The Impact of Online Instruction of Metadiscourse Markers on Iranian EFL Learners' Expository Writing:

Focusing on metadiscourse markers during EFL writing classes has garnered research attention, yet few studies were conducted on online expository writing. This study explores the effect of metadiscourse markers instruction on expository writing of 80 male and female EFL learners in the school context, selected through convenience sampling and an interview followed with a smaller number of participants. Initially, the eighty participants were assigned to experimental (n=40) and control (n=40) groups after checking homogeneity in terms of English proficiency level. The participants in the experimental group received explicit instruction of markers, whereas the control group received the conventional curriculum-based writing instruction that included similar material/topics, except for the explicit focus on metadiscourse markers, all through a uniform digital platform mandated in the state-run schools. The frequency/use of metadiscourse markers in the writing assignments of the participants per session and the total was noted, and then a corpus of 80 collected essays was analyzed by a trained rater and researcher to both analyze whether metadiscourse markers instruction had any significant effect on expository writings and to determine which metadiscourse markers showed up in the texts written by students more. Finally, a semi-structured interview was conducted with eight EFL instructors to explore their attitudes. Statistical test of Analysis of Covariance showed a significant effect of metadiscourse markers instruction on EFL learners’ expository writing. Another finding was that participants employed interactional metadiscourse markers frequently. Implications for policy-makers, students, and teachers indicate that free access to online writing resources improves learning perceptions/outcomes.