National Research University Higher School of 

Economics Birhan, A.T. (2018). Effects of Mastery Learning Instruction on Engineering

Journal of Language & Education Volume 4, Issue 4, 2018 Students’ Writing Skills Development and Motivation. Journal of Language and
Education, 4(4), 20-30. https://doi.org/10.17323/2411-7390-2018-4-4-20-30

Effects of Mastery Learning

Instruction on Engineering
Students’ Writing Skills
Development and Motivation
Amare Tesfie Birhan
Bahir Dar Institute of Technology

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Amare Tesfie Birhan, Department of
English Language and Literature, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, P.O.Box 26. Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
E-mail: amaretesfie@gmail.com

This study was aimed to investigate the effects of mastery learning instruction on engineering
students’ academic writing skills and motivation in an EFL context. The participants were
software engineering and computer science first-year students, and they were selected using
a multistage sampling technique. Observation, a questionnaire, and pre- and post-tests were
employed as data gathering instruments. The research was designed through a time series
quasi-experimental research design. The data were analysed through repeated measure ANOVA,
independent t-tests, as well as descriptive statistics. The findings indicated that there was a
statistical difference between the experimental and the control groups. Hence, students who
participated in mastery learning instruction improved their writing skills and achieved better
scores in writing skills assessment. Particularly, learners who learned through mastery learning
instruction were able to develop paragraphs and essays with clear topic sentences and thesis
statements. They also developed paragraphs with proper punctuation and minimized various
mechanical errors that were observed during the pre-test. Furthermore, the students who
engaged in mastery learning instruction had better levels of motivation. Thus, individualized
instruction and continuous feedback helped them improve their engagement in writing
activities. Hence, this study calls for more attention to self-paced instruction, regular feedback,
assessment, and continuous support in writing classrooms.

Keywords: engineering students, mastery learning instruction, motivation, writing skills, zone
of proximity development

Writing skill is one of the most significant skills in Furthermore, Abiy (2013) and Alfaki (2015) stated
learning English as a second and foreign language. It is that post-secondary-level students and university
a fundamental language element that helps students students face morphological, syntax, and mechanical
improve their language competence, literacy, and difficulties, which are essential to writing.
develop cognitive skills (Behizadeh & Engelhard, 2011; As many researchers have suggested, how effectively
Bacha, 2002). Mesfin (2013) also asserts that writing writing skills are learned is highly dependent on
is a very crucial skill for improving learners’ thinking the teachers’ proper use of instructional techniques
and efficiency in the academic world. Particularly, and relevant activities. For instance, Dawit (2013)
engineering and technology students need this skill explained how the genre approach helps students
to write their projects, reports, and research papers, write argumentative essays, and Karsak, Fer, and Orhan
which helps them become better readers and thinkers (2014) mentioned that cooperative and individual
and improve their ability to communicate. Above web blogs, integrated with writing instruction,
all, according to Prithvi and Caroline (2012), writing enhanced students’ writing skills. Similarly, Amoush
is considered a central skill for students in higher (2015) reported that brainstorming strategies had
education. many positive effects on improving students’ writing
However, writing is also one of the most difficult performance.
skills to improve (Lazaro, 1996). For instance, Dawit In Ethiopian higher education institutions,
(2013) mentioned that many higher institution engineering and technology students take courses
students are facing various problems in their attempt such as communicative English skills, basic writing
to produce simple written texts in the target language. skills, and research and report writing to use the skills

This article is published under the Creative

20 Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
 EFFECTS OF MASTERY LEARNING INSTRUCTION

