've invested a lot of time and effort" (Raimes, 1983).

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1.2.62 The benefits of prewriting are not limited to the English classroom, or
even to writing. Prewriting teaches organizational skills. It teaches students how to
apply thinking, planning, and organizing skills to other learning tasks. Acquiring these
skills reduces anxiety, not only from writing, but from all testing in general. Getting in
the habit of using prewriting activities changes the way people approach a project of any
sort, whether it be a research paper, an engineering project, or even an art project (you
brainstorm ideas, select an appropriate form, research technique, and create an outline,
or visual plan, before you start on the final product).
1.2.63 Prewriting is one of the most important parts of submitting a successful
piece of writing. However, there are so many high school students who do not take the
proper amount of time to pre-write their essays. As a result, many students become
disappointed when their grades are not what they are expecting for. Whether many
students are lazy or just do not know how to pre-write, it is always important to prewrite
your work.
1.2.64 When students take time to prewrite their essays, it helps them to form
more coherent and well-developed thoughts. When you are writing an essay, many
professors will look for thought fluency and development of paragraphs. The prewriting
will allow students to take time and think about what they want to write and say about
the topic. It also allows them to plan out how many sentences each paragraph should
approximately be.
1.2.65 There are many students who have trouble starting their essays and
developing a fully articulated thesis statement. Well, any type of prewriting exercise will
help students brainstorm their introductions and thesis statement. The thesis statement is
perhaps one of the most important parts of the essay because it tells the reader exactly
what the essay will explain, show, and prove. Therefore, it is important to take time and

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think about the thesis statement. Prewriting will allow students time to do so.
1.2.66 Another important aspect of pre-writing is the notion of organization.
When students prewrite, it gives them the opportunity to organize all of their
paragraphs. Furthermore, it gives them the opportunity to decide how they want to lay
out their ideas and the order that their ideas should appear. Prewriting will help students
determine what belongs in their paragraphs and what does not.
1.2.67 There are many students who suffer from writer’s block. When students
take the time to pre-write, it can actually help break the block because pre-writing
allows the thoughts to flow out freely. When students take the time to pre-write, many
will notice that they do not struggle with their official essays as much. Therefore, it is
important to pre-write all essays and important to find the type of pre-writing that is
most suitable for each individual student.
1.2.68 Prewriting can also prevent errors. When students do prewriting, it can
prevent grammatical and mechanical errors in their final drafts. It is important that all
essay are free of these errors, and pre-writing will help with that. When students do not
prewrite and just attempts to start writing the essay, they only focus on trying to stay
organized and on topic; therefore, they do not stay fully focused on their grammar and
mechanics. Therefore, when students prewrite, they have an idea of what to write for
their essays, which means they can focus on grammar and mechanics much more.
2.2.3.

Prewriting techniques
1.2.69 Pre-writing strategies use writing to generate and clarify
ideas. While many writers have traditionally created outlines
before beginning writing, there are other possible prewriting
activities. Five useful strategies are brainstorming, clustering,
free writing, looping, and journalists' questions.

1.2.70

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1.2.1

1.2.71
1.2.72 Brainstorming, also called listing, is a process of generating a lot of information
within a short time by building on the association of previous terms you have
mentioned.
•

Jot down all the possible terms that emerge from the general topic you are
thinking about. This procedure works especially well if you work in a team. All
team members can generate ideas, with one member acting as scribe. Don't worry
about editing or throwing out what might not be a good idea. Simply write down
a lot of possibilities.

•

Group the items that you have listed according to arrangements that make sense
to you.

•

Give each group a label. Now you have a topic with possible points of
development.

•

Write a sentence about the label you have given the group of ideas. Now you

have a topic sentence or possibly a thesis statement.
1.2.73 Mindmapping/Clustering

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1.2.75 Clustering is also called mind mapping or idea mapping. It is a strategy that
allows you to explore the relationships between ideas.
•

Put the subject in the center of a page. Circle or underline it.

•

As you think of other ideas, link the new ideas to the central circle with lines.

•

As you think of ideas that relate to the new ideas, add to those in the same way.

1.2.76

The result will look like a web on your page. Locate clusters of interest to

you, and use the terms you attached to the key ideas as departure points for your paper.
1.2.77

Clustering is especially useful in determining the relationship between

ideas. You will be able to distinguish how the ideas fit together, especially where there is
an abundance of ideas. Clustering your ideas lets you see them visually in a different
way, so that you can more readily understand possible directions your paper may take.
1.2.78 Freewriting

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1.2.2

1.2.79

1.2.80 Free-writing is a process of generating a lot of information by writing
non-stop. It allows you to focus on a specific topic, but forces you to write so quickly
that you are unable to edit any of your ideas.
•

Free-write on the assignment or general topic for several 5-10 minutes non-stop.
Force yourself to continue writing even if nothing specific comes to mind. This
free- writing will include many ideas; at this point, generating ideas is what is
important, not the grammar or the spelling.

•

After you've finished free-writing, look back over what you have written and
highlight the most prominent and interesting ideas; then you can begin all over
again, with a tighter focus. You will narrow your topic and, in the process, you

will generate several relevant points about the topic.
1.2.81 Looping

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1.2.3

1.2.82

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