The influence of Process Approach on English as second language Students' performances in essay writing

Abstract

This study examined the influence of Process Approach on English as second language Students' performances in essay writing. The purpose was to determine how far this current global approach could be of assistance to the writing skill development of these bilingual speakers of English language. The study employed the pre-test post-test control quasi-experimental research design. The sample consisted of 80 senior secondary school final year students. The research material included the senior secondary school English Language recommended textbook, National Examination Council (NECO) and West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) English Language Syllabi, Federal Ministry of Education English Language Curriculum, English-Language Teachers' Lesson Notes and Students Essay Writing Exercise books. The West African Examinations Council's (WAEC) English Language Essay Question as an adapted instrument was used to gather data. The data generated were subjected to statistical analysis and the results of the analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the pre-test scores of both the Control and the Experimental group which indicated the homogenous state of both Control and Experimental groups. There was significant difference in the post-test scores of the Experimental and the Control groups. There was no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the students in Control group. As evident from the out-come of the research, the Process Approach (which presents writing in multiple drafts before the final writing) had significant effect on students' overall performance in essay writing.