THE IMPACT OF CREATIVE WRITING ON STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN EFL CLASSROOMS

Abstract. The article discusses the influence of creative writing on student motivation in teaching English as a foreign language. Creative writing enhances the student's linguistic activity through tasks such as choosing a free topic, composing a story, speaking on behalf of a character, diary, short story, dialogue, poetic text, digital storytelling. The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of creative writing in EFL classes on internal curiosity, writing confidence, autonomy, and language experience. The article analyzed scientific works in English and Russian, published after 2022, and their conclusions were connected with practical examples. The results showed that creative writing takes the student out of copying the finished sample, teaches him to express his own thoughts, not be afraid to make mistakes, combine text with his own experience. Such an approach raises motivation from the level of learning for the price to the level of meaningful language activity.

Keywords: creative writing, EFL, motivation, writing skills, inner interest, language teaching, student autonomy.

Introduction. In teaching English as a foreign language, writing has been measured for a long time by grammatical correctness, essay structure, error reduction. Such a system gives a certain order, but does not always strengthen the student's emotional attitude to the language. Many students perceive writing in English as a necessary task for the exam. The fear of making a mistake when composing a sentence, limited vocabulary, lack of proximity to the topic itself make the attempt to write heavier. Creative writing is important at this point. It makes the student feel that language is not a means of training, but a living tool that conveys thoughts. The purpose of the article is to analyze the impact of creative writing on student motivation in EFL classes from a scientific and practical point of view. The objectives of the study are determined by revealing the relationship between creative writing and motivation, comparing the main conclusions in the works published in recent years, highlighting specific methodological paths that can be used in the lesson, describing the types of tasks that increase the student's internal interest and writing activity. The object of the study is the subscription process in EFL classes. The subject of the study is the influence of creative writing tasks on student motivation.

The relevance of the topic is manifested in the fact that students ' interest in learning English largely depends on the connection of the task with life, personal experience, freedom of choice. In traditional writing, the student is looking for the" right answer", and in creative writing, he tries to find his voice. The theoretical significance lies in the consideration of the concepts of motivation, subscription and creative language activity in one channel. The practical novelty lies in the fact that creative writing is presented not only as an additional work for students with literary abilities, but as a motivational tool available to an EFL student at every level.

Materials and methods

The article was written on the basis of qualitative analysis of literature, comparative method and pedagogical interpretation. Six scientific papers published after 2022 were taken as the main material. In the selection of works, three criteria were taken into account: attitude to writing in EFL or Foreign Language Teaching, direct or indirect analysis of the concept of motivation, methodological significance for creative or independent writing activities. During the analysis, the authors ' conclusions were revised depending on the topic of the article and presented in the form of substantive quotes in the Kazakh language.

Results. The motivational effect of creative writing begins primarily with the freedom to choose a topic. Writing often becomes the standard answer when a student is given only a ready-made topic, such as "My weekend" or "Advantages and disadvantages of technology". And such tasks as" Write a letter to your future self"," Describe one object that knows your secret"," Create a dialogue between fear and courage " touch the inner mind. During such work, the student does not shy away from grammar, but rather uses it to clearly express his thoughts.

In the work of A. A. F. Alzubi, who analyzed the motivation for writing, it is shown that the determination of the topic by the student himself enhances the inner interest in writing. The main idea of the scientist in the article Students' intrinsic motivation in EFL academic writing can be summarized as "when a student chooses a topic that is close to him, writing turns from an external requirement into an activity with personal meaning" [1, 14]. This conclusion comes directly to creative writing. For example, if one student wants to write about sports, the other might make up a short story about loneliness, friendship, music, or family. Both use the same grammatical structure, but have different motivational weights. The first fulfills the form, while the second expresses itself through language.

Even in methodological studies in the Russian language, the relationship of the creative task with the genres of speech is often mentioned. The idea in O. V. Dreyfeld's creative writing assignments based on imitation of speech genres in teaching Russian as a foreign language to medical and biological students is given in the content: "imitation of the genre allows the student to write not by repeating the finished text, but by feeling the state of communication" [2, 31]. In the EFL lesson, this can be used through a doctor-patient dialogue, a blog post, a small announcement, a character diary, a social network post. The genre gives the student support, and the creative element makes the text more personal. A weak student may be confused if the task is too arbitrary. The genre circle reduces the same difficulty.

The work of Yu. He, who studied automated subscription evaluation, approaches creative writing from a different angle. In a Reflection on EFL Learners' Motivation to Write, Engagement, and Learning Outcomes in the Blended Learning Environment, the author puts forward the idea that "feedback serves motivation only when it encourages the student to revise the text, without distancing himself from writing" [3, 22]. In creative writing, if the assessment is given too harshly, the student will shorten the game and limit himself to safe sentences. And if the teacher directs "the idea is interesting, now reveal the character's feelings in two sentences" or "the last sentence is impressive, clarify the story before it", the student returns to work on the text. Such feedback is closer to the development of author's thought than to the search for errors.

