The Scope of Product Approach and Process Approach Practised by ESL Pre-Service Teachers as Writing Instructions

Abstract

Teaching writing has always been an enigmatic task especially for English as a second language (ESL) teachers albeit various efforts and research conducted to improve the outcome. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the preferred strategies adopted by the pre-service teachers with regard to applying two predominant writing approaches (product approach and process approach) in selected primary schools in Malaysia. 10 pre-service teachers participated in this qualitative study. The participants were observed while teaching writing in classrooms. Their reflective journals were collected to study their views in detail. In addition, the participants were interviewed. All data were analyzed where the emerging themes were categorized according to the strategies involved in product approach and process approach. The study revealed that more strategies of product approach including familiarization, controlled writing and guided writing were practised widely by the pre-service teachers. However, the strategies of process approach such as brainstorming, mind mapping and final draft were applied moderately. Thus, this study recommends teachers to include more important strategies such as free writing (product approach) and drafting and editing (process approach) in writing instructions which could provide more in-class writing opportunities for students and produce more competent independent writers.