EFFECTS OF INDIRECT FEEDBACK ON SENIOR STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN NARRATIVE WRITING IN SELECTED SCHOOLS IN PANKSHIN LGA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The role of English Language in Nigeria is prominent. It could be rightly described as the pivot on which the international and integrational lives of the people of Nigeria revolve. Unlike the indigenous languages, the English Language does not engender any ethnic hostility; rather, it ensures peaceful co-existence in Nigeria’s diversity (Farinde, 2002; Olayemi, 2007; Akinbode, 2006). From the foregoing, English Language has since assumed an uncompromising position in Nigeria’s administration and government as the official language. To further stress the importance, the National Policy on Education (NPE) (2013) stated that English should be as a school subject for the first three years of primary education and as the language of instruction from the fourth year in primary school. Also, according to the policy, every child should be made to study English and any two Nigerian languages other than those being spoken in the environment of the junior and secondary schools.In order to achieve these objectives, instructional practices in the Senior Secondary English Language classroom focus on fundamental areas, such as writing.

Writing is foundational to success in academics, in the work place and in the global economy. In an increasingly demanding world of literacy, the importance of ensuring students’ proficiency in writing can never be overemphasized. The ability to write well, hitherto a luxury is now a dire necessity (Gallagher, 2006). Writing is vital to students’ developing literacy skills. In light of this, teaching learners to write well should be top priority of a worthwhile education system. Gallagher observed that a school that teaches its children the curriculum without concurrently teaching them how to write well is a school that has failed.

To Yiljep (2018) writing skill is the fourth and last of all the language skills. It is generally termed as the most difficult and complicated skills to master. The first two skills tend to come naturally especially in L1 situation. It is an expressive skill. It is a viable medium of communication to readers, whatever the writer wants to convey. The same author further defines writing as an assemblage of sentences in such a way as to produce a meaningful account of an object or an event. Unlike speaking which is learned informally, naturally and unconsciously from the beginning, writing requires conscious and formal effort to learn.

However, students’ writing over the years has taken a downward trend which has continuously reflected in their performance both in internal and external examinations. Eyengho and Fawole (2013) reported a consistent decline in the way students write as exemplified in the various errors they commit in their written work or essays. The authors stated that candidates’ expressions are generally poor and their range of vocabulary is limited. Therefore, students’ poor writing skill has been identified as a major factor in students’ poor performance in English Language examinations. Babalola and Akande (2002) pointed to the fact that students’ writing (especially those who are second learners of English Language (L2) e.g. Nigerian students) should be properly corrected. It is a general consensus among language experts that making/committing errors is a necessary and natural process in language learning (Eyengho & Fawole, 2013). Apart from this, other studies point to the fact that the teachers’ pedagogical strategies are often in contrast with the learners’ expectation (Peacock, 2001 and Hawkey, 2006). This is where the language teacher is an important variable in ensuring that the strategy he/she adopts enhances students’ writing skill (Scheen,2007).

Yingliang (2008) observed that for over 10 years the debate on error correction has continued. The debate has to do with the issue of using error correction to improve students’ writing accuracy. Truscott (2007) viewed error correction as not only useless but also harmful to the accuracy in students’ writing. However, a number of studies on error correction in L2 essays have revealed that students receiving error correction from teachers improve in accuracy overtime (Chandler, 2003 and Hyland, 2003). Error correction is a crucial aspect in the writing process. Through the corrections students receive from the language teachers, learners come to distinguish for themselves whether they are performing well or not. Indirect error correction technique occurs when the teacher indicates that an error has been made but leaves it to the students to solve the problem, and correct the errors (Ferris, 2002; Hartshorn, 2008). Indirect error technique takes the form of underlining and coding (or description) of errors by the teacher.

Though most learners want and expect their essays to be corrected by their teachers, there is evidence to suggest that they tend to prefer the direct metalinguistic technique over the indirect technique (Ferris and Roberts, 2001). However, there appears to be some evidence that suggest that indirect error correction technique may result in accuracy levels of the students’ essays (Ferris & Helt, 2000). The technique being adopted by a majority of English Language teachers in senior secondary schools in Nigeria for correcting students’ writing errors is the conventional method. Conventional method is the technique of teaching that sees the teacher as the ultimate disseminator of knowledge with the students as spectators, with no active participation in the classroom. In other terms, it is regarded as the traditional method of teaching. This technique may not have been yielding the needed results as regards improving students essay writing skill. In order to assist secondary school students to write properly and meaningfully, it is important to find out which technique is more effective in correcting students writing.

