Practice of Writing Skills in the Classroom
6.10 Process and Product Approach
It has been observed that most of the classes of both the levels are product oriented, and process approach does not always seem suitable in the classroom considering time constraint and resources.
6.10.1 Intervening in the Process and Helping Students
Process approach involves intervening in the process when the task carries on.
The table below reflects to what extent process approach is followed in the classroom.
Table 6.38
Intervening in the Process and Helping Students
Variable Tools Used Levels Responses Descriptive
Statistics DOM 1 2 3 4 5 Mean SD
–. 57 Intervention
when writing carries on
Teachers' Questionnaire (item 45)
SSC,
N=16 0 2 9 3 2 3.31 .873 O Level,
N=16 0 0 0 8 3 3.88 .719 Observation Checklist
(item 23)
SSC,
N=16 6 8 2 0 0 1.75 .683
–. 43 O Level,
N=16 3 8 4 1 0 2.18 .834
Source: Field Survey (Scaling: 1= Not at all; 2= Rarely; 3= Sometimes; 4= Very Often; 5= Always; SD= Standard Deviation, DOM=Difference of Mean between SSC and O Levels)
Teachers’ reply suggests that process approach is quite popular with both the levels, but observation checklist gives an opposite scenario, according to which the provision is low at the O level while it is very low at the SSC.
6.10.2 Correcting Errors when the Product is Ready
The table below shows that how these approaches are maintained at the SSC and O levels.
Table 6.39
Correcting Errors when the Product is Ready
Variable Tools Used Levels Responses Descriptive
Statistics DOM 1 2 3 4 5 Mean SD
–. 12 Product approach
in correction of errors
Teachers' Questionnaire (item 47)
SSC, N=16 0 0 1 0 15 4.88 .50 O Level,
N=16 0 0 0 0 16 5.00 .00 Observation
Checklist (item 27)
SSC, N=16 0 0 0 4 12 4.75 .447 –. 18 O Level,
N=16 0 0 0 1 15 4.93 .25
Source: Field Survey, 2010 (Scaling: 1= Not at all; 2= Rarely; 3= Sometimes; 4= Very Often; 5= Always; SD=
Standard Deviation, DOM=Difference of Mean between SSC and O Levels)
The table reflects that both the teachers of SSC and O levels prefer Product approach; they collect the copies when the task is done, and then correct the errors.
Correction of errors is one of the areas that indicate whether the class is product oriented or process oriented. According to the data portrayed in the table above, both SSC and O level classrooms are focused on product approach. However, there are other indicators to
define whether the students ever practised anything pertaining to process approach.
Though the teachers of O level have demonstrated a profound keenness for product approach, they follow process approach in specific cases. The table below gives an inclining tendency of O level teachers towards process approach:
6.10.3 Following the Process of Drafting, Revising and Editing while Practising Writing
Conflicting data have been observed here. The questionnaire of teachers as well as students, and observation checklist offer different scenario about adherence to process and product approach.
Table 6.40
Following the Process of Drafting, Revising and Editing while Practising ‘Writing’
Variable Tools Used Levels Responses Descriptive
Statistics DOM
1 2 3 4 5 Mean SD
-.42
Process approach
Students' Questionnaire (item 28)
SSC, N=120 11 50 26 21 12 2.78 1.148 O Level,
N=120 12 33 24 21 30 3.20 1.351 Teachers'
Questionnaire (item 48)
SSC, N=16 2 3 4 7 3.19 1.047
-.69 O Level, N=16
5 5 4 2 3.88 1.36 Observation
Checklist (item 38)
SSC, N=16 14 2 0 0 0 1.12 .341
-2.13 O Level, N=16
0 2 8 6 0 3.25 .707
Source: Field Survey, 2010 (Scaling: 1= Not at all; 2= Rarely; 3= Sometimes; 4= Very Often; 5= Always; SD=
Standard Deviation, DOM=Difference of Mean between SSC and O Levels)
The data of SSC level conform to the data of the previous table but the data of O level do not, which signifies that the teachers of O level follow process approach also.
While observing the classroom and interviewing the teachers of O level, the researcher came to know that despite having profound inclination towards product approach, the teachers of O level made the students practise drafting, revising and editing basically in the homework copies, and it was observed that the students were asked to rewrite their homework unless it satisfied the teacher. Moreover, the teachers made the students practise the same approach in the term paper writing. Data on the same issue were collected through a different question with options 'yes' and 'no' to have more in depth results on this aspect:
Table 6.41
Sometimes Following the Process of Drafting, Revising and Editing while Practising 'Writing'
N=240
Option
Result
SSC O Level
F % f %
Yes 20 16.7 74 61.7
No 100 83.3 46 38.3
Source: Field Survey, 2010
The students were asked whether they ever practised the process approach, and the reply shows that the students of O level sometimes did it, while the percentage of SSC level is very low. Only 20 students of SSC level replied that they sometimes practised the approach. The immediate question that followed was focused on the time and occasion of following process approach, and the answers are given in the following table:
Table 6.42
Techniques of Practising Process Approach
N=94
Option SSC O level
f % f %
We practise it at home when we do homework 14 70% 11 14.86 We perform a single writing assignment in a number of classes at
school 5 25% 6 8.10
We start a writing task in the class, incomplete portion is done at
home 1 5% 5 6.75
We do it while performing a project work/assignment 0 0 52 70.27
Source: Field Survey, 2010
It has been already noticed that the practice of process approach is higher at the O level than it is at the SSC level. Again out of 74 students of O level, 70.27 percent opined that they did drafting and editing basically when they were given a project work or assignment. It means that the teachers of O level sometimes make the students rewrite different writing tasks, while the practice is almost absent at the SSC level.
6.10.4 Attitude of Students towards Error Correction
The students of both the streams quite unanimously supported the provision that teachers should check the copies only when the product was fully ready. However, the students of SSC level expressed their strong support for product approach, while the students of O level seemed a bit more flexible in their attitude as the percentage of
students who strongly supported the statement was lower than that who simply agreed to it. The picture was little different among the students of SSC level where 60.8 percent students strongly extended their support for the statement.
Table 6.43
Correction of the Errors when the Writing Task is Fully Complete, N=240
Option SSC O Level
F % F %
Strongly agree 73 60.8 49 40.8
agree 35 29.2 57 47.5
neither agree nor disagree 12 10.0 11 9.2
disagree X X 3 2.5
strongly disagree X X X X
Source: Field Survey, 2010