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The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge, and Society TECHANDSOC.COM VOLUME 8 ISSUE 4 __________________________________________________________________________ The Effects of IQ-Write Program Online Composing Guide towards ESL Tertiary Students’ Writing Performance and Interest NORIAH ISMAIL, SUPYAN HUSSIN AND SAADIYAH DARUS
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The Effects of IQ-Write Program Online Composing Guide towards ESL Tertiary Students’ Writing Performance and Interest

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Page 1: The Effects of IQ-Write Program Online Composing Guide towards ESL Tertiary Students’ Writing Performance and Interest

The International Journal of

Technology, Knowledge, and Society

TechandSoc.com

VOLUME 8 ISSUE 4

__________________________________________________________________________

The Effects of IQ-Write Program OnlineComposing Guide towards ESL TertiaryStudents’ Writing Performance andInterestNORIAH ISMAIL, SUPYAN HUSSIN AND SAADIYAH DARUS

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THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY, KNOWLEDGE, AND SOCIETY

http://techandsoc.com/ First published in 2013 in Champaign, Illinois, USA by Common Ground Publishing University of Illinois Research Park 2001 South First St, Suite 202 Champaign, IL 61820 USA www.CommonGroundPublishing.com ISSN: 1832-3669 © 2013 (individual papers), the author(s) © 2013 (selection and editorial matter) Common Ground All rights reserved. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the applicable copyright legislation, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the publisher. For permissions and other inquiries, please contact <[email protected]>. The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge, and Society is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. Typeset in CGScholar. http://www.commongroundpublishing.com/software/

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The Effects of IQ-Write Program OnlineComposing Guide towards ESL Tertiary

Students’ Writing Performance and InterestNoriah Ismail, MARA University of Technology Malaysia, MalaysiaSupyan Hussin, The National University of Malaysia, MalaysiaSaadiyah Darus, The National University of Malaysia, Malaysia

Abstract: The study investigates the use of an online composing guide known as IQ-WriteProgramComposing Guide (IQ-WCG) developed for ESL tertiary students atMARAUniversityof Technology Malaysia (UiTM). The participants in this study were 60 Part Three Diplomastudents from UiTM taking an English proficiency course known as BEL311 (English forAcademic Purposes). The students were divided into two groups which were the experimentaland the control group. The experimental group, consisted of 30 students used IQ-WCG;whereas, the other 30 students in the control group learned writing without it. The students inthe experimental group were given a set of questionnaires regarding their perceptions on theuse of IQ-WCG. The test results were analyzed using the quantitative and qualitative measures.The T-Test was used to support the data analysis. The results obtained from the essays indicateda better writing performance from the experimental group with the use of IQ-WCG. The dataobtained from the questionnaire revealed the use of IQ-WCG also boosts the students’ interestin writing.

Keywords: Online Composing Guide,CALL,, ESL, Academic Writing, Writing Performance,Writing Interest

INTRODUCTION

Presently, a number of studies have been conducted on teaching techniques to enhanceESL students’ writing ability. Some of them included the use of language games orvisual aids particularly during the pre-writing stage. Presently, with the progress in thearea of educational technology, the use of electronic media in ESL classrooms may makea profound difference (Aida, 1995; Mak & Mak, 1995; Shetzer, 1995; Alias & Hussin,

2002; Exline, 2004). The recent trend today has been the use of computer and Internet techno-logy as a replacement or an additional teaching tool in the educational setting.

Background of the Study

Traditionally, many ESL teachers tend to generalize that ESL students only needed to be drilledwith a lot of grammar exercises or getting their written products error free (Raimes, 1991).Their primary focus was on the surface structure. This over concern on the form resulted inthe lack of attention given to the strategies on how to write better or on the use of the righttechniques and activities that can facilitate better writing so that the students are able to produceessays which are profound and interesting to read (Rankin-Brown, 2006). Due to this, manyESL students were not able to produce a good piece of work and only obtain a poor gradedespite being able to turn in an error free essay (Warschauer & Healey, 1998).