for general, academic, and professional purposes, but student attitude, and behaviour (Akey, 2006; Voyles,
students are struggling to use the skills in different 2011; Welch-Deal, 2003). In addition, research
situations. Many students are unable to pass these conducted by CERI1, Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsha,
courses. While they take quizzes, a midterm, and a Nathan and Willingham (2013), and Boersma (2008)
final exam, many students must take the final exam also mentioned other factors like collaborative work,
again as a supplementary exam. formative assessment, students learning styles, and
The first main reason that the students fail is the effective learning techniques that contribute to the
teachers’ method of instruction. From the researcher’s academic success of students. Similarly, Amiruddin
observations, most teachers use a holistic/conventional and Zainudin (2015) argued that the lack of effective
version of classroom instruction that does not consider teaching and learning contributes to lower student
individual differences, learning styles, or preferences. academic achievement.
Accordingly, students who learned writing in this Accordingly, the concept of mastery learning
institute had a lack of motivation and lacked the is to maximize students’ academic achievement.
language competence to engage in writing activities The instruction is practiced by considering the
(Amare, 2017). individual differences that affect students’ academic
Similarly, writing skills are one of the neglected achievements (Guskey, 2007) and makes many
skills in Ethiopian elementary and high schools; it was students in schools or classrooms effective learners.
also observed that skills such as reading, grammar, Guskey (2007, p. 15) added that “teachers who use
and speaking skills are emphasised more than writing. mastery learning instruction provide frequent and
Students have limited opportunities to use the skills specific feedback on their learning progress through
inside and outside the classrooms. As a result, many regular, formative classroom assessments.”
students are not able to master the writing contents Likewise, researchers who conducted research on
properly or write paragraphs and essays effectively. mastery learning instruction proved that it improves
Thus, it is important to consider instructions that classroom instruction and students’ academic
consider students’ learning competency differences achievement (Sadeghi & Sadeghi, 2012; Guskey, 2007;
and their learning difficulties. Although recently there Wambugu & Changeiywo, 2008; Wong & Kang, 2012).
have been researchers who have conducted studies to In spite of this, researchers such as Horton (1979)
enhance students’ writing, there is limited research argued about the effectiveness of mastery learning
that has dealt with the effects of mastery learning instruction in the classroom. Horton claimed that it is
instruction to enhance students’ writing skills and difficult to use mastery learning instruction as it is not
motivation. Therefore, the current research was readily adaptable to regular classes.
conducted to explore the effects of a mastery learning However, mastery learning instruction has a
instructional strategy, which considers individual flexible approach that can be applied in virtually
differences, learning styles, and preferences on any classroom to help almost any student master
learners’ writing skills and motivation. what they are taught. Carroll’s 1989 study (as cited
in Shafie, Shahdan, & Liew, 2010) asserts that all
Theoretical Foundation of Mastery Learning learners have the potential to learn over different
Instruction periods of time to achieve a particular subject matter.
Kazu, Kazu, and Ozdemir (2005, p. 234) also mention
This instruction was first formally proposed by “mastery learning aimed at providing appropriate
Benjamin Bloom (1968) with the aim of minimizing learning environments by considering the individual
students’ knowledge gaps. According to Guskey (2007), differences of the students so that they do not hinder
Bloom observed that having little variation in the the target learning activity.” It is believed that learners
instruction could not make students achieve equally achieve the same level of content mastery at different
with those who were different in background, learning time intervals (John, Ravi, & Ananthasayanam, 2009).
style, motivation, school context, etc. According to this
type of instruction, mass instruction does not make Theoretically, this instruction is related
students equally competent. Thus, this instruction to social constructivist and mediation
proposed that teachers have the potential to minimize theories. Learners acquire the required
students’ differences and gaps (Shafie, Shahdan, & skills and knowledge through the support of
Liew, 2010; Guskey, 2007; Zimmerman & Dibenedetto, their teachers and peers, and the students
2008) through more variation in their teaching and who understand the content better can
applying active teaching strategies. 1
CERI. (2008). Assessment for learning formative assessment.
Researchers mentioned that students’ academic Organization for economic co-operation and development.
achievement can be affected by many affective factors Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/site/educeri21st/40600533.
such as gender, age, motivation, school context, pdf

