Enhancing argumentative essay writing through questioning strategies: A study on informatics engineering students in ESP context

Abstract

This study examines the effect of the Questioning Strategy on the argumentative writing abilities of informatics engineering students. A true experimental design was used, involving 92 undergraduate students divided equally into an experimental group (n = 46), which received instruction using the Questioning Strategy, and a control group (n = 46), which followed conventional guided-writing instruction. Both groups completed pre-tests and post-tests, and their essays were evaluated using the Jacobs et al. (1981) writing scoring rubric. Descriptive statistics indicated that the experimental group’s post-test scores ranged from 55 to 96, with a mean of 75.11 (SD = 10.27), while the control group’s scores ranged from 51 to 83, with a mean of 66.63 (SD = 8.14). Tests for normality and homogeneity of variances confirmed the data met parametric assumptions. An independent samples t-test showed a significant difference between groups (t(90) = -4.298, p < .001), with the experimental group outperforming the control group by an average of 8.37 points. These results suggest that the Questioning Strategy significantly improves students’ critical thinking, organization, and argumentative writing skills. The study highlights the importance of incorporating active, inquiry-based teaching methods in ESP writing instruction, particularly for technical disciplines. Limitations include sample size and reliance on quantitative data, indicating a need for future research involving qualitative approaches and larger samples.