The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge, and SocietyVolume 8, Issue 4, 2013, http://techandsoc.com/, ISSN 1832-3669© Common Ground, Noriah Ismail, Supyan Hussin, Saadiyah Darus, All Rights Reserved, Permissions:[email protected]

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Therefore, it is important that ESL students are exposed to better writing activities such asthrough the use of an online composing guide which is designed to enhance the learner criticalthinking skills through learner inquiry and not just spoon feed them with the answers or givenpoints such as through the directed writing tasks which are no longer suitable for tertiary students(Mah Boon Yih & Er Ann Nah, 2009; Ng Kui Choo, 2001). This emphasis on critical thinkingand learner inquiry are also in line with the Constructivist Learning Theory. Constructivistlearning strategies capitalize on learning through inquiry and problem solving via critical andcreative thinking (Brown et al. 2002). Moreover, according to Exline (2004), student inquirersare encouraged to explore new ideas and understandings through personal discoveries and ex-plorations as well as interactions with objects and with other people. Writing is enhancedthrough the inquirers’ opportunity to engage in real life activities, situations and with realaudience.

ESL students need to be taught more on how to develop their ideas and critical thinking es-pecially in writing. Otherwise, they can only produce an accurate but dull or even irrelevantpiece of work. For instance, many ESL tertiary students were not able to think critically ordeeply when describing a particular issue in their writing, even when such problems have beennoted by the lecturer in their revised drafts (Noriah Ismail, Sumarni Maulan & Nor HanizaHassan, 2008). This lack of critical thinking skill has resulted in the lack of in-depth contentand dull essay presentation by many ESL tertiary students. Such a problem does not only occuramong ESL tertiary students from MARA University of Technology but also has been reportedin other institutions as well such as among Universiti Malaysia Serawak (UMS) students (WanHurani Osman & Anna Lynn Abu Bakar, 2009). Therefore, students need to be allowed to beinquisitive when writing and given ample time to practice writing even outside class time suchas by using an effective online composing guide which is designed to cater to their lacks andneeds.

In addition, another factor that needs to be emphasized on is students’ interest towardswriting. Reid (1993) contends that one of the most prominent factors affecting students’ successin college composition is their interest and attitude towards their writing task. Therefore, howthe students feel and react towards their writing tasks greatly determines the quality of theircomposition.

ESL Tertiary Students’ Need for a Special Online Composing Guide

From a needs analysis study conducted on ESL tertiary students at MARA University of Tech-nology, it was discovered that the students face weaknesses in terms of the language use butmost significantly, they were not critical during their writing process which leads to carelessnesswhen writing as well due to their inability to produce in-depth and interesting essays (NoriahIsmail, Suhaidi Elias, Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri, P Dhayapari Perumal & IndraniMuthusamy. 2010). In addition, they need more time to practice writing online and autonom-ously in order to enhance their writing ability (Mah Boon Yih & Er Ann Nah, 2009).

Furthermore, many ESL tertiary students face problems in learning to write which occurmostly due to ineffective writing modules or activities (Noriah Ismail, et al. 2010), lack ofwriting practice in class (Nor Aslah Adzmi, 2009) proper guidance and scaffolding (SupyanHussin, 2008) as well learner discussions (Mah Boon Yih & Er Ann Nah, 2009). Therefore,in order to enhance ESL students’ writing ability as well as interest towards writing many re-searchers regarding ESL writing suggest that the students be given suitable online composingguide and scaffolding (Supyan Hussin, 2008) in order to write successfully.

