An Investigation into the Use of the Process Approach to Teach Essay Writing to Undergraduate Students at FLSL

Abstract

Abstract: This study set out to explore the process writing approach as a more viable method of teaching essay-writing to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) second year students at FLSL. This research used the mixed methods approach. In the qualitative part, an interview was used. The interview participants provided an understanding of FLSL English second year students’ essay-writing problems, the causes of their lack of proficiency and their areas of difficulty. Different major themes emerged from the interview data that explained respondents’ perceptions about the students’ writing difficulties. The quantitative part of the study used the quasi-experimental design. The researchers used essay tests to collect quantitative data. Again, the researchers did the intervention. Data revealed that the EFL second year students’ writing problems included Grammar, Reading and vocabulary. The analysis of the students’ essay written scripts revealed that the students made great improvement in their essay-writing as a result of their exposure to process writing approach. It was found that the use of the process approach can help EFL students in Mali enhance their writing performance. In the post-test students produce better written texts than they did in the pre-test. In fact, the results of the post-test also showed that the students made good progress in terms of grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and organization of ideas. Based on the findings of the study, it was finally recommended that the process approach be used as a dominant method of instruction in essay writing classes. Keywords: EFL Writing, Effectiveness, Essay, Performance, Process Approach.