Design and validation of discrete writing tasks to enhance the writing proficiency of college students in southern Philippines

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Writing proficiency is a fundamental component of academic success, particularly in higher education. However, many college students continue to struggle with developing effective writing skills. This study aimed to design and validate a set of discrete writing tasks specifically tailored for Filipino college students in Southern Philippines and to evaluate their effectiveness in improving students’ writing proficiency. The study sought to assess the tasks' content validity, examine their clarity and relevance, and measure their impact on student performance. Methodology: A Design-Based Research (DBR) framework guided the study, comprising two key phases: the Development Phase and the Experimental Phase. In the Development Phase, the discrete writing tasks were subjected to expert validation by five subject matter experts, focusing on quality and clarity. In the Experimental Phase, 30 students were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n=15) or the control group (n=15). Writing proficiency was measured using an essay-type test evaluated with a rubric adapted from the IELTS Writing Test 2023 version. The Content Validity Index (CVI) was used to assess task quality. Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) were calculated, and inferential analyses, including the t-test and Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA), were applied to determine significant differences between groups. Findings: The discrete-task intervention significantly improved students' writing proficiency. The experimental group achieved "Very Good to Expert Level" post-test mean scores across all dimensions: content (M = 4.77), coherence/cohesion (M = 4.79), lexical resource (M = 4.53), grammatical range (M = 4.23), and mechanics (M = 4.54). Conversely, the control group’s mean scores ranged from 2.62 to 3.69 ("Limited to Modest" and "Competent to Good" levels). While a paired-samples t-test showed significant pretest-to-posttest improvement for the control group (p = .002), an independent-samples t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in gain scores favoring the experimental group, t(28) = 16.345, p < .001. Significant differences spanned all writing sub-skills with large effect sizes (η² > .80),  particularly in lexical resource, grammatical range, and mechanics, demonstrating the substantial positive impact of the discrete-task intervention. Contributions: This study provides empirical evidence supporting the use of discrete, well-designed writing tasks as an instructional strategy for improving college students' writing skills. The validated task set can serve as a pedagogical resource for writing instruction in higher education. Future research may explore the integration of digital platforms to further support task implementation and learner engagement. Keywords: Discrete tasks, intervention, writing proficiency, writing task validation. Cite as: Aranego, R. B., Tulud, D. M., Verona, M. O., Gabano-Magbanua, G. B., Dollente, L. A. U., Resurreccion, M. A., De Guzman, E. L. T., Uyangurin, A. B., & Estilloso, E. M. (2026). Design and validation of discrete writing tasks to enhance the writing proficiency of college students in southern Philippines. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 11(2), 262-277. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol11iss2pp262-277