The Impact of a Semiotic Analysis Theory-Based Writing Activity on Students’ Writing Skills

Problem Statement: In entering the world intellectually and affectivelyequipped, humans develop in a systemic way that encompasses boththought and art education and in which written, oral, and visual texts areimportant tools. In particular, visual literacy, which refers to theinterpretation of elements other than written text, including images,symbols, shapes, and colors, has come into prominence through newlearning approaches that emphasize the importance of using numerousstimuli. All texts convey a meaning and a message, which to comprehendrequires textual analysis, the different theories and methods of which varyamong various types of texts. As discussed in this article, the semioticanalysis theory provides tools for textual analysis concerning thedimensions of narrative discourse.Purpose: This study aimed to determine how a writing lecture activitybased on semiotic analysis theory affects students’ writing skills. To thatend, cartoon caricatures were selected as visual texts for analysis.Method: This experimental research based on pre- and post-tests wasconducted with a dependent group of 40 7th-grade students in a schoolwithin Turkey’s Ministry of Education. Data collection involved havingeach student develop two texts for caricature analysis: one prior to anexperiment based on the traditional approach, and the other after anexperiment based on the semiotic method. The differences between scoresreceived for each text by all students were analyzed. Findings: Results revealed that textual analysis based on the semiotic theory was more effective for the writing skills of students than the traditional writing method with respect to three areas of evaluation: understanding the subject, accessing the message, and multidimensional interpretation.Conclusion and Recommendations: The findings suggest that the proposed method of semiotic analysis is an alternative to traditional methods used in Turkish-language courses that can enhance the effectiveness of learning and positively affect students’ creative-writing skills.Keywords: Semiotic analysis theory, cartoon caricatures, writing education, writing skills