The effects of whatsapp in teaching narrative writing: A case study

Abstract

Purpose of the study: This study aims to identify the effects of WhatsApp in teaching narrative writing to Grade 6of primary school pupils in the aspect of vocabulary and grammar. Methodology: Eight pupils of Grade 6 from one primary school in Negeri Sembilan were involved and data were collected through document analysis, focus group interviews and field notes. Main Findings: The findings of the post-test revealed that the vocabulary aspect has significantly improved as 75% of the participants showed an increase of one and two marks while the aspect of grammar was not found to have any effect as only one participant who represented 12% of the participants showed slight improvement from 12 to 13 marks. Applications of this study: The findings of this study are hoped to shed some light on how the educators could manipulate the functions of mobile messaging apps in teaching English particularly the skill of writing. Novelty/Originality of study: The pupils’ motivation to learn narrative writing could be enhanced through the use of WhatsApp rather than writing conventionally using pencil and paper.