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IMPACT OF COLLABORATIVE WRITING STRATEGIES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN EXPOSITORY ESSAY WRITING IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN JOS NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Many factors have been adduced for students’ inability to write effectively at the secondary level. These include use of inappropriate teaching methods and approaches.  Many strategies have been used in teaching and learning essay writing, yet students’ performance is low. Writing is taught as a product with heavy emphasis on mechanical accuracy and the final product of writing. Khan, Javaid and Farooq (2015) viewed such classes as usually dull and as such, teachers and students view writing as an uphill task. Students are just given topics to write on by teachers and marks are awarded accordingly without teachers’ interest in the process of what went into the production of the essay. Another problem is the inability of students to write composition that would clearly express their thoughts or ideas in such a way that all the various components of writing- content, organization, grammar, mechanics and objectives of writing would be integrated. Trotman (2010) sees writing as fundamental to success in academics, in the workplace and in the global economy.  The ability to write well, hitherto a luxury is now a dire necessity. In the light of this, teaching learners to write well should be uppermost in a worthwhile educational system.

Teachers of English language have expressed preference for teaching certain aspects of the English language syllabus of which essay writing is not one. Many students have little practice in writing essays (Adeyemi, 2012) because their teachers rarely ask them to write because the teachers judge the exercise as laborious coupled with large classes. Teachers are mandated by the educational authorities to follow strictly the National Curriculum, which does not specify especially how the content is to be taught. This practice has granted teachers enough freedom to adopt whatever strategies they like. The current practices disregard the fact that writing is an interactive activity which presupposes that learners need to know who they are interacting with and why.

Teaching essay writing is usually approached with apprehension by many teachers and students because it demands the knowledge of many skills such as grammar, style syntax and semantics in one lesson (Okonkwo, 2015). Writing is a basic tool for secondary education in Nigeria and many other parts of the world.  Writing does not come naturally as speaking but it is an activity that students and teachers cannot run away from. It must be consciously learnt and developed for it is one of the critical skills a student develops in high school.

The trend of general poor performance in English language is not peculiar to Nigerian students and schools alone. It is a worldwide phenomenon existing even in developed countries like America. Harwood in Alao (2011) complained about the poor mastery of essay writing skills in America. This situation pervades all levels of Nigeria’s educational ladder-primary, secondary and the post-secondary institutions. The reports of Grieves and Banjo were attempts by the Nigerian government to find how best to improve the teaching of English language and enhance essay writing skills. Despite these efforts, the skills of students in essay writing have not shown any improvement. Hence, there is need for rigorous training. West African Examination Council (WAEC) Chief Examiner’s Report (2019) listed poor knowledge of the rules of grammar, inability to construct good sentences, lack of teachers’ exposure to modern strategies of teaching as causes of students’ poor achievement in English. Adeosun (2006: 4) lamented the inability of students to write good compositions, noting:

Composition tests are designed to test the candidates‟ ability to use English as effective means of communication in a given situation, the ability to express oneself with clarity and coherence in a manner appropriate to the audience, purpose, topic situation, adding that most students lack variety of skills, good grasp and knowledge of basic language skills which they are expected to know effectively

  Essay writing is taught at secondary level to enable students develop writing skills to cope with their academic work, as well as develop type of writing needed both inside and outside the school situation. Students at this level depend to a large degree on extended writing skills in examinations (Adeyemi, 2012). Essay writing refers to continuous writing produced in form of any of the following: letters, speeches, articles, descriptive, persuasive, narrative and expository compositions. Increasingly, students are required to demonstrate proficiency in essay writing through planning, writing and revising an essay, summary, note taking in groups and so forth.  This study seeks to explore more modern strategies that would help provide a valuable head start to improve students essay writing thereby resulting into better grades in English especially at the senior secondary level.

  Essay writing involves more than just being able to compose correct sentences; it also involves the ability to use the lexical item appropriately in acts of communication to achieve communication ends (Alao, 2011). Evidence from students’ WAEC scripts in various subjects, shows that the skill and abilities that students need in writing, must be formally taught in order to perform the writing demands of their various subjects with some ease and some confidence. Essay writing among these students therefore deserves attention more than any other aspects of language especially at the senior secondary school, which is the target of this study. This is because there is need to prepare the students for the various writing tasks, which they would meet in their future academic pursuits.