In teaching English as a second language, teacher feedback on errors in writing cannot be avoided. Hyland (2006) stated that providing feedback is one of the most important tasks for an ESL teacher. Teacher feedback is expected to help the students to decrease or even eliminate some errors that appear in their writing. Teacher feedback in the writing process is expected to give significance grammatical errors which occur in the writing. the process of revising drafts in a writing process. Meanwhile, it is rare for teacher in Nigeria to provide feedback in the writing process. The teachers tend to focus on the writing result without guiding the students in the process of writing. It is noted by Purwandari (2012) in her research about narrative essay writing, she mentioned that teacher role is not optimal in guiding the students in the writing process and the teacher also does not provide appropriate example or writing technique before conducting writing activity.

The present study is therefore geared towards determining the effects of indirect feedback on senior students’ performance in narrative essay writing in selected secondary schools in Pakshin Local Government Area of Plateau State.

• Statement of the Problem

Over the years, there is a growing concern over the rate of failure of students’ writing in internal and external examinations. This rate of failure has been blamed on the teachers, students and other education stakeholders. However, less attention has been paid to the types of teachers’ feedback. Most of these students induct rules about writing which affect them. If the teacher does not tell the students where they are getting it all wrong in writing, this problem of poor performance in writing will not be surmounted.

Teacher feedback in writing is important as the students get to know where they are making mistakes. Most teachers are not concerned with feedback. No wonder we end up producing “copy and paste graduates” who cannot generate their own ideas, but prefer to copy of works which are already made (Iliya, 2017).

It is in the light of the above that this study seeks to examining the effects of indirect feedback on senior students’ performance in narrative writing in selected secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area.

• Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to determine the effects of indirect feedback on senior students’ performance in narrative writing in selected secondary schools in Pankshin Local Government Area. Other specific objectives of the study are:

1. To determine the difference in the pretest performance of students who are exposed to indirect feedback and those are not exposed to it.
2. To determine the difference in the posttest performance of students who are exposed to indirect feedback and those are not exposed to it.
3. To determine the difference in the posttest performance of male and female students who are exposed to indirect feedback.
   • Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1. What is the difference in the pretest performance of students who are exposed to indirect feedback and those are not exposed to it?
2. What is the difference in the posttest performance of students who are exposed to indirect feedback and those are not exposed to it?

• What is the difference in the posttest performance of male and female students who are exposed to indirect feedback?

• Research Hypotheses

H₀₁: There is no significant difference in the pretest performance of students who are exposed to indirect feedback and those are not exposed to it.

H₀₂:There is no significant difference in the posttest performance of students who are exposed to indirect feedback and those are not exposed to it.

H₀₃:There is no significant difference in the posttest performance of male and female students who are exposed to indirect feedback.

• Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will be of benefit to students, teachers, curriculum planners/developers, Ministry of Education and future researchers.

Students will also benefit from the findings of this study as the use of indirect feedback in the teaching of writing will boost their achievement and help to increase their retention of how a standard piece of writing should be written. The findings will also help them to develop more interest in writing, acquire and develop scientific skills which will help them in their career choice particularly those careers geared towards being secretaries, journalists, etc.

The findings of this study will be of benefit to teachers of English as they will help teachers in choosing appropriate teaching writing technique capable of releasing students’ tension toward the subject. They will motivate teachers to develop interest in utilizing different techniques like indirect feedback in teaching writing and selecting suitable teaching methods that will be a possible means towards reducing failure in English language.

The findings of this study will also benefit curriculum planners in curriculum planning, as using indirect feedback will be encouraged in the teaching of writing.

The study when completed, will serve as a reference material to future researchers who will want to carry out a research under the same topic.

The Federal Ministry of Education can also benefit by using the findings of this study to engage teachers and administrators in training programmes that can model this teaching writing technique.

• Scope and 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 covers effects of indirect feedback on senior students’ performance in narrative writing. It is restricted to selected secondary schools in Pankshin 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.