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 AMARE TESFIE BIRHAN

help other students continuously until they Mastery Instruction and Students Motivation
achieve the content objectives.
As discussed above, there are many affective factors
Furthermore, this instruction blends continuous that can influence or maximize students learning
instruction and assessment. Teachers provide frequent in the academic context. Among these factors,
and specific interventions on their learning progress, motivation is the main factor that affects students’
typically through the use of regular, continuous academic achievements. According to Wieman (2013),
classroom assessments (Guskey, 2005), and learners do motivation is the most important element of learning
not move on to other sections until they have attained that plays a key part in improving students’ academic
the intended objectives of the current section (Estaji achievement (Peklaj & Levpuscek, 2006).
& Fassihi, 2016). Thus, in mastery learning instruction, students
engage in the classroom lesson and get assistance
Formative Assessment in Mastery Learning from both the teacher and their peers. This creates
Instruction motivation to have active engagement in the lessons
they learn. The instruction also helps learners to be
Formative or continuous assessment is one of motivated in the lesson by changing their thinking and
the pioneer aspects of mastery learning instruction, interest towards learning (Ozden, 2008; Kazu, Kazu,
whereby students are assessed formatively to follow & Ozdemir 2005). Likewise, Guskey (2010) affirmed
up on their mastery level and to give continuous that mastery learning instruction is a powerful
feedback. According to Prithvi and Caroline (2012), motivational tool by giving students continuous
formative assessment is crucial for helping them chances to succeed. Guskey added that these activities
improve their writing skills. Likewise Guskey (2010, p. give students exciting opportunities to enlarge and
4) stressed that “in mastery learning, assessments are develop their learning.
not a one-shot, do-or-die experience; instead they are Williams and Burden (1997, p. 120) stressed that
part of an on-going effort to help students learn.” “motivation is a state of cognitive and emotional
Furthermore, according to Wiliam and Thompson arousal which leads to a conscious decision to act and
2007’s idea cited in (Black and Wiliam, 2009) it helps which gives rise to a period of sustained intellectual
to clarify and share learning intentions and criteria and/or physical effort in order to attain a previously
for success, engineer effective classroom discussions set goal (goals).” Students’ motivation is enhanced
and other learning tasks that elicit evidence of student through their sense of agency, feeling mastery, and
understanding, provide feedback that moves forward, control over the learning activity as well as their
activate students as instructional resources for one interests (Lo & Hyland, 2007). Hence, students’
another, and activate students as the owners of their motivation and their engagement in writing activities
learning. These help learns to engage actively in the are very interrelated. Accordingly, motivation plays a
lesson. very paramount role to the development of students’
Peer feedback is another important strategy that is writing as it is a driving force for writing in a meaningful
employed in writing classrooms to enhance students’ way (Hamidun, Hashim, & Othman, 2012). Mackiewicz
engagement and to support the learning process. Cho and Thompson (2013) also asserted that motivation is
and MacArthur (2010) stated that peer feedback is very the drive to actively invest in sustained effort toward a
crucial and rich comments should be received from goal, which is essential for writing improvement. They
multiple peers. added that it directs attention toward particular tasks
According to social constructivist theory, learning and increases both effort and persistency.
takes place through interactions with parents, peers, Therefore, this research hypothesised that
teachers, and others. Language learning relies on students need self-paced assistance and instruction
meaningful social interactions within social and accompanied by interactive feedback and formative
cognitive support systems for helping learners improve assessment to consider their writing skills proficiency
their language and conceptual understanding (Dunap differences, and it was assumed that it fostered
& Wiseman, 2007 cited in Betegiorgis & Abiy, 2015). students’ writing skills and motivation. As a result,
Abiy (2005) also explained that in foreign language the main objective of this research was to explore
contexts teachers and better-performing students pedagogical approaches that consider each student’s
mediate their peers’ learning. As a result, students can language competency, exposure differences, and
master the given content via frequent assessment and learning preferences. Thus, the objective of this
peer and teacher support. study was to examine the effects of mastery learning
instruction on students’ writing skills and motivation,
and it was aimed to answer the following research
questions:

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 EFFECTS OF MASTERY LEARNING INSTRUCTION

