WELCOME TO KENTERPRO:
ASSESSMENT OF PRODUCT AND PROCESS APPROACHES IN COMPOSITION TEACHING AND LEARNING IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BOKKOS LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Writing is a dynamic and intricate process that serves as a fundamental medium of communication and self-expression. It involves the creation of written texts using symbols such as letters, words, and punctuation marks to convey ideas, thoughts, and information. Writing encompasses diverse genres, such as narratives, essays, reports, and poetry, each with its distinct characteristics and purposes. It fulfils various functions, including the preservation of knowledge, history, and stories, allowing for the exchange of information and ideas across cultures and societies. Writing also acts as a tool for personal exploration, reflection, and creativity, enabling individuals to articulate their innermost thoughts, emotions, and experiences (Udofia, 2015). In professional and academic contexts, writing serves as a means to demonstrate expertise, present arguments, and engage in scholarly discourse.

The writing process involves several stages that guide the creation of a well-crafted piece. It begins with prewriting activities like brainstorming and outlining, facilitating the generation and organization of ideas. Drafting follows, where writers translate their thoughts into written form, constructing paragraphs and structuring the content. Revising is an essential step that entails reviewing and refining the draft for clarity, coherence, and effectiveness (Alaba, 2012). Editing focuses on rectifying grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors to ensure accuracy and precision. Lastly, proofreading ensures the final text is free from mistakes or oversights.

Writing skills encompass a broad range of abilities, such as vocabulary usage, grammar proficiency, sentence construction, organization, and style. Effective writing requires clarity, conciseness, coherence, and an awareness of the intended audience. Writers must consider the purpose of their writing, adapt their language and tone accordingly, and employ rhetorical strategies to engage and persuade readers. The advent of technology has revolutionized the concept of writing, providing new platforms and tools that enhance the writing experience (Oyewo, 2013). Word processors, online platforms, and social media have extended the reach and accessibility of writing, enabling instant communication, collaborative writing, and the creation of digital content.

            Approaches to writing encompass a variety of methods, perspectives, and strategies that writers employ to plan, compose, and revise their work. These approaches include the product approach, which emphasizes a polished and error-free final document through careful editing, adherence to conventions, and a structured process (Owolabi, 2017). The process approach, on the other hand, places greater emphasis on the stages and steps involved in writing, including brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing, fostering creativity, collaboration, and an iterative mindset. The rhetorical approach focuses on effectively employing rhetoric principles to analyze and adapt to audience, purpose, and context, utilizing ethos, pathos, and logos to create persuasive writing. The genre approach recognizes the conventions and expectations associated with specific writing genres, tailoring the writing style, structure, and purpose to effectively communicate within those genres. The cognitive approach delves into the mental processes of writing, including idea generation, organization, problem-solving, and decision-making, utilizing techniques like outlining and freewriting. According to Ezeanya (2011) the social approach acknowledges the social and cultural contexts of writing, considering audience expectations, social norms, and cultural values, shaping language use and rhetorical strategies. Lastly, the expressive approach emphasizes self-expression, encouraging writers to convey their thoughts, emotions, and experiences through creativity and individuality. These approaches are not mutually exclusive and can be blended based on the specific writing context, goals, and audience, allowing writers to evolve and adapt their approach over time to effectively communicate and achieve their desired impact.

The product approach to writing places its primary focus on the end result, valuing a polished and error-free document, particularly in formal or academic contexts. According to Ibrahim (2015) this method emphasizes the production of a well-structured, coherent, and grammatically correct piece of writing. Writers employing this approach dedicate significant attention to elements like clarity, organization, tone, and overall effectiveness. They often undertake multiple rounds of editing and revising to refine their work, meticulously checking for grammar and spelling errors, reorganizing paragraphs, and ensuring proper citation and formatting. Adherence to established rules and conventions of writing is highly valued within the product approach, encompassing standard grammar, punctuation, citation styles, and formatting guidelines (Jegede & Olajide, 2017). Additionally, writers utilizing this approach tend to follow a planned and structured writing process, engaging in prewriting activities such as brainstorming, outlining, and creating drafts, all in the pursuit of producing a meticulously crafted and polished document.

