Integrating instruction approach with learners' cognitive style to enhance EFL indonesian students' writing achievement

Abstract

This research was conducted to find the interactive influence between the teaching approach of writing and the type of cognitive style of students to the improvement of students writing ability. There are three teaching approaches applied in this research: product oriented, process oriented and multidimensional approach. Student cognitive style as a moderator variable is divided into three types: Field Independence (FI), Neutral (N) and Field Dependent (FD) cognitive style. The study yielded three findings. First, students who have FI cognitive style experience improved writing skills when they are given product-oriented writing teaching. Students who have N cognitive style have an increased ability to write higher if they are given multidimensional-oriented writing teaching. Students who have FD cognitive style have high writing skills if they are given process oriented writing teaching. In general, the study recommends the writing teachers use multidimensional-oriented teaching. Researchers also recommend to TEFL practitioners to consider students' cognitive style as one of the learning condition variables. These considerations should be used as a basis for determining teaching methods that are appropriate to the needs of students to produce student optimum achievement.