Sample texts in a subscription can both reduce and increase motivation. M. Lukin's study on EFL children's task motivation and model texts states that sample texts, when used correctly, provide the student with an orientation for writing, not a ready-made answer. The thought in the work can be given as "a sample text reinforces the student's participation in the task if it helps to improve his own text, and not to make copies" [4, 19]. In creative writing, the teacher can first offer a very short text: a mysterious story of five sentences, a miniature with an unexpected ending, an internal monologue of the hero. Students notice the structure, but create a different character, a different place, a different conflict. Here the pattern serves as a starting point, not pressure.

Digital tools and artificial intelligence have opened up a new space for subscription motivation. S. Song's study Enhancing academic writing skills and motivation analyzes how AI-assisted language learning affects writing skills and motivation. The key proposed by the authors can be interpreted as "technology is useful when the student does not write in place, but creates conditions for organizing an idea, seeing and rewriting language options" [5, 9]. In creative writing, such tools should be used with caution. When a student receives a ready-made conversation from ChatGPT or another platform, motivation will depend on the external product. And if he writes down his idea and then checks the choice of words, the rhythm of sentences, the naturalness of the dialogue, digital help will strengthen the author's work.

In M. Young's study Writing with motivation, it is considered that changing educational materials in an online environment contributes to the development of motivation, creativity and writing of EFL students. The main conclusion in the work is given in the content "when the material gives space to the choice, experience and creative decision of the student, the activity of writing increases" [6, 27]. This shows the importance of converting the task format in EFL lessons. One topic can be presented as an essay, letter, comic book script, podcast text, or short story. The language goal is maintained, and the student chooses the form closest to him.

Discussion

An analysis of the literature shows that the influence of creative writing on motivation does not remain at the level of only one "interesting task". The main influence is expressed in three channels: freedom of choice, author's voice, safe language practice. When a student is given a choice, he does not look at the task from the outside. When the author's voice appears, writing comes out of mechanical training. When a safe environment is created, error becomes a natural part of the learning process. In practice, it is not necessary to immediately start Creative Writing by writing a complex story. A three-sentence microtext is enough for entry-level students. For example, after the sentence" I opened the door and saw SA", each student writes their own continuation. One creates a funny story, one creates a frightening atmosphere, and one describes a domestic situation. If the grammatical goal is past simple, everyone uses the same tense. The difference is that the text takes on an individual tone.

At the middle level, the character diary is effective. The student describes a day on behalf of a certain character. The teacher gives a dictionary in advance: worried, excited, disappointed, proud, confused. The student does not just memorize these words, but uses them to convey the character's feelings. The phrase" Today I felt confused because nobody understood my idea " becomes a meaningful subscription, apart from a grammatical exercise. Such a task associates sentence formation with emotion. At the highest level, creative writing develops judgment and critical thinking. For example, the theme" a city where nobody can lie " leads students not only to imagination, but also to social thought. One student writes about honesty, another raises the issue of personal freedom, the third describes society through humor. In such texts, conditionals, modal verbs, descriptive vocabulary are used naturally. The teacher can analyze the grammar later, but the initial impulse comes from the idea. The assessment system must also change to maintain motivation. Measuring creative writing only by mistake will close the student. When evaluation criteria are formed from several facets, such as the clarity of the idea, the integrity of the text, the choice of words, the impact on the reader, and the accuracy of the language, the student feels that his work is appreciated. The error is corrected, but the spirit of the text is not lost. Sometimes, when the teacher marks one of the most successful sentences and suggests "develop the text from here", for the student it will be a real support.

Another advantage of creative writing is that it exposes silent students in the classroom. A student who is pressed to give an oral answer may feel more relaxed in writing. Although he does not speak immediately, he conveys the game through the text. Later, the work, written using such techniques as reading in pairs, the author's chair, and anonymous text exchange, switches to communication. Therefore, creative writing Not only remains within the framework of writing skill, but also touches on the areas of speaking, reading, and vocabulary. However, creative writing can turn into chaotic work if the teacher does not clearly organize the task. Although the topic is interesting, the results of the lesson weaken if the language goal remains vague. To do this, it is better to have a small support in each task: the tense used, the vocabulary group, the volume of the text, the genre, the reader. For example, the instruction" Write a mysterious postcard using at least five adjectives and three past tense verbs " both gives freedom and maintains the purpose of reading.

Conclusion. Creative writing appears in EFL classes as a specific methodological tool that enhances student motivation. Its effect is due to the fact that it allows the student to express their experiences, fantasies, feelings and attitudes in English. A subscription is no longer just a verifiable product, but an attempt to compose a thought, choose a word, revise the text, establish contact with the reader. The works considered in the article prove that the influence of creative writing on motivation is enhanced by freedom of choice, genre support, supportive feedback, the correct use of sample texts and the appropriate introduction of digital tools. In practical training, the student's participation in writing increases if the teacher can connect tasks such as a short story, Diary, letter, dialogue, character monologue, digital storytelling with a language goal. The most important thing is that when a student writes in English, he feels like a meaning-maker, not just a typesetter.