Enhancing EFL Students’ Writing through Genre-based Digital Multimodal Composing

Abstract

Writing for EFL students is often challenging in constructing sentence structure, selecting appropriate vocabulary, and organizing ideas. A preliminary study conducted in my Paragraph Writing class found that the major problems are using grammar, structuring sentences, selecting appropriate vocabulary, generating ideas, and organizing ideas coherently. Monotonous and individual writing practices are also side problems that reduce students’ motivation. To address this issue, this study integrates a genre-based approach into digital multimodal composing to improve students’ writing performance. Using a Classroom Action Research design, the study was conducted over four cycles involving 20 EFL students. Data were collected through writing assessments, classroom observations, and interviews. The findings revealed improvements in students’ mean scores, rising from 58.3 in Cycle 1 to 86.1 in Cycle 4. Qualitatively, the integration of GBA provided necessary scaffolding that helped students overcome cognitive overload and reduce dependency on digital templates. This study suggested that although digital tools like Canva enhance engagement, their pedagogical success depended on a strong linguistic foundation. These results offered practical implications for EFL teachers in balancing technical skills with genre-based instruction in the digital era.