000066309 genre based approach to teaching writing for the esl/efl learners at tertiary level an experiment at national economics university
B ackground to the stu d y
The choicc o f this study was prompted by both theoretical and practical inspirational sources.
Despite years of English study in Vietnamese schools—from primary through secondary and high school—students, whether English-majored or not, still struggle to master writing at the tertiary level in Vietnam Many graduates confess that they cannot complete their very first simple writing task assigned by their boss at the workplace, even though the task is not complex This difficulty stems from an inflexible writing curriculum that stresses fixed models and relies on insufficient, overly theoretical writing processes that are hard for learners to perceive and master.
Writing is widely regarded as the most difficult skill for foreign or second language learners in ESL/EFL contexts The challenge stems not only from generating and organizing ideas, but also from selecting appropriate vocabulary, sentence structures, and paragraph organization, and from turning those ideas into a readable text (Richard & Renandya, 2002) In foreign-language teaching contexts, learners also face additional obstacles in transferring ideas from their native language (Vietnamese, in this context) into English, which further complicates the writing task For these reasons, writing is seen not only as a product but also as a process.
Universities worldwide have shifted toward learning-focused missions that prepare students with life-long skills for post-university life To meet the dynamism and complexity of today’s workplace, many institutions offer inter-disciplinary programs and have adopted improved instructional methods for language education at the tertiary level, with a particular emphasis on developing four essential skills and, especially, writing Historically, two early approaches to teaching writing—the Product Approach and the Process Approach—were widely used While both have achieved some success in foreign-language classrooms, they come with limitations: the Product Approach often overemphasizes the final text and can leave students unable to write and think independently, whereas the Process Approach emphasizes planning, drafting, revising, and editing but may not guarantee high-quality output or sustained independent performance.
1 creativity, the latter "does not adequately address the issue o f the reader, especially when the form o f the text expected is convention and content-specific” (K aur & Poon, 2005, p.4).
Due to previous shortcomings, researchers have recently pursued and applied a genre-based approach Studies show successful application of this genre-based method, particularly in academic or professional discourse, where genre is a specialized form of communication with specific rules and a conventional generic structure that can vary across disciplines Yet even students with high linguistic proficiency may struggle to navigate specialist genres and may require guidance from an ESP (English for Specific Purposes) teacher.
Although the genre-based approach to teaching writing has recently been discussed in Vietnam, its application remains limited and evidence of its effectiveness is scarce Therefore, this study proposes an experimental investigation of applying the genre-based approach to teaching writing for EFL/ESL learners at the tertiary level in Vietnam, with the aim of determining its impact on the quality of students' writing tasks.
A im (s) o f the stu d y
Drawing on the concerns about EFL/ESL students’ writing and inspired by the genre-based approach, whose successful application has been reported in other training contexts, this study conducts an empirical investigation into writing instruction for tertiary-level EFL/ESL learners It assesses whether genre-based pedagogy can improve students’ writing and, based on the results, offers recommendations for an effective genre-based implementation at the National Economics University (NEU).
The investigation w as intended to address the follow ing research questions:
1 To what extent can genre-based approach lead to enhance writing perform ance o f tertiary EFL/ESL learners at NEU?
2 W hat recom m endations should be proposed for an effective application o f genre- based approach to teaching writing for EFL/ESL learners at NEU?
Scope o f the s tu d y
This study investigates the application of a genre-based approach to teaching writing for two groups of second-year marketing majors at NEU It focuses specifically on developing a genre-based method for teaching business letter writing, reflecting the real-world writing demands of future employees who must craft letters for distinct purposes The study also evaluates students’ writing progress at the end of the intervention, using the results to assess the effectiveness of the genre-based approach and to provide recommendations for more effective implementation in subsequent courses.
Significance o f the s tu d y
This study is significant for three reasons It investigates the value of the genre-based approach in teaching and learning writing in a foreign-language context The genre-based pedagogy holds promise for increasing students' awareness of writing as a tool that can be adapted to fit a specific goal and audience, and for helping them discover how writers organize texts (Kay & Dudley-Evans, 1998, p 310) Additionally, this approach aims to help students gain control over the cognitive strategies involved in composing.
This study investigates students' attitudes toward learning to write with a genre-based approach For learners whose first language is not English, writing is often the most difficult skill due to limited language knowledge and the challenges involved in composing, which can lead to apprehension about writing In contrast, a genre-based approach appears to foster more positive attitudes toward both writing itself and the process of learning to write.
Should the study demonstrate positive improvements in both writing skills and attitudes toward writing among non-native English-speaking learners at NEU, this approach could be valuable in similar language-teaching settings at other educational and training institutions across Vietnam Such a finding would support broader adoption of the method in Vietnam's language programs, with implications for curriculum design and teacher development.
O rganization o f the th esis
This study is organized in five m ajor chapters including introduction and conclusion:
Chapter 1, Introduction, provides the background to the study, the scope, the significance o f the thesis, and the thesis organization.
Chapter 2, Literature Review, surveys the theory of writing approaches with a focus on the genre-based approach and its applicability to English language teaching and learning, and analyzes relevant studies by detailing their strengths and weaknesses to reveal what works and where it falls short in guiding writing instruction This synthesis shows how prior evidence motivates the present study, shaping the research questions, methodology, and the anticipated contribution to English language pedagogy.