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IQ-WCG for BEL 311 Students

IQ-WCG is a special online writing guide developed for a special supplementary online writingprogram known as IQ-Write Program (Refer to Appendix 1) for BEL 311 students. IQ-WCGis one of the main elements in IQ-Write Program which the students can access and use forwriting. In fact, IQ-WCG was developed based on the findings from a need analysis studyconducted on BEL311 students’ writing lacks and needs which found that the students in BEL311 course were not able to produce good quality essays due to the fact that they were notcritical during their writing process (Noriah Ismail, et al. 2010). In addition, the students alsoneed a lot of writing practice (Saadiyah Darus, 2008) both in and out of class time so it wouldbe beneficial to have a composing guide which can be accessed online together with other onlinelearning tools such as e-forum and some suitable online links and resources pertaining to theirwriting needs (Supyan Hussin, 2008; Mah Boon Yih & Er Ann Nah, 2009). Insofar, IQ-WCGwas developed based on these needs as well as the learning theories and method namely; theConstructivist Learning Theory which stresses on learner social interactions, the Affective FilterTheory by Krashen (1985) which focuses on learner interest as well as the Inquiry–BasedLearning method which emphasizes on learner inquiry and autonomy especially via technologyor online learning method (Exline, 2004).

The Features of IQ-WCG

IQ-WCG consists of 7 writing steps which the students need to follow (in a recursive manneras it employs the process writing approach) which include:

1. ASK–At this stage students will inquire about their aims for writing the essay or assignedpaper and how they are going to achieve them.

2. FOCUS–During this stage students need to answer some important questions pertainingto their topic and scope.

3. SEEK–This is the phase where the students seek information regarding their topic and haveto think about choosing the right materials and resources.

4. PRODUCE–When producing or writing out their drafts students are encouraged to becritical and think about producing relevant and interesting contents or ideas for their essays.

5. CORRECT–At this stage students have to proofread and revise their work and to helpthem do this carefully they have to answer some important questions and checklists.

6. EVALUATE–At this stage students are to evaluate one another’s work and they are givena set of questions and checklist to help them go through with this step.

7. REFLECT–Once the students have completed their essays they are encouraged to reflecton their writing process through self-inquiry in order to ascertain their own writing strengthsand weaknesses for improvement.

To help the students during each of these writing steps, IQ-WCG provides some very usefulGuide Sheets and Tip Sheets which consist of important guides and tips as well as some inter-esting writing tasks and exercises related to each step. It is important to note that the Guideand Tip Sheets are not used to spoon feed the students with the information regarding writing,instead they are meant to get them to think for themselves regarding their writing process andto be very inquisitive and critical when writing. That is why the guides and tips are providedin terms of inquisitive and explorative questions and not in directives (Refer to Appendix 2).To use IQ-WCG the students need to access it online via IQ-Write Program after they haveregistered to be the participants of this program. Moreover, the students could also discusstheir use of IQ-WCG using the special forum provided in the program. In this way the studentswere able to interact and provide each other with feedbacks and evaluate one another’s writtentasks and exercises.

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Significance of the Study

Even though there have been a number of studies conducted on the use of online learning toolssuch as e-forum (Supyan Hussin, 2008) and blogging (Mah Boon Yih & Er Ann Nah, 2009)very few concentrated specifically on ESL writing skill particularly on the use of an onlinewriting activities that can enhance the learners’ inquisitive mind or critical thinking which isimperative in enhancing their writing performance and ability (Brown et al. 1991; Exline, 2004;Emerson & White 2006; Wan Hurani Osman & Anna Lynn Abu Bakar, 2009). Thus, thefindings of this study will be a useful contribution to this particular field of knowledge.

Purpose of the Study and Hypotheses

This study was designed for two major purposes. First, it was designed to address the directeffect of the use of IQ-WCG on the students’ writing performance. For this purpose, hypothesis1 was generated:

Hypothesis 1: The IQ-WCG will improve students’ writing performance.

Second, the study was designed to investigate whether the students have a favorable perceptionof the use of IQ-WCG for writing instruction.

Methodology

The Participants

For this study a sample of two BEL 311 classes with 30 Part Three Diploma students at MARAUniversity of Technology Johor Branch in each class, were randomly chosen and agreed toparticipate in the study. The two selected classes were assigned, one as the control group andthe other as the experimental group, again randomly.

