Making Uncertainty Productive in EFL Writing: The Curiosity Loop as an Inquiry-Based Pedagogy

Abstract

Background. Curiosity is increasingly recognized as an important driver of engagement in EFL learning; however, its role in academic writing instruction, particularly in helping students manage uncertainty, develop arguments, and revise ideas, remains underexplored. University EFL learners need learning experiences that encourage questioning, sustained inquiry, and reflective meaning construction rather than dependence on immediate lecturer explanations.

Purpose. This study aimed to explore the implementation of the Curiosity Loop in an Essay Writing course, focusing on students’ experiences of wondering, grappling, and discovering, the forms of engagement that emerged, and the pedagogical opportunities and challenges associated with its implementation.

Methods. This study employed a classroom-based qualitative case study involving 18 third-semester students of the English Education Study Program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Enrekang. The Curiosity Loop was implemented across eight 100-minute meetings. Data were collected through classroom observations, reflective journals, student-generated inquiry records, writing artifacts, and semi-structured individual interviews with six purposively selected students. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis supported by deductive and inductive coding.

Results. The findings showed that students gradually moved from answer-seeking questions toward more analytical inquiry involving evidence, justification, alternative perspectives, and argument revision. Grappling became productive when supported by appropriate linguistic and pedagogical scaffolding, while discovery was reflected most clearly in substantive revisions of ideas and arguments. The process also facilitated cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and social engagement, although linguistic limitations, unequal participation, and time demands remained challenges.

Conclusion. The Curiosity Loop can provide a practical inquiry-oriented framework for EFL academic writing by helping students use curiosity, uncertainty, evidence, interaction, and revision as resources for developing more reflective and defensible arguments.