A goal-based writing program in the EFL writing context: implementation and results

The purpose of the current study is to explore the potential impact of a goal-based writing program on EFL students’ writing competence and their attitudes toward goal-setting activities. The goal-based writing program was developed within goal-setting theory and launched in a writing class of 39 EFL Vietnamese university students over ten weeks. To evaluate the success of the program, students’ writing scores were collected and subjected to a statistical analysis, and their perspectives toward goal setting were examined through semi-structured interviews. Strong evidence was found in support of the custom goal-based writing program. In terms of students’ writing achievement, significant improvement was seen in all four writing areas, namely, task achievement, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy, with coherence and cohesion demonstrating the most significant development. Regarding students’ perspectives, the current goal-based writing program was found to improve their learning motivation and autonomy while creating a more supportive learning environment. However, the interview data indicate that students became less committed to goal setting at the end of the program. Valuable pedagogical implications and useful guidelines on the implementation of the goal-based writing program in the EFL context are highlighted in the current study.