Classroom Practices, Writing Enhancement and Creativity Among EFL Struggling Students: A Systematic Review

Abstract

This study aimed to conduct a systematic review (SR) of the author’s own writing research in EFL published between 2004 and 2025.  The 20-article corpus was categorized into five clusters: (i) Engaging and motivating instructional writing techniques, (ii) writing about untraditional themes (global themes), (iii) practicing writing for creativity, (iv) combining writing with reading and grammar, and (v) writing assessment and feedback. Across these clusters, the findings confirmed that writing is not an isolated skill but is a cognitive–linguistic process shaped by a wide range of instructional strategies and pedagogical factors that include the use of technologies and social media platforms (such as Facebook, blogs, online courses, mind mapping tools, and iRubrics), writing about global and untraditional themes, task based writing, online writing tasks, and the integration of writing and reading and grammar. Teacher qualifications, assessment practices, error correction techniques, and methods for generating and organizing ideas also play a significant role. The five clusters were defined to capture these instructional dimensions and to highlight the specific practices through which writing improvement and creativity were achieved. The findings show that students write more confidently and competently when cognitive load is reduced and idea generation is supported through familiar, meaningful, and contextually relevant tasks. Writing difficulties among EFL learners stem not only from linguistic limitations but also from challenges in generating ideas, limited exposure to authentic writing, and anxiety produced by exhaustive error correction. Instructional models that foreground meaning, scaffold the writing process, and provide selective, actionable feedback help students develop fluency, accuracy, and self monitoring skills. Overall, the findings call for writing instruction that is process oriented, learner centered, and authentic communication. When students are given time, support, and meaningful topics, they develop not only stronger writing skills but also greater confidence and motivation as writers. This review provides a foundation for future research and practice aimed at creating writing classrooms where learners can think, express, and grow with clarity and purpose. This SR contributes a clearer, more integrated understanding of writing pedagogy and offers educators evidence based insights for designing writing instruction that is both pedagogically sound and responsive to learners’ needs.