ABSTRACT
The ability to achieve communicative competence in writing is a major facet of language development and academic success among students at all levels of the education system. However, learning to master essay writing skills is a problem students face in secondary schools. This has been consistently shown by the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Educa- tion (KCSE) examination results in English, as noted by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) reports. The purpose of this study was to investigate challenges stu- dents face in learning essay writing skills in English language in secondary schools in Manga district, Nyamira County, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to: determine methods teachers use in teaching essay writing skills, investigate challenges students face in learning essay writing skills, establish strategies students employ in learning essay writing skills .The study was based on the process genre approach theoret- ical model for teaching writing skills as advanced by Badger and White (2000). A de- scriptive survey research design was adopted in this study. The target population was English language teachers and form three students in Manga district. Stratified random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used in selecting the sample for the study. Thus, a sample of 180 students and 10 teachers of English language were used as the respondents of the study. Data was collected by the use of a questionnaire for stu- dents, interview schedule for teachers and an essay writing test for students. The validity and reliability of the instruments were established through a pilot study and the input of experts in the area under study. Quantitative data collected was analyzed using descrip- tive statistical techniques, which involved percentages, frequencies, and the mean while qualitative data was thematically analyzed. The research findings indicated that common methods teachers use in teaching essay writing skills are: lecture, question and answer and teacher demonstration. However, group work, peer teaching and role play which have been proven to enhance learning of writing skills among other methods were the least used. The results further revealed that major challenges students face in learning es- say writing skills include: inadequate content mastery, incorrect use of grammar, first language (L1) interference, limited vocabulary and inadequate teaching and learning re- sources. The results also showed that most of the students do not frequently use interac- tive learning strategies. In view of these findings, it was established that teaching meth- ods and learning strategies used by both teachers and students influence the learning of L2 writing skills. Recommendations based on the study were made to enable curriculum developers, policy makers and teachers to come up with strategies to address the chal- lenges students face in the learning of L2 writing skills.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Introduction
This chapter deals with the background of the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, significance of the study, scope and limitations, assump- tions, theoretical and conceptual framework based on the study.
Background to the study
The ability to achieve communicative competence in writing is a major facet of language development and academic success among students at all levels of the education system. Writing is considered the most important skill that students require in order to enhance their personal development and academic success (Mukulu et al. 2006). In addition, Ad- ams and Keene (2000) note that learning to master writing skills can help students to deal successfully with their academic demands and to perform effectively in their disciplines and professional contexts. In the academic context, students are required to produce spe- cific writing genres such as essays, summaries and reports (Dudley-Evans, 2001).
However, learning to write in a first (L1), second (L2) or foreign language (FL) seems to be the most difficult skill for language learners to acquire in academic contexts (Negari, 2012). Similarly, Richards (2008) notes that learning to write in either first or second language is one of the most difficult tasks students encounter and one that few people can be said to fully master. Kroll (2003) also observes that writing is a complex process that
involves the mastery of multiple skills that contribute to the overall difficulty of writing
for any language user. Thus, it is a challenging and difficult skill for both native and non- native speakers to acquire. According to Hyland (2003), writing requires composing, which implies the ability either to tell pieces of information in the form of narratives or description, or transform information into new texts, as in expository or argumentative writing. Therefore, it is viewed as a continuum of activities that range from the more me- chanical or formal aspects of writing to the more complex act of composing.
Tangpermpoon (2008) points out that when compared with other language skills of listen- ing, speaking and reading, writing is the most difficult skill to learn because it requires writers to have a great deal of lexical and syntactic knowledge as well as principles of organization in L2 to produce a good written text. On the other hand, Myles (2002) ob- serves that the ability to write well is not naturally acquired from the environment through exposure to the language. He argues that writing is learned or culturally transmit- ted as a set of practices in formal instructional setting. Similarly, Byrne (2000) notes that writing is learned through a process of instruction in which the student is expected to master the written form of the language and to learn certain structures that are not com- mon in speech but which are vital for effective written communication. He further ob- serves that conscious effort must be made to equip language learners with writing skills which will enable them to organize their ideas so that a reader who is not present and even known to them can understand. In addition, Hyland (2002) asserts that writing is an activity which must be mastered in order for students to express their ideas effectively in writing. Therefore, it is imperative for teachers to help students to learn writing skills that
will enable them express themselves appropriately and effectively in L2 writing.
According to Ong’ondo (2001) there are two broad categories of writing namely func- tional and creative. Functional writing involves writing of letters, minutes, reports, notic- es, speeches, book reviews, and memorandum among others. On the other hand, creative writing is concerned with the ability either to tell or retell pieces of information in the form of narration, description and can also be used to transform information into new texts such as in exposition and argumentative writing. The study focused on creative writ- ing with the specific aim of investigating challenges that students face in learning essay writing skills. Writing skills that are necessary for the two categories of writing have been grouped by Gathumbi and Masembe (2005) into two classes: basic and advanced. Basic skills involve good handwriting, proper spelling and correct punctuation. Advanced skills are those related to proper organization of ideas, correct use of grammar and originality of expression. They further observe that in a second language learning situation, writing skills are the most difficult to master. In addition, Graham and Perin (2007) claim that a well written essay focuses on the topic and has an organizational pattern that enables a reader to follow the flow of ideas. It also contains supporting ideas that are developed through the use of examples, appropriate vocabulary and follows the conventions of standard written English language such as correct spelling, capitalization and sentence structure.
In Kenya, English language is learnt and taught as a second language and it is also the country’s official language, as well as the Language of Instruction (LOI) in schools, col- leges and universities. Assessment of students’ achievement in English language and oth- er subjects in the curriculum is done through writing. Writing is also a skill that draws
from other language skills of listening, speaking and reading. Kenya Institute of Curricu- lum Development (KICD), formerly known as Kenya Institute of Education (KIE), Eng- lish language syllabus (2002), writing is recognized as an advanced language skill that has wide ranging implications for the way we think and learn. Writing also encourages learners to be organized, logical and creative in their thinking. Society demands that learners should be helped to acquire skills that will enable them to express their ideas clearly and effectively. It is because of this that the syllabus singles out the ability to write well as essential in influencing students’ chances of success, personal development and relations with other people. It is further emphasized in the syllabus that there is need to encourage learners to achieve competence in writing using language structures they have learnt. The learning objectives pertaining to writing as spelt out in the syllabus in- clude the ability to: write clearly and correctly for a wide variety of purposes and func- tions, use effectively the main structures of English language by writing logically and co- herently on a given topic, demonstrate acceptable habits both in spoken and written communication among others.
The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) (2006) spells out that learners are re- quired to write essays based on the set books. However, essay writing is an area that has received frequent criticism. One particular concern has been with persistent students’ er- rors in the KCSE English essay writing examination. The KNEC report for the year 2008 results noted that most students wrote essays that were irrelevant, sketchy and gave dis- mal accounts. Candidates also made frequent construction errors, hence making their es- says minimally intelligible. This is an observation that has persisted to the present day.
