Abstract:
Writing skills are taught to equip students with reading and literacy skills to solve
communication problems. However, reports have shown that undergraduates‟
achievement in writing is poor in Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria,
particularly in their general course in English language. This has been attributed to
General Studies lecturers‟ methods of instruction. Previous studies focused largely on
improving primary and secondary school students‟ achievement in writing, neglecting
interventions towards improving such among undergraduates. This study, therefore,
was carried out to determine the effects of integrated instructional methods (Response
to text (RT), Activation of background knowledge (ABK) and Response to text +
Activation of background knowledge (RTABK)) on undergraduates‟ achievement in
writing in Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria. The moderating effects
of gender and verbal ability were also examined.
Jerome Bruner‟s Constructivist theory of learning, which assumes that personal
experience and previous knowledge are important in the creation of meaning was
adopted. The pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design with 4x2x3
matrix was used. Four faculties (School of Health Technology, School of Biological
Sciences, School of Science and School of Engineering) in Federal University of
Technology Owerri were purposively selected based on the failure rate in the use of
English course compared to other faculties. Also, these faculties were distant from one
another. Four hundred and twenty-five Part One undergraduates were enumerated
across the four faculties. Faculties were randomly assigned to RT (123), ABK (94),
RTABK (83) and control (125) groups. The instruments used were Writing
Achievement Test (r=0.83), Verbal Ability Scale (α=0.78), and instructional guides.
Focus group discussions were held with four course representatives. The treatment
lasted 5 weeks. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Analysis
of covariance and Bonferroni post-hoc test at 0.05 level of significance, while
qualitative data were content analysed.
Undergraduates‟ age was 18.30 ± 2.60 years and 59.5% were males. The
undergraduates‟ verbal ability (76.2%) was low. There was a significant main effect of
treatment on writing achievement (F(3,421) = 41.79; partial η2
= 0.24). Undergraduates
exposed to RTABK had the highest post mean achievement score (76.52), followed by
RT (72.34), ABK (70.57), and control (59.54) groups. There were no significant main
effects of gender and verbal ability on writing achievement. The two-way and three way interaction effects were not significant on writing achievement. The
undergraduates were enthusiastic with the methods and wished their Use of English
course lecturers should continually use the methods.
Response to text, activation of background knowledge, and response to text +
activation of background knowledge methods enhanced undergraduates‟ writing
achievement in Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria. Use of English
course lecturers should adopt these methods to improve undergraduate achievement in
writing
