Writing Instruction in Large Secondary School EFL Classes:

English language teachers in countries around the world teach largeclasses of 35 or more students. While many English language teachingmethods since the 18th century have emphasized speaking skills, withglobalization has come an increased need for L2 learners in English asa foreign language (EFL) contexts to develop writing skills. However,to date, little research has focused on understanding how writinginstruction is carried out in large secondary school EFL classes. Thepurpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to provide an overviewof writing instruction in large secondary school EFL classes. Data wascollected through semi-structured interviews with 10 participantswith experience as secondary school English language instructors inEFL contexts across continents. Data was analyzed through thematicanalysis. Major findings revealed that writing instruction in largeEFL secondary school classes is largely dominated by national exams.Additionally, participants indicated a lack of training for teachingwriting. However, there was some indication that participants wouldwelcome training. While study participants believed that writing is animportant skill, 60 percent were not confident that their secondaryschool curriculums adequately prepares students for writing beyondsecondary school. Implications suggest there is a need to betterunderstand the phenomenon of writing instruction in large secondaryschool classes through further research. Implications further suggesta need for more training in writing instruction for secondary schoolteachers working in large EFL contexts.