The process approach to writing places a greater emphasis on the various stages and steps involved in the act of writing. It acknowledges that writing is a multifaceted and evolving process, encompassing activities such as brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing (Kukah, 2010). Writers utilizing this approach prioritize understanding and engaging in the steps required for effective writing, including generating ideas, organizing thoughts, crafting initial versions, and refining content based on feedback and self-reflection. The process approach encourages exploration and creativity, empowering writers to explore different ideas, experiment with various writing techniques, and take risks. It recognizes that early drafts may not be flawless and allows room for experimentation and improvement. Collaboration and feedback are integral to the process approach, as writers actively seek input from peers, instructors, or editors to gain diverse perspectives, identify areas for enhancement, and refine their writing. According to Uko (2012) this iterative and flexible approach acknowledges that writing is an ongoing journey, with writers going through multiple drafts and revisions, continuously honing their work through feedback and self-reflection. The choice between the product and process approaches depends on the specific writing task’s purpose, audience, and expectations. While a product-oriented approach suits formal and professional writing, the process approach finds its strength in creative and exploratory writing endeavors.

It is in the light of the above discussion that this present study aims at making a comparative analysis of students’ performance in process and product approaches in written composition in selected secondary school in Bokkos local government area

• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The percentage of pupils who don’t pass their English classes or their standardised tests is a source of increasing anxiety over the course of several years. This percentage of failure has been blamed on the students, instructors, and several other players in the school system. On the other hand, there has been very little focus placed on the various methods of instruction.

The product approach is the type of pedagogy that is most commonly utilised in secondary schools for the purpose of instructing students in writing. The majority of educators do not bother themselves with the process that is involved in writing; instead, they just provide a model for students to mimic, after which students generate a result. It is no surprise that we wind up generating “copy and paste graduates,” people who are unable to come up with their own ideas and would rather replicate things that have previously been created (Iliya, 2017).

It is in the light of the above that this study seeks to make a comparative analysis of students’ performance in process and product approach in written composition in selected Secondary School in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

• PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The main purpose of this study is to make a comparative analysis of students’ performance in the process and product approaches in written composition in selected secondary schools in Bokkos Local Government Area. Other specific objectives of the study are to:

1. examine the difference in performance of students who were exposed to process approach and those who were exposed to product approach in organization.
2. determine the difference in the performance of students who were exposed to process approach and those who were exposed to product approach in content.
3. find out the difference in the performance of students who were exposed to process approach and those who were exposed to product approach in mechanical accuracy.
4. determine the extent to which process approach strategies have effects on students’ performance in idea expression.
5. Suggest solutions to senior secondary school students’ challenges in composition writing.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study was guided by the following research questions:

1. What is the difference in performance of students who were exposed to process approach and those who were exposed to product approach in organization?
2. What is the difference in the performance of students who were exposed to process approach and those who were exposed to product approach in content?
3. What is the difference in the performance of students who were exposed to process approach and those who were exposed to product approach in mechanical accuracy?
4. What is the extent to which process approach and conventional writing strategies have effects on students’ performance in idea expression?
5. What are the solutions to senior secondary school students’ challenges in composition writing?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Students, educators, curriculum planners and developers in ministries of education and future researchers will all benefit from the findings of this study.

Students will benefit from the findings of this study since using a process and product approaches in the teaching of writing will aid to strengthen students’ recall of how a standard piece of writing should be composed, which will boost students’ performance. The findings will also help students develop a greater interest in writing, learn and improve scientific abilities that will aid them in their job choice, particularly secretarial jobs, journalism, etc., and will benefit them.

The results of this research will be useful to English teachers since they will provide guidance on how to select an acceptable method of teaching writing that is able to alleviate the anxiety that students have in relation to the topic. They will stimulate teachers to develop an interest in using varied techniques such as peer-writing and repeated drafts methods in teaching writing and selecting suitable teaching methods that will be a possible means towards decreasing failure in English language. They will also motivate teachers to pick appropriate teaching methods that can reduce failure in English language.

The outcomes of this study will also assist those who are responsible for creating the curriculum, as a result of which the use of process approaches as ways of teaching writing will be promoted.

When it is finished, the study will act as a reference source for potential future researchers who are interested in conducting research on the same subject.

The findings of this study may also be used to the advantage of the Federal Ministry of Education, which can profit by using the findings to involve teachers and administrators in training programmes that can mimic these writing techniques..

1.6 DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The researcher is aware of other writing challenges, existing methods and other problems in writing as a skill. However, the present study is limited to a comparative analysis of students’ performance in process and product approach in written composition. It is restricted to selected secondary schools in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. However, despite the fact that the study is restricted to the selected Local Government Area, its findings will be generic or it can be generalized to other parts of the state and country at large.