• What are the effects of mastery learning and literature instructors. The instructors who checked
instruction on students’ writing skills the validity are experts who hold PhD degrees in the
development? field and have been teaching the course for more than
• What are the effects of mastery learning 20 years. Hence, some items of the instruments were
instruction on students’ motivation? changed and adjusted based on the comments and
results of the pilot study.
Accordingly, the students who were assigned to the
Materials and Methods experimental group were assessed continuously and
repeatedly until they achieved the course objectives;
whereas, the control group was assessed according to
Design the assessment assigned (12% quiz, 11% paragraph
writing, 12% essay writing, 25% midterm exam, and
This paper reports the effects of mastery learning 40% final exam) by the department. The students’
instruction on students’ writing skills development continuous results in each assessment were used to
and their motivation. Hence, the research was triangulate the end result differences between the
conducted in basic writing classes, and both qualitative control and the experimental groups.
and quantitative data were used. The research The questionnaire was the other main instrument
considered two groups (experimental and control). The that the researcher employed to collect the data with
experimental group had eight weeks of intervention regard to the level of student motivation attributed
with differentiated learning approaches; whereas, the to mastery learning instruction. Students’ motivation
control group was instructed through conventional was measured using criteria such as self-efficacy, active
approaches. Students’ writing skills proficiency, levels learning strategies, learning environment stimulation,
of engagement, background, and motivation were and performance goals.
considered during the instruction process. Tests were The questionnaire was adopted from Tuan, Chin,
also administered repeatedly. Thus, the research was and Shieh (2005), and the items addressed the level
designed through a time series quasi-experimental and reasons of motivation. Among the participants,
research design. 35 computer science and 44 software engineering
students filled out and submitted the questionnaire to
Participants and Sample of the Study the researcher.
The researcher also observed classroom practices;
The participants of study were first-year students the purpose of the observation was to assess regular
who enrolled in Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, behavioural changes in students. Particularly, the
Bahir Dar University in the 2016/2017 academic observation checklists addressed classroom practices
year. In the institution, there were 28 sections, (participation in doing classwork and homework,
including first-year students who were assigned in engagement in group and pair discussions, and
different departments. Therefore, the researcher participation in asking and answering questions),
selected two sections (one section from software punctuality, regular class attendance, and tutorial
engineering and one section from computer science) and regular class attendance. This was done using
through a multistage sampling technique. Hence, 53 open-ended items and was carried out only with the
software engineering students were assigned as the experimental group, which was then used to triangulate
experimental group and 52 computer science students what students responded to in the questionnaire data.
were assigned as the control group.
Procedure
Instruments
The purpose of this research was to assess the
In order to investigate the effects of mastery effects of mastery learning instruction on students’
learning instruction to enhance students’ writing writing skills and motivation in Bahir Dar Institute of
skills, pre and post-tests, a questionnaire, and Technology, Bahir Dar University. After choosing the
observation instruments were used. study groups, the researcher assigned the two selected
Tests were the major instrument used by the groups as control and experimental groups. Then,
researcher. The researcher administered a pre-test the researcher had discussions with the experimental
and a post-test for both the control and experimental group on the new instruction technique. To engage
groups. In Ethiopia, there is no standardized test that students in repetitive tasks and activities during the
can measure students’ writing proficiency. The tests intervention, it was mandatory to get consent from
were teacher made and the standard and content the participants.
validity of the tests were checked by English language The pre-test was prepared and administered to

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 AMARE TESFIE BIRHAN

both groups before the intervention took place. The it was checked by TEFL PhD candidates and Bahir
test validity was checked by two PhD experts in the Dar University, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology
Department of English Language and Literature. The instructors. The Cronbach alpha was found to be 0.74,
objectives, course contents, and assessment techniques which indicates that the questionnaire was reliable.
were also clarified to students. Therefore, the students
learned each section and assessed repeatedly. The Measures
students had various amount of contact time until they
achieved the specific section objectives. In addition, Data gathered from the tests and the questionnaires
the students discussed various activities in groups. were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Independent
These were done based on Guskey’s (2007) mastery sample t-tests, descriptive statistics, and repeated
learning instruction process. measure analysis of variances (ANOVA) were used
Therefore, learners who participated in mastery to compute the data. Thus, the data obtained from
learning instruction had been given various enrichment the questionnaire and students’ pre and post results
activities, correctives, and formative assessment. The were analyzed through independent t-tests, and the
students who participated in these kinds of additional experimental group assessment continuous results
activities were students who scored 80% and below on were computed through repeated measure ANOVA.
their assessment. However, students who scored above Lastly, the data obtained from classroom observations
80 % were considered to have developed the required was analyzed qualitatively.
level of competence in the course.
Specifically, the lessons that students participated
in were effective sentence construction, effective Results
paragraph writing, techniques for paragraph
development, and essay writing. They wrote paragraphs
and essays after clear conceptual clarifications were The data which were gathered by quantitative
given by the teacher. Likewise, students participated and qualitative gathering tools were analyzed and
in peer feedback; it focused on constructing effective presented below thematically.
sentences, paragraphs, and essays; developing
unified and coherent writing discourse; developing Students’ Writing Skills Improvement
topic and thesis statements; mechanical errors such
as punctuation marks; capitalization; and spelling. In order to assess students’ mastery in writing
Thus, students exchanged qualitative feedback using skills, descriptive statistics were run. Accordingly,
the above criteria with the aim of maximizing their Table 1 below shows that both the experimental
engagement and helping each other’s learning. The and control groups had similar writing proficiency
instructor’s role was facilitating and mentoring the in the pre-test. The experimental group had a mean
peer feedback process, instructing them on how to score 36.35; whereas, the control group had a 32.94
rewrite their paragraphs and essays, giving feedback mean score. Even if it seemed that the students had
on their texts, and marking their paper after final some discrepancy, the difference they had was not
revisions were made by students. This helped the significant. This indicates the students had similar
instructor observe the differences between the first levels of understanding or skill before the intervention.
draft and the final draft of the texts. However, the intervention brought a significant
Finally, the post-test was prepared and administered. difference between the control and the experimental
The validity of the post-test was checked by the same groups in the post-test. The mastery group showed
procedure as the pre-test. Then, the experimental more improvement in their academic writing skills
and control groups’ final (100%) results were input and writing score.
into the students’ information management system As seen in Table 1, a 58.17 mean score was
(SIMS). Their final results were used to compute the observed on the experimental group post-test, and
statistical differences between the control and the the control group’s post-test mean score value was
experiment groups. Furthermore, the questionnaire 45.05. Therefore, the data revealed that although both
passed through a dual validation process. Hence, groups of students improved, the experimental group

