Process writing is a gateway to learning writing. According to Stone (1995: 232), “process writing is learning how to write by writing’’. This emphasis on writing instruction highlights the process of writing more than the product. This approach has replaced the older and the more traditional ‘product’ approach, because the focus shifts from the text to the writer. In other words, in the process approach the focus is on what students think and do as they write the assigned work, not on the final product (text). The aim of process writing is to produce quality content as well as to learn the genres of writing through the feedback that is provided at the various stages of the writing process. In addition, the process approach helps learners use different techniques such as brainstorming, exploring new ideas, peer or teacher feedback and of course rewriting. Numerous studies provided evidence that process writing is a fruitful method of teaching which can improve learners' writing (Holst, 1987 cited in Hyland, 2002; Scott & New, 2005). Similarly, Al-Jardani (2005) highlights the importance of process writing in improving students’ writing as well. The reason for taking the position that the process approach can improve writing is because learners are transformed from passive learners to active learners who participate in the learning process which is usually guided by the teacher.
By using the process method, the teacher’s role changes from an evaluator to a facilitator who uses writing as an activity for students to move from one stage to another starting with the generation of ideas and the collection of data and then proceeding to the production of text. Several authors argue for the importance of the role of teaching as a facilitator in process writing (Wyse and Jones, 2001).
Process writing is usually associated with various stages; many authors indicate how these stages can be taught for example: (Harriess, 1993; Blanchard & Root, 2004; Gardner& Johnson, 1997; Tompkins, 1990; Nudelman & Troyka , 1994).
The next section discusses the various stages involved in the writing process
3.4.2.1.Stages of Academic Writing
The writing process involves different stages. Harriss (199: 45-46) argues that the process of writing consists of the three following stages:
Prewriting Drafting
Revising and editing.
Other studies agree on these three stages (Blanchard & Root, 2004) but add the proofreading and publishing stages. Numerous researchers (Gardner& Johnson, 1997; Tompkins, 1990; Nudelman &Troyka, 1994) argue for a five-stage writing process which consists of: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and proofreading or publishing. In general, at each stage, different sets of functions and activities are emphasized. For illustration purposes; the following are the writing processes and the main activities based on the authors’ outcome:
Prewriting: This is the planning and thinking stage (brainstorming).
Drafting: This is the stage of writing a rough draft and using the ideas developed during prewriting.
Revising: This is the process of improving the draft where a person writes in more detail, or takes out unnecessary work. In this stage, feedback is usually used to improve the writing. Editing: This is the process of correcting linguistic errors (Such as grammar, punctuation
and spelling).
Proofreading: This is the stage of re-reading the paper in order for students to hand it to their teacher.
It could be suggested that one of the most valuable facts about process approach is that at each stage of the writing process students are guided by their teachers. Usually, teachers make an effort to help their students by:
Raising motivation and interest where students’ awareness increases and they pay more attention to the importance of writing skills
Helping students to research a topic and engage with it, at this stage the students do not have to focus on the accuracy of text which makes them feel less frustrated.
Asking for multiple drafts where students could reorder, rewrite and revise as required for fluency and coherence. Here, the students have a chance to interact with either their peers or teachers and focus on the audience.
Providing basic expectations for the final draft (product).
Most people – including professional writers - agree that writing is neither an easy nor a spontaneous activity, especially for English learners. For that reason, the continuous practice of each stage is vital. Dheram (1995) postulates that teachers should assist learners in each revision process in order to produce a better text.
In this approach, feedback is provided between drafts and not at the end of the task after the students hand in their composition to be marked. Therefore; the process approach is vital for writing effectively.
Additionally, in the process writing approach the roles of both teachers and students change; the teacher moves away from being a judge as a marker while students are encouraged to think about the audiences and what they need to inform them: “well- written (pieces) don’t fall from the sky. Rather, they are the result of a long, laborious, intensely personal process” (Gocsik, 2005). Thus, students realise what they put in their writing and what they should change based on the feedback they get.
Based on the illustration above, the process writing approach can be summarized in three steps, which are: prewriting, writing and post writing. The illustration below with traffic light colours reflects the current approach being used in Libya. There are three colours that have different messages and give different connotations. For example, the yellow colour shows the starting step or warning where the students have to prepare themselves by selecting the topic and brain storming as well as planning what to write. The second step, which is the red colour, means that there has to be a pause for a while; in this stage students have to start writing their draft which consists of ideas and it is where they construct sentences. Finally the last and final stage is when they ‘start’ to review their work, polish and evaluate what they have written.
-Selecting a topic -putting a draft version on paper -publishing and brain storming
planning what to write -organizing ,making changes
to improve the writing -Evaluation
-Assessment of the written work
Although the process approach is appreciated by many authors, some argue that this method is difficult to use. Hedge (2000) argues that there are many reasons why this approach has drawbacks such as: 1) Although the process approach allows the students to revise and write the drafts, they have to be able to complete writing in the given time period during the exam 2) the multiple draft approach is inappropriate for timed examinations 3) In classes that are large in number, process writing can be very time consuming and tiring for the teachers when it comes to giving feedback on multiple drafts and specifically