L2 Writer's Attitudes to Outlines in a First-Year University Writing Course in the UAEâ¿¿

This paper will discuss research findings that examine second language writersâ¿¿ (L2) attitudes towards producing outlines to prepare for an essay task. A mixed-method study was conducted with 49 undergraduate students in three different classes taking an English Composition 2 course at a university in the UAE. To establish a baseline measurement, participants completed surveys and participated in focus group interviews asking them their opinions about doing outlines at the beginning of the course. After the initial survey and interviews, Group 1 was asked to complete a traditional print-based outline to prepare for an essay. Group 2 were asked to produce a multimodal (text, image, and video) outline on an app to help them prepare for the same essay. After completing their respective outlines, both groups responded to questionnaires and took part in focus-group interviews asking them their opinions about doing outlines. Although there wasnâ¿¿t a significant difference in attitudes between the traditional outline group and the multimodal group, both groups responded that outlining helped them better develop and organize their essays. These findings suggest L2 writers may believe there is a correlation between outlining and successful essay writing. Participants who completed multimodal outlines also responded favourably to learning new technologyâ¿¿implications that suggest technology can increase engagement in the learning process.