Figure 1. The mastery learning instruction process (Guskey, 2007, p. 14).

24
 EFFECTS OF MASTERY LEARNING INSTRUCTION

showed greater improvement. improvement in students’ results with more frequent

In addition, an independent t-test was run to see (time series) assessment.
the final result’s statistical difference between the The data in Table 3 (F=42.960, df=3, and P<.05)
control and the experimental groups. confirmed that students improved their writing scores
Table 2 also reveals that students who participated using different assessments. The students used good
in mastery learning instruction outperformed in diction, sentences structure, and mechanics, and they
their writing skills and academic writing proficiency. were also able to develop good topic sentences, thesis
The independent t-test indicates that there was statements, and supportive ideas when they wrote
a statistically significant difference between the different paragraphs and essays repeatedly. These
experimental group and the control group (t=4.417, are observed as the result of comprehensive input,
df=103, P<.05). continuous support, and feedback. Hence, long-term
As a result, students who engaged in continuous and regular assessment, peer instruction, and support
assessment as well as peer and teacher feedback can help students earn a better grade and improve
improved their writing skills. According to Bloom’s their writing skills. It can also give them a chance to
(1971, 1976, and 1984) studies cited in Guskey (2010), identify and fill in their gaps.
although students vary widely in their learning, if
teachers are able to provide the necessary time and Students’ Motivation Towards Learning Writing
use appropriate learning conditions, students can Skills
reach a high level of achievement. Accordingly, the
data showed that mastery learning instruction helped The independent t-test was run to compare
students to improve their writing skills in an EFL motivation between students who learned using
context. mastery learning instruction and students who
Thus, mastery learning instruction could be one learned via holistic instruction to motivate them
of the best forms of instructions to give learners in basic writing skills classes. The students’ level
comprehensive input, especially when they have of motivation was measured by four measurement
limited opportunities to practice the target language criteria: self-efficacy, active learning strategies,
outside the classroom; similarly, the instruction can learning environment stimulation, and students’
help them be more engaged in the classroom and performance goals.
achieve the course content objectives. Table 4 shows that students who undertook mastery
In the same way, a repeated measure ANOVA was learning instruction had better motivation levels than
run to determine the mean statistical differences students who learned via the holistic/conventional
among the time series results of the experimental approach. These differences were observed in
group (mastery learning instruction students). The students’ participation in their writing classes as well.
assessments were administered to see if there was an Particularly, the experimental group had better levels

Table 1
Descriptive statistics of the experimental and the control groups
Participants N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
Experimental group Pre-test 52 36.35 7.162 .993
Post-test 52 58.17 11.982 1.662
Control group Pre-test 53 32.94 7.533 1.662
Post-test 53 45.04 17.860 2.453

