An integrated approach to enhancing prospective English language teachers’ writing skills

Abstract

This study reports on the experience of a group of pre-service teachers of English in a compulsory writing course in the preparatory program of an English language teaching department in the Turkish context. This study specifically attempts to investigate to what extent the writing course contributes to the acquisition of basic conventions of written discourse in English when prospective teachers of English are involved in an extensive writing practice which is based upon integration of product, process and genre based approaches to writing. The study lasted for a period of 28 weeks with fifty-nine pre-service teachers of English who participated in the study. The participants studied the basic genre types which included expository writing such as classification, process, argumentation, opinion, cause and effect, compare and contrast, and narrative paragraphs and essays. The participants specifically received instruction as to the basic constituents of paragraph and essays writing; namely, organization, process, unity, coherence, word choice, language use, grammar, and mechanics which were further put into 49 observable competencies. Data were collected through an analytic assessment rubric applied to participants’ pre-study and post-study essays. In addition, participants were distributed a pre-study and a post-study self-perception questionnaire in order to evaluate any possible improvements in their writing competence. The results of the study suggest that exposing pre-service teachers of English to various genres by involving them in an extensive writing practice adds to their writing competency positively in learning the process of writing practice, organizing the text, including relevant content in the text, using language appropriately, producing correct grammar, coming up with relevant vocabulary, and following correct mechanical conventions.