The Impact of Genre-based and Process-based Instructions on Enhancing the Iranian English Majors' General Writing Ability: A Comparative Study

This study keeps an eye on using genre-based approach and process-oriented approach for improvement gain in general writing ability in an Iranian context. A pretest-posttest design was employed for the study, and ۳۴ English literature majors from Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan agreed to join the study. All participants were divided into two comparison groups and received the treatments in conformity with genre-based and process writing instruction. The data were analyzed through the statistical techniques of t-test for independent samples. The outputs generated from the data analyses manifested that students engaged in the genre-based writing instruction outperformed students involved in the process-oriented writing instruction. There was statistically a significant difference in the mean scores of the overall composition level for the genre-based writing instruction on the post-test. However, no significant difference was observed in students' performance for the overall writing ability on the post-test for the process-centered approach to writing instruction. The outputs extracted from data analysis of the writing attitude scale on the post-administration also indicated that the two treatments could be considered as effective pedagogical ways to develop EFL learners' overall writing ability and create a positive attitude towards writing skill. The results have some pedagogical implications for four groups of writing teachers and syllabus designers, course book writers, and EFL learners such as (a): lots of benefit for writing teaching in the integrated-skills classes, not separate classes in an educational course, (b): designing course books comprising of various texts on specific genres for writing practicing in classroom settings, and (c): achieving positive learning outcomes for EFL learners in self-study tasks through exposing them to language forms in target texts.

Keywords:

Writing skill , Genre-based approach , Process-based approach