Table 2
Independent t-test of the experimental and control groups
F Sig. t df. Sig. (2-tailed) Std. Error Diff
Total results Equal variance assumed 10.526 .002 4.417 103 .000 2.974
Equal variance not assumed 4.433 91.103 .000 2.963

Table 3
Repeated measure ANOVA within-subjects
Source df Mean Square F Sig.
factor1 Sphericity Assumed 3 135.641 42.960 .000

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 AMARE TESFIE BIRHAN

of self-efficacy (t=3.209, MD.3328 and P<.05). This improving writing skills, or now believed that it was
made learners participate more actively in writing skill possible to improve writing skills if they continuously
activities. Several researchers (Chang & Chien, 2015; practiced, assessed, and supported each other.
Dogan, 2015; Kanaparan, Cullen, & Mason, 2017) Furthermore, the majority of students participated
explained that self-efficacy is highly correlated with in tutorial classes more actively than regular class
learners’ engagement and academic achievement. and they tried to fill their knowledge gaps from their
Therefore, students who learned via mastery learning colleagues and their teacher, and were highly engaged
instruction had better motivational levels than the in the writing activities. Generally, the above data
control group. indicated that mastery learning instruction is one
In addition, the experimental group (mastery of the favoured methods of instruction to enhance
learning instruction group) had better active learning engineering and technology students’ writing skills
participation. Students who participated in mastery and motivate them to engage in various writing
learning instruction participated more actively in activities in EFL classrooms.
different active learning strategies (t=2.085, MD.3188,
P<0.25). Hence, students played an active role in
improving their skills and they engaged more in the Discussion
writing lessons, and this made students more motivated
in classroom. Soltanzadeh, Hashemi, and Shahi (2013)
stated that active engagement by the students leads Writing is one of the most significant skills in
to improvement in learners’ academic achievement. students’ academic context and it requires systematic
Similarly, a marked difference was observed in learning instruction and mastery learning experiences.
environment stimulations. Tuan, Chin, and Shieh Consequently, the aim of this research was to
(2005) stressed that learning environment elements investigate the effects of mastery learning instruction
such as students, teachers, curriculum, and classroom on students’ writing skills and motivation. The
influenced learners’ motivation. Accordingly, it was data obtained from the questionnaire and tests
observed that students who learned through mastery were discussed through independent sample t-test,
instruction were highly motivated (t=9.5, MD 1.39 and repeated measure ANOVA, and descriptive statistics.
P<.05). Particularly, the data that showed students who
The other students’ motivation indicator was learned through mastery learning instruction improved
performance goals. When students wanted to solve their writing skills, t(103)=4.417, p<.05, and the pre-
their writing skills problems, they were more likely to and post-test showed sizeable differences between the
be motivated to participate in each and every activity. control and the experimental groups. Likewise, the
This helped increase learners’ engagement in order to experimental group showed better improvement in
achieve their learning goals and to meet the course and the post-test than the pre-test (mean=36.35 in the pre-
section objectives using the skills in their professional test and mean=58.17 in the post-test). This indicated
and academic contexts. that self-paced mastery learning instruction helped
In addition to the questionnaire data mentioned learners improve their writing skills and motivation.
above, classroom instruction was observed in order This finding agrees with similar research by
to triangulate and prove student motivation, and it Amiruddin and Zainudin (2015), Kazu, Kazu, and
was shown that students were highly engaged and Ozdemir (2005), Gokalp (2016) and Udo and Udofia
participated during classroom instruction Many (2014). These researchers concluded that the
students actually changed their views towards instruction was effective for successful students

Table 4
Comparison of mastery instruction learners and holistic instruction learners’ motivation
Items Groups N Mean Mean Difference t Sig (2 tailed)
Self-efficacy of students Experimental group 44 3.545 .3328 3.209 .002
Control group 35 3.213
Active learning strategies Experimental group 44 4.2015 .3188 2.085 .040
Control group 35 3.886
Learning environment Experimental group 44 3.962 1.3193 9.500 .000
stimulation Control group 35 2.643
Performance goals Experimental group 44 4.282 .6825 4.101 .000
Control group 35 3.600