The teaching of essay writing should take the communication approach that aims at helping the learners to manipulate language structures effectively since the essence of language is for communication. Adeyemi (2012) posited that in process approach, students are guided to plan, draft and revise their writing and are also encouraged “to learn to write” as opposed to “writing to learn”. This would facilitate their ability to form clear and correct concepts through the use of language to express their feelings, needs, ideas, knowledge and interests with exactness and precision. This is why Ogbu (2009) indicated that writing, which could be seen as the ability to produce correct forms of words and sentences is a very important skill of language acquisition. This study would examine a communicative and interactive approach that would help learners manipulate language structures effectively.

Collaborative writing strategy (CWS) is an instruction strategy that makes use of small, heterogeneous groups of students who work together to achieve common learning goals. It is a task-centred activity requiring students-to-students interaction in small groups as the structures and contents are organized and sequenced in essay writing. Individuals are responsible for their actions which include learning, respect and contributions among their peers. They extend their critical thinking and reasoning skills, which help in understanding of social interactions as they become involved, and take control of the learning process through collaborative activities (Nwakonobi & Obiagwu, 2013). It is a strategy which has been proven to culminate positive results and outcomes (Tengku Nor Rizan, 2007). Collaborative writing between and among students should be trial-tested to see how effective they are in generating healthy discussion, and learning which encourage an effective process of essay writing.

The mastery of essay writing skills is crucial since constant evaluation either formative or summative is conducted to gauge students’ acquisition of their writing skills based on their writing performance (Okonkwo, 2014). In view of the present ineffectiveness in the writing of students, the inability of the previous approaches to cater for the shortfall in writing pedagogy and the fact that writing has been a neglected area of English language teaching for some years (Siddique & Singh, 2016), the need for sound writing research now is greater than ever. The need for this research cannot be over-emphasized. There is therefore the need to undertake a research of this nature in order to explore modern strategies to the teaching of essay writing. It is against this background that this study sought to investigate the effects of collaborative writing strategy on expository essay writing of senior secondary school students in Jos North.

The ability to write effectively is an essential skill for success in academic and professional environments. Expository writing is a type of writing that explains, clarifies, or informs a particular topic. Senior secondary school students in Jos North Local Government Area are expected to develop this skill as part of their academic development. However, there is a concern that many students in the area lack the necessary skills to write coherently and effectively. Previous studies have shown that collaborative writing can improve students’ writing skills and help them develop the necessary skills to become successful writers. Collaborative writing enables students to share ideas, learn from one another, and develop a sense of community and ownership over the writing process. Despite the potential benefits of collaborative writing, there is a dearth of research examining the impact of this strategy on the expository writing skills of senior secondary school students in Jos North Local Government Area. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by investigating the impact of collaborative writing on the expository writing skills of senior secondary school students in Jos North Local Government Area.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The inspiration for this study arose from the fact that over the years, there has been   persistent rate of low performance of students in English language, especially essay writing. Students are unable to write effectively (Komolafe &Yara, 2010). This situation is not peculiar to any level, but it is more pronounced and disturbing at the secondary level because certificates are required for higher education at this level.

Considering the need to improve senior secondary students essay writing skill, it becomes necessary to explore alternative strategies of teaching essay writing. The researcher believes that if modern interactive, collaborative and participatory strategies are employed and properly implemented, this can lead to increased motivation and more positive attitude for students towards students’ essay writing tasks. This can invariably improve students’ performance in essay writing. This study therefore investigated the effects of collaborative writing strategy on students’ essay writing in senior secondary schools in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria.

1.2 Purpose of the Study

The main focus of this study was to evaluate the effects of collaborative writing strategies on the performance of students in essay writing in senior secondary schools in JosNorths.  In specific terms, the study sought to:

• Examine the difference in performance of students who were exposed to collaborative and those who were not exposed to it in organization.
• Determine the difference in the performance of students who were exposed to collaborative and those who were not exposed to it in content.
• Find out the difference in the performance of students who were exposed to collaborative and those who were not exposed to it in grammar.
• Determine the extent to which collaborative strategies have effects on students’ performance in punctuation.

