Approaches to Composition Writing: The Case of Junior Secondary Schools in Botswana

Abstract

This investigation aims at identifying the approaches teachers in junior secondary schools utilize in the teaching of English composition writing and assesses how far the approaches impact students’ development of effective writing skills. It also discusses the challenges/advantages posed by the use of such approaches in writing pedagogy. The study utilizes the qualitative technique through interviews, observations, literature reviews, examination of documents and students’ artifacts. Based on the methodologies employed, the major findings are that teachers mainly used the product oriented approach to teaching composition writing. As a result of the approach, the teachers were confronted with students’ inability to write in any meaningful way as a result of surface level errors, lack of ideas/vocabulary, lack of organization skills and students’ inability to compose effectively among other problems. On the part of students, they were found to have poor writing skills reflected in their inability to compose, lack of ideas and vocabulary and general apathy to composition writing which is a disadvantage if students are to become effective communicators in an increasingly globalized world.

Key Words: Product writing, process writing, reading/writing connection, modeling.