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 EFFECTS OF MASTERY LEARNING INSTRUCTION

learning, knowledge acquisition, and academic their writing skills through self-paced learning,
achievement, and Kulik, Kulik, and Bangert-Drowns mediation, formative assessment, and differentiated
(1990) proved in their meta-analysis that the instruction. It also confirmed that the instruction was
instruction had a positive effect on examination very important for considering students who had less
performance. Furthermore, Hill-Miller (2011) reported writing skills exposure, competence, and engagement.
similar findings that mastery learning instruction Particularly, students who engaged in mastery
improved students’ academic achievement. learning instruction improved both their writing skills
Although researchers such as Horton (1979) argued and their motivation.
that it is difficult to apply mastery learning instruction Hence, students developed unified and coherent
within a fixed time schedule and with different texts and were able to write paragraphs and essays
teaching goals, but this research found that mastery with a clear thesis statement and complete sentences;
learning instruction principles such as individualized the topic sentences and the supportive details were
instruction and progress monitoring through also consistent. Furthermore, students used various
formative assessment and feedback helped students cohesive devices and transitional markers, which
improve their writing skills. The instruction combined made their written discourses interesting to read and
self-paced learning strategies, peer feedback, and easier to comprehend.
formative assessment to achieve the intended course Furthermore, the study proved that students who
objectives. Similarly, research such as Barone (1978) enrolled in this instruction outperformed the others
also mentioned that it is possible to teach writing and in the final written assessment. Classroom activities
reading skills through the mastery learning model. like teacher and peer feedback practices, gap filling
Moreover, learners could develop their learning instruction, and continuous assessment highly
through mediation and the zone of proximal motivated the students to engage in the lesson, acquire
development when students were assisted in their the desired skills, and earn a better grade.
learning by their peers and teacher (Amineh & Asl, Accordingly,the findings of this research have a wider
2015). Hence, the students who participated in mastery implication for teachers and students. Particularly,
learning instruction participated in peer feedback, it implied that mastery learning instruction helps
corrective procedures, and formative assessment, students acquire high-level competency in writing
and these helped them enhance their writing skills skills. It also helps learners assess each other’s
results. Here, researchers such as Gamlem and Smith learning and achievement. Furthermore, the research
(2013) and Titova and Samoylenko (2017) reported implied that this type of instruction helps encourage
that feedback and formative assessment are essential students to participate in activities and achieve the
for learning and teaching. Students develop the course objectives. Thus, the researcher recommends
positive perception that they can do better when they that English language teachers adopt mastery learning
get support from their classmates and they engage instruction and interactive assessment to enhance
actively with the designed objectives. their students’ writing ability. Teachers should also
Furthermore, researchers (Amiruddin & Zainudin, encourage students to get feedback from their peers as
2015; Zimmerman & Dibenedetto, 2008; Ozden, well as the teacher.
2008) have reported that mastery learning instruction According to Zimmerman and Dibenedetto (2008),
motivates students through an encouraging all students can learn as long as they have sufficient
environment and appropriate teaching methods. time. Thus, this research indicates that teachers have
Similarly, this research showed that students who were to give enough time to mediate students learning and
taught via mastery learning instruction were highly assist them to master the course contents. Similarly,
motivated to participate in learning writing skills. it suggests to students that they need to use different
Hence, proper mediation by considering individual mastery learning instruction strategies in order to
differences and language competence are very crucial improve their language learning in general and their
for enhancing learners’ motivation and to help them writing competence in particular.
engage more in writing activities. Finally, since the researcher’s conclusions were
based on both subjective and objective data, the
research has some limitations. First, the numbers of
Conclusion participants were small and focused on one (computing
technology) department. Accordingly, these students’
results may not represent all of the students who
The differentiated instruction approach that was enrolled in the engineering and technology institute
proposed in this study had a great impact on students’ during that academic year. Additionally, the data
writing skills development. The research showed that compared the control and the experimental groups’
this form of instruction helped learners maximize writing skills and motivation, and it was difficult to

27
 AMARE TESFIE BIRHAN

control other variables that may have contributed to from www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/

the students’ writing skills improvement outside the el_197812
classroom. It was also difficult to observe students’ Behizadeh, N., & Engelhard, G. (2011). Historical view
motivation and engagement in writing skills other of the influences of measurement and writing
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