| This study aims at testing the feasibility and effectiveness of the process-genre approach on teaching English writing in junior high schools in China. The study attempts to investigate whether the process-genre approach is more effective than the traditional product approach in enhancing students’writing ability, fostering good writing habits and strengthening their interests and confidence in English writing as well.The author conducted the experiment on the process-genre approach for one semester from August2012to January2013. Two parallel classes of72students in Grade Nine from Tianjin PuYu Junior High School were chosen as the subjects of the experiment. Class One was chosen as the experimental class and taught in the process-genre approach while Class Two was the control class and taught in the product approach.The whole experiment consists of four parts:a teaching case, two writing tests, two questionnaires and an interview. The teaching case presented the practical procedures of the process-genre approach the author adopted. The two tests and questionnaires were conducted in both classes before and after the experiment. The two tests were used to measure whether there was a significant difference in improving students’writing ability between the process-genre approach and the product approach. The questionnaires provided quantitative results of the changes of students’writing habits and their interests and confidence in English writing. The data were collected and analyzed by the SPSS19.0. The interview was made only with some students in the experimental class to supplement the qualitative result of the questionnaires.The results of the study showed that the process-genre approach promoted students to achieve more progress in English writing than the product approach. In addition, the process-genre approach is more effective than the traditional product approach in improving students’writing habits and building up their interest and confidence in English writing. |
