Internet-Mediated Visual Narrative Writing to Promote Learning Engagement among Secondary School Students

Abstract

The use of visual media to facilitate the learning of English as a foreign language among secondary school students has been a subject of extensive prior research. However, little is known about how internet-based visual media is used to teach creative writing in the context of secondary education. To fill this gap, the present case study investigates how internet-mediated visual narrative writing is designed for secondary school students. Thirty-five students from the first-year class participated in the study and were divided into 10 groups. They were involved in a group project on writing visual narratives mediated by a website for eight meetings. The findings of the study showed that (a) group discussion is helpful in building students’ content knowledge of the writing, (b) visual media allows students to generate creative ideas in writing, (c) students have wider opportunity to develop their creativity through writing visual narratives, and (d) post-writing activities engage students in reflective practice as creative writers. The study suggests that internet-mediated visual narrative writing fosters students’ engagement in the writing of visual narratives and foster their creativity in writing.