Study of Teacher's Practices of Using the Process versus Product Approaches in Teaching Writing Skills: The Case of Mizan and Aman Secondary Schools

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to investigate Grade Nine English teachers' practices in using the process versus the product approaches in teaching writing skills. To achieve this objective, the research was designed with descriptive method, and a mixed-method approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative research methods, was used. The subjects of the study were 26 Grade 9 English language teachers (8 males and 18 females) from Mizan and Aman Secondary Schools. Comprehensive sampling techniques were employed to select all Grade 9 teachers for the study. Questionnaires consisting of close-ended items were distributed to all sample teachers. Additionally, teacher interviews and classroom observations were conducted to gather supplementary data . Classrooms from each school were observed for three days to ensure sufficient data collection. Specifically, three sections from Mizan Secondary School and three sections from Aman Secondary School were included in the observation process.The data collected through the questionnaires were categorized and presented in various tables for ease of understanding, with percentages used for analysis. The interview and observation data were narrated or quoted to substantiate the questionnaire findings. The comparison between the process and product approaches revealed that teachers overwhelmingly favored the product approach over the process approach, with the latter being largely absent in their teaching practices. The study further identified that factors such as a lack of student interest in learning writing skills, low teacher commitment, insufficient feedback provided by teachers, time constraints, and high teacher workloads hindered the implementation of the process approach. Additionally, it was noted that the Communicative Approach was not adequately integrated into teaching writing. Based on these findings, it is recommended that schools provide ongoing professional development to help teachers implement the process approach in their writing instruction and address challenges such as teacher workload and student motivation.