ESL Master Trainer Teachers Cognition in Enacting Process Writing through Digital Storyboarding

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Modern Research in Education, Teaching and Learning

Year: 2026

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ESL Master Trainer Teachers Cognition in Enacting Process Writing through Digital Storyboarding

Sri Roshini Devi Theva Manoharam, Farah Nachiar Mohd Khaja

ABSTRACT:

This conceptual paper is anchored in teacher cognition as its core theoretical lens, through which the enactment of process writing and digital storyboarding is examined in Malaysian primary ESL classrooms. While policy reforms strongly advocate process-oriented writing and digital integration, how these pedagogical expectations are interpreted and realised in classroom practice remains insufficiently understood. Conceptualising teaching as a cognitively mediated process shaped by teachers’ beliefs, knowledge, experiences, and professional judgement, this paper foregrounds teacher cognition as the central mechanism through which pedagogy is transformed into practice. Within this lens, process writing is positioned as a recursive and cognitively demanding pedagogical domain, while digital storyboarding is reframed as a multimodal scaffold that supports learners across planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. A synthesis of contemporary literature identifies seven interrelated themes shaping ESL writing instruction: persistent learner difficulties in idea generation and organisation; first language interference; inconsistent enactment of process writing; the role of scaffolding in supporting writing development; the motivational affordances of digital tools when pedagogically structured; the influence of teachers’ beliefs and instructional practices; and the need for context-responsive, practice-informed pedagogical guidance. These themes collectively reveal a persistent policy–practice divide, where intended reforms are unevenly realised in classroom contexts. By foregrounding teacher cognition as the explanatory core, this paper shifts the analytical focus from tool effectiveness and learner outcomes to instructional enactment, offering a theoretically coherent and practice-oriented contribution to ESL writing research and digital pedagogy.

Keywords: Instructional Enactment; Malaysian Primary ESL; Multimodal Learning; Scaffolding; Writing Pedagogy