M.Ed. (Educational Linguistics) / This study focuses on the pedagogy of essay-writing in five randomly chosen rural Northern Province senior secondary schools. The aim of the research was to investigate the low standard of essay-writing of ten English Second Language Standard 10 students from the five schools. The case study design which included mostly qualitative methods was used for data collection. The qualitative research methodology was applied by the researcher in order to look closely at the research sample through interviews and the 'raw' data of the essays. The rationale for the study was that students in rural Northern Province schools produce a low standard of essays, and that this presupposes that these students lack the knowledge about and language skills. The theoretical background was derived from literature on second language learning, with special emphasis on writing. It was concluded from the theory framework constructed that both the students and the teachers in rural areas probably lack the skills needed to improve both the learning and teaching of essay writing. The research sample consisted of ten students who were interviewed and whose essays were collected for later analysis. In addition, five teachers were also interviewed and one was observed teaching essay-writing. The essays indicated that the students' grammar and other writing skills were limited, that the type of topics given to them were mainly too abstract and removed from their life experience, and that the teachers concentrated mostly on error-correction, and not on the content, when marking the students' essays. In the final analysis, a model on 'teaching expository writing' is presented as a guideline for teachers in one area of essay-writing.

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Magister Educationis - MEd / The aim of this study was to determine the effects of continuous assessment within the written curriculum in a grade 5 class with Afrikaans as first language. / South Africa

Research in written composition in first language (L1) has undergone a major paradigm shift from interest in product to interest in processes experienced by writers as they compose. Changes in instructional approaches have begun to follow: in many L1 classrooms a variety of process or workshop approaches to the teaching of writing have been implemented. Second language (12) composing research and instruction are also undergoing a similar paradigm shift— with some reservations about the value of implementing a process or workshop approach in the second language classroom. The question now being asked is, "How effective are the various process/workshop approaches in the 12 classroom situation?" The current study, building upon mother-tongue research as well as the mainly case study research which provided the foundation of the English as a second language (ESL) literature on composing, examines the effects of a process or workshop approach on the writing performance of adult English as a second language learners. In addition, the study investigates certain biodemographic variables such as first language, and an affective variable, attitudes toward writing, all of which were hypothesized to interact with the treatment. This study is a controlled experiment in which the treatment consisted of instruction in writing using a workshop format. Two pre- and posttest measures-informal (classroom conditions) and formal (test conditions) writing tests-were used to ascertain writing growth. On each test overall scores were analysed as well as two sub scores, one for content and organization, and one for structure and mechanics. In addition, a pre-instruction background survey was given to elicit information on seven biodemographic variables, and a post-instruction survey on attitudes toward writing was administered. Results were mixed. For writing quality, only results obtained on the formal (test-like) measure were significant or near significant in favor of the treatment, the workshop approach. Of the biodemographic variables, only length of time in an English-speaking environment could be interpreted because of a cell distribution problem: it may be that those students with less than two years in a second language environment benefit more from the workshop approach than students with more time and experience in their adopted culture. Regarding attitudes toward writing, the workshop group showed significantly more positive attitudes than the product group. In addition, the content of responses to an open-ended question about writing revealed differences between the two conditions. The workshop students' comments showed awareness of (1) writing as communication and (2) writing as a process requiring time for the development, revision, and editing of ideas and language. These findings indicate that this variety of workshop approach may offer a viable alternative to product-oriented instruction. The formal (test conditions) measure suggests that the workshop may be of benefit in helping students improve their writing, particularly the content and organization aspects. Results from the attitude survey imply that students in the writing workshop are receptive to this approach and that they exhibit more positive attitudes toward writing than do students in the product group. If attitude is indeed the key to improved motivation and performance, as many suggest, these results have important implications for the L2 classroom. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

Writing is an important life skill that all students need in order to succeed in today's society. However, proficient writing skills develop over time, requiring years of quality instruction combined with motivation, encouragement, and lots of practice. School-wide writing is an approach that provides specific writing instruction in a consistent manner across all grade levels, allowing students to develop increasingly complex writing skills and strategies over time. Implementation of programs, such as school-wide writing, requires teachers to transfer new understandings and skills from the training room to the classroom as well as efforts to sustain the program over time. This multiple case study examines the characteristics of an elementary school-wide writing program that was introduced in the field by local teachers and transferred five years later to another school in the same district. The study also examines factors affecting the transfer and sustainability of the program during the second year of implementation. Findings from the study indicate that the elements of school-wide writing transferred from School 1 to School 2 at a low road level of transfer. Factors affecting transfer included inquiry, ongoing training, support systems, authentic writing experiences, and time. Factors contributing to sustainability included ongoing support, accountability, communication, positive feelings, time, and individuality.

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Supra-rational theories for the writing teacher -- Inspiration, intuition, emotion -- Irrationality and writing.