1.3 Research Questions

The study was guided by the following research questions:

1. What is the difference in performance of students who were exposed to collaborative and those who were not exposed to it in organization?
2. What is the difference in the performance of students who were exposed to collaborative and those who were not exposed to it in content?

• What is the difference in the performance of students who were exposed to collaborative and those who were not exposed to it in grammar?

1. What is the extent to which collaborative and conventional writing strategies have effects on students’ performance in punctuation?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses were postulated for this study:

H₀: There is no significant difference in the performance of students who were exposed to collaborative writing strategy and those who were exposed to

1.6 Significance of the Study 

The beneficiaries of the study on the impact of collaborative writing strategy on the expository writing of senior secondary school students in Jos North Local Government Area can include various individuals and groups such as students, teachers, school administrators, curriculum planners and parents.

Students: The primary beneficiaries of the study are senior secondary school students in Jos North Local Government Area. By participating in the study and implementing collaborative writing strategies, students can improve their expository writing skills, enhance their understanding of the subject matter, and develop effective teamwork and communication skills.

Teachers: The study can benefit teachers by providing them with insights into the effectiveness of collaborative writing strategies in improving students’ expository writing abilities. It can offer them new teaching approaches and techniques to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. The findings of the study can inform their instructional practices and help them design effective writing activities and assessments.

Schools and Education Administrators: The study’s results can be valuable for schools and education administrators in Jos North Local Government Area. It can guide them in developing or refining policies related to writing instruction and collaborative learning approaches. Schools can also use the findings to make informed decisions about curriculum development, resource allocation, and professional development programs for teachers.

Curriculum Developers: The study’s outcomes can provide valuable insights for curriculum developers at the local or national level. They can incorporate collaborative writing strategies into the curriculum to enhance the writing skills of senior secondary school students across a wider context. The study can also contribute to ongoing discussions and research on effective pedagogical practices and educational reforms.

Researchers and Academics: The study can contribute to the existing body of knowledge in the field of education, specifically in the area of collaborative writing strategies and their impact on expository writing. Researchers and academics can build upon the study’s findings, conduct further investigations, and explore related aspects to deepen the understanding of effective writing instruction.

Parents and Guardians: Parents and guardians of senior secondary school students can benefit from the study by gaining awareness of the potential impact of collaborative writing strategies on their children’s writing abilities. They can support and reinforce these strategies at home, fostering a positive learning environment and assisting their children in developing essential writing skills.

1.7 Scope of the Study         

 The main thrust of this study was to investigate the effects of collaborative   writing strategies on essay writing of senior secondary school students in Jos North. Thus, this study was delimited to two teaching strategies namely: Collaborative   writing and essay writing component of the senior secondary school English curriculum.  This aspect of English is viewed as one that indicates the extent to which a student is proficient in the written language. This research while using the collaborative writing strategies to teach essay writing focused on content, organization, grammatical component and mechanical accuracy as sub-skills. This is because these aspects form part of the areas that are usually assessed in both internal and external examinations at the senior secondary level in Nigeria.  

1.8 Operational Definitions of Terms

Impact: A measure of the effect or influence of something on a particular outcome or result. In this study, impact refers to the effect that the collaborative writing strategy has on the expository writing skills of senior secondary school students in Jos North Local Government Area.

Collaborative Writing Strategy: A writing method that involves two or more individuals working together to create a written document. In this study, collaborative writing strategy refers to the approach used to teach expository writing skills to senior secondary school students in Jos North Local Government Area.

Expository Writing: A type of writing that explains or informs. In this study, expository writing refers to the specific writing skill that senior secondary school students in Jos North Local Government Area are being taught using the collaborative writing strategy.

Senior Secondary School Students: Students in the later stage of secondary education, typically between the ages of 16 and 18 years old. In this study, senior secondary school students specifically refer to those in Jos North Local Government Area.