The Instructor

The instructor has been teaching English as a second language for more than ten years and hashad more than 5 years of teaching experience in the BEL 311 course. He obtained a master’sdegree in English Language Studies and has some experience in CAI (computer-assisted instruc-tion). However, He had not utilized IQ-WCG for teaching writing prior to this research project.His role in this research was providing traditional writing instruction to participants in thecontrol group and IQ-WCG Instruction to participants in the experimental group.

The Instruments

The instruments used in this study are the Writing Performance Test and the Post-instructionQuestionnaire.

The Writing Performance test consisted of a pretest and a posttest in which participants wereasked to perform a writing task. Two experienced ESL writing instructors were selected toevaluate all participants’ writing tests against the ESL Composition Profile (Jacobs, Simonson& Andrews, 1981). The average reliability coefficient for two readers (evaluators) was reportedto be 0.91 (Jacobs et al. 1981).

The Post-instruction Questionnaire was distributed to the students in the experimental group.The questionnaire contains 8 open-ended questions regarding their perceptions pertaining tothe use of IQ-WCG for writing. The questionnaire was first piloted to a group of 30 BEL 311students.

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Variables and Data Analysis

The major variables included writing instruction, student writing performance and studentperception. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (SPSS) was used for dataanalysis. Data collected were analyzed via t-test and descriptive analysis.

Research Procedures

At the beginning of the research project, the Writing Performance Pretest was administered tothe participants in the experimental group as well as the control group. Both groups receivedBEL 311 writing instructions two hours a week from the same instructor. The participantsfrom both groups were asked to complete three writing tasks which focus on the same topics,writing modes and grammatical points. Moreover, the students were taught to use the processwriting approach which stresses on writing through stages (pre-writing, writing and post-writing) as well as to respond to one another’s drafts. Most importantly, the control group wasgiven the traditional writing instruction from the prescribed textbook whereas the experimentalgroup was required to write their writing tasks online with the help of IQ-Write ComposingGuide online.

At the end of the research project, the Writing Performance Post-test was administered tothe participants in both groups. The Post-Instruction Questionnaire was administered to theexperimental group who received the IQ-WCG. This research project was conducted over 8-week period.

Results and Discussion

Effect of Instruction Method on Writing Performance (Overall Score)

The marks obtained by the two groups for the overall score were used to obtain the followingresults:

Table 1: Mean and Standard Deviation for Overall Score

Overall Score

Control GroupExperimental Group

60.9276.72Mean

7.267.24S.D

A t-test was used to analyze the difference between the writing performance pre- and posttestscores in the control group (traditional writing instruction) and the experimental group (IQ-WCG).

Table 2: T-test for Overall Score

2-tail sig.dft-valueVariable

0.00588.43Overall Score

Table 4.2 shows that the experimental group had performed significantly better compared tothe control group. The result obtained implies that the use of IQ-WCG enabled the students inthe experimental group to produce better essays when compared to the students in the controlgroup. Hence Hypothesis 1 is accepted.

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The Students’ Perception of the Use of IQ-WCG for Writing Instruction

Below are some of the unedited excerpts from the experimental students regarding IQ-WriteComposing Guide (IQ-WCG) which clearly show the students’ favorable perception towardsits use in learning to write academic writing:

IQ-Write Composing Guide is very effective to use when learning writing because it hasthe Guide Sheets and Tip Sheets that train me to question my writing process and act asa reminder. (Student 1/S 1)

Well, I think I like the IQ-Write Composing because it get me to be critical and analyzemy writing. It is useful in guiding me through the process when writing. I am on the righttrack and it also prevents me from getting the writer’s block. (Student 2)

This IQ-Write Composing Guide really helps me to write better because it has the GuideSheets and Tip Sheets along with the sample answers for me to use when I do my writing.Unlike the exercises from the textbooks we use in our previous writing classes which arerather dull and confusing and also do not emphasize on critical thinking, IQ-WCG trainme to think and be critical of my writing process so that I become very careful whenwriting and also am well-guided in every step-from first till the end. It also helps me toevaluate my essay and also my friend’s essay easily. (Student 3)

IQ-Write Composing Guide is most useful when writing my research paper because I canuse the questions or items in the Guide Sheets and Tip Sheets to ask myself the importantquestions throughout my writing process and to revise my writing. It also helps me to writein a critical and interesting way so that I no longer produce dull essays. (Student 4)

We can speculate as to why the use of IQ-WCG was more effective than the traditional writingactivities. Firstly, the students who use IQ-WCG feel that it has helped them to write in a crit-ical manner as they were able to be inquisitive and critical throughout their writing processwhich stimulates their thinking process, instead of being spoon-feed with the information whichinhibits them to think critically like they experienced in the traditional class. This is in line withresearches on second language writing which suggests that learners may improve their writingability if they are encouraged to be self-exploratory and given the freedom to be critical andself-expressive (Alias & Hussin, 2002; Exline, 2004). Thus, students who use IQ-WCG inOnline IQ-Write program outperformed their counterparts in the traditional writing instructionprobably because the former spent a substantial amount of time thinking, revising, discussingand reflecting and as a result they were able to communicate better ideas in their writing (Liou,1997; Lin & Hsu, 2000; Exline, 2004; Tan, Emerson & White, 2006; Wan Hurani Osman &Anna Lynn Abu Bakar, 2009).

Secondly, another fundamental distinction between these two was the way the writing instruc-tion and input was provided. While the traditional method relies solely on textbook, handoutsas well as oral discussions held in class, the students who participated in IQ-Write Programuses IQ-WCG which also helped them to utilize the learning tools and resources in this onlineprogram. Therefore, not only do they find IQ-WCG to be useful in helping them to write crit-ically, but they also find the program itself to be more interesting and challenging. This findingsupports Krashen (1985) Affective Filter Theory of the need to use meaningful and interestingteaching techniques and activities as language learners learn best through such instructions.Moreover, many scholars also support writing instructions via online which they believe aremore flexible and suitable with the needs of present tertiary students who value and benefitmore from autonomy and online collaboration in learning (Osuna & Meskill, 1998; Felix,2001).

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Conclusion

The significant findings in the writing performance and favorable perception of the use of IQ-WCG in IQ-Write program from this study are in line with previous studies on the use of onlineESL/EFL language learning instruction in which online learning tools and resources were utilized(Aida, 1995; Mak & Mak, 1995; Shetzer, 1995; Alias & Hussin, 2002; Exline, 2004). It alsostrengthened the results of prior studies on the importance of being self-explorative, inquisitiveand to be critical when writing in order to enhance one’s writing performance (Wan HuraniOsman & Anna Lynn Abu Bakar, 2009; Noriah Ismail et al. 2010) and thus, such learningopportunity and initiatives should be provided to all ESL tertiary students.

.

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Aida, Y. (1995). Reading authentic materials found in the Internet. In M. Warschauer (Ed.),Virtual Connections (pp. 298–300). Honolulu, Hawaii: Second Language Teaching& Curriculum Center, University of Hawaii.

Alias, N., & Hussin, S. (2002). E-learning in a writing course at Tenaga National University.TEFL Web Journal, 1(3). Retrieved May 23, 2003, from http://www.teflweb-j.org/v1n3/Alias_Hussin.htm

Brown, N.T. Mc Cormack, M. & Zimmerman, R. (2009). An analysis of the research andimpact in education in developing country contexts. Journal of Education for Interna-tional Development, 4(2): 1–9.

Exline, J. (2004). Concept to Classroom: Inquiry-Based Learning. Retrieved February 12, 2010.from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/credit

Felix, U. (2001). A multivariate analysis of students’ experience of web-based learning. Proceed-ings of the ASCILITE Conference. Retrieved January 20, 2003, from http://www.as-cilite.org.au/ajet/ajet17/felix.html

Jacobs, H. Simonson, D. & Andrews, J. (1981). ESL Composition: A Practical Approach. USA:Rowley, Inc.

Krashen, S.D. (1985). The input hypothesis: Issues and Implications. New York: Longman.Lin, C.C., & Hsu, H. C. (2000). EFL Students’ perceptions of web-based reading-writing

activities. Selected Papers from the Tenth International Symposium on EnglishTeaching, 525–533.

Liou, H. C. (1997). The impact of WWW texts on EFL learning. Computer Assisted LanguageLearning, 10(5), 455–478.

Mah Boon Yih & Er Ann Nah. (2009). Measuring students’ perception of writing web logs inESL classroom employing the Technology Acceptance Model. Conference on scientificand Social research, pp. 1–9.

Mak, L., & Mak, S. (1995). What’s out there? Summarizing information from the web. In M.Warschauer (Ed.), Virtual Connections (pp. 328–329). Honolulu, Hawaii: SecondLanguage Teaching & Curriculum Center, University of Hawaii.

Ng Kui Choo. (2001). The case of comprehensible input in teaching and learning the writestuff. Proceedings of the FIFTH MELTA Biennial International Conference PetalingJaya, Malaysia, pp. 11–21.

Nor Aslah Adzmi. (2009). The academic English language needs of industrial design studentsin UiTM Kedah, Malaysia. English Language Teaching, 2(4): 717–718.

Noriah Ismail, Sumarni Maulan & NorHaniza Hassan. (2008). The impact of teacher feedbackon ESL students’ writing performance. Jurnal Akademik UiTM Johor, 8(1): 45–54.

Noriah Ismail, Suhaidi Elias, Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri, P Dhayapari Perumal & IndraniMuthusamy. (2010). Exploring ESL Students’ Apprehension Level and Attitude To-wards Academic Writing. The International Journal of Learning, 17(6): 475–783.

Osuna, M. M., & Meskill, C. (1998). Using the World Wide Web to integrate Spanish languageand culture: A pilot study. Language Learning & Technology, 1(2), 71–92.

Raimes, A. (1991). Out of the woods: emerging traditions in the teaching of writing. TESOLQuarterly, 25(1): 11–15.

Rankin-Brown, M. (2006). Addressing writing apprehension in adult English language learners.Proceeding of CATESOL State Conference 2006, pp. 1–7.

Reid, J. M. (1993). Teaching ESL Writing. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents.Saadiyah Darus. (2008).A Framework for a Computer-Based EssayMarking System: Specifically

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Shetzer, H. (1995). Yohoo! Information-gathering activity and composition. In M. Warschauer,(Ed.), Virtual connections (pp. 280–283). Honolulu, Hawaii: Second LanguageTeaching & Curriculum Center, University of Hawaii.

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Tan, B.H., Emerson, L., & White, C. (2006). Reforming ESL writing instruction in tertiaryeducation: The writing centre approach. The English Teacher. 25: 1–14.

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Appendix 1: IQ-Write Program

Appendix 2: Guide Sheet 1-ASK and Guide Sheet 2-FOCUS

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Noriah Ismail: Noriah Ismail is a senior lecturer at MARA University of Technology Malaysia.Her research interests include CALL andd ESL writing.

Assoc. Prof. Supyan Hussin: Supyan Hussin is an Associate Professor at the School of Languageand Linguistics, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.He is also the Head of E-Community Research Center, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Hisarea of specialization is language education and technology. http://supyanhussin.wordpress.com

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saadiyah Darus:Associate Professor Dr. Saadiyah Darus: Her work is publishedin international as well as Malaysian journals. One of her published paper is currently beingused as a required text for Master in Professional Studies at the Faculty of Arts, the Universityof Auckland, New Zealand.

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