Chapter 3, Methodology, presents the methodological framework and the experimental design of the study, detailing the participants (selection criteria and sample size), the study design, the data collection instruments and procedures, and the data analysis methods used to interpret the findings.
Chapter 4 presents the study findings, clearly linking the results to the research questions and synthesizing their implications for practice It analyzes the effectiveness of the genre-based approach, drawing out key insights and patterns observed at NEU and other education and training institutions in Vietnam The chapter concludes with actionable recommendations to enhance the future application of the genre-based approach where appropriate, offering guidance for educators and policymakers in Vietnam.
Chapter 5, Conclusions, sum m arizes m ain points o f the thesis by re-stating m ajor findings, its contributions and lim itations, and finally suggestions for further studies.
C H A PT E R TW O : L IT ER A TU R E REVIEW
Chapter 1 identifies the problem of ineffective teaching methodologies within the Vietnamese English teaching and learning (ETL) context and proposes a genre-based approach to teaching writing as a potential solution Accordingly, the study investigates the effectiveness of this genre-based writing instruction for a group of Vietnamese ESL/EFL students learning to write English business letters To illuminate the research, the chapter surveys the relevant literature on genre-based writing instruction and its implications for ESL/EFL learners, situating the study within the broader field of English language teaching in Vietnam.
2 2 W itin g skill to E FL /E SL learners
Among the four fundamental language skills in the language learning process, competent writing is frequently regarded as the last skill to be mastered for both native speakers and foreign/second-language learners; mastery of writing not only strengthens English learning but also boosts lifelong career prospects, as Glazier (1994) notes that being able to write in English is essential in college and can be a valuable asset in one's career Yet many EFL learners find English writing challenging (Harmer, 1992) In terms of fluency, Nunan (1999) argues that producing a coherent, fluent, extended piece of writing is perhaps the most difficult aspect of language learning, since readers must understand what has been written without clarification or cues from the writer's tone or expression.
Research has shown that the intrinsic nature of writing itself often fails to engage English learners sufficiently to motivate regular practice (Hedge, 1991, p 6) For a large share of EFL learners, nothing is more discouraging than completing a writing task only to have it scrutinized by the teacher as a collection of errors to be corrected, a view echoed by Hampel and Easley (2006).
Many people don’t write spontaneously or feel comfortable with formal writing tasks that are meant to be read by someone else When that reader is a teacher whose eyes may be critical and who might assign an individual assessment of the work, most writers feel uneasy and self-conscious, fearing judgment and the impact on their grades This pressure can undermine clarity and creativity, turning academic writing into a high-stakes performance rather than a genuine expression of ideas.
Actually, not only EFL students but also EFL teachers face certain problems in writing
A s m any teachers o f English in C hina have noted, acquiring the writing skill seems to be more laborious and dem anding than acquiring the other three skills (Zheng, 1999) Nunan
Creating a coherent, fluent, extended piece of writing in a second language is an enormous challenge, as noted in 1999, p.271 The difficulty is amplified because the rhetorical conventions of English—its structure, style, and organization—often differ from those of other languages Learners must make a deliberate effort to recognize and manage these differences, a point emphasized by Leki (1991).
In many countries, education systems emphasize writing primarily for tests For many students, the main motivation to practice writing is to pass examinations or to achieve a high grade This exam-focused approach reduces writing to producing a product and earning a mark, which is unlikely to spark genuine interest in writing Consequently, writing becomes decontextualized and artificial, leaving students without a real sense of purpose or connection to a real audience.
Although the difficulties in teaching writing persist, there are strategies to enhance instruction that will benefit all writing tasks and prepare students for the writing they will do after graduation Over the past few decades, three primary approaches to teaching writing have been proposed and implemented in English language teaching A brief survey shows that these approaches have both advocates and detractors, and they remain the subject of active discussion and debate.
2.3 Approaches to teach ing writing
There are several w ays to approach w riting in the classroom It should be said at the beginning that there is not necessarily any “right” or “best” way to teach writing skills The best practice in any situation will depend on the type o f student, the text type being studied, the school system and many other factors However, before discussing more details about genre-based approach, the researcher w ishes to m ake a b rief discussion about some early approaches known and applied to the teaching o f writing in ESL/EFL classroom in general.
One o f the first approaches to teaching w riting is product approach W ith this, teachers focus on w hat a final piece o f writing will look like and measure it against criteria o f
“vocabulary use, grammatical use, and m echanical considerations such as spelling and punctuation,” as well as content and organization (B row n, 1994, p.320) The normal procedure is to assign a piece o f w riting, collect it, and then return it for further revision with the errors either corrected or marked for the student to do the corrections (Raimes,
1983) G enerally, a m odel for such an approach is outlined below:
Stage 1 involves reading model texts and highlighting the defining features of the genre For example, when studying a story, the focus is on the techniques that make the narrative engaging, with students analyzing where and how the writer employs these techniques.
Stage 2 is about controlled practice of the highlighted features, usually conducted in isolation to focus attention on accuracy Learners rehearse the specific language forms identified in the prior stage, such as the phrases used to make formal requests, often practicing structures like “I would be grateful if you could…” to internalize correct syntax and usage before applying them in real communicative tasks.
Stage: Organization of Ideas This stage is highly important: supporters of this approach contend that the organization of ideas is as crucial as the ideas themselves, and nearly as decisive as the control of language in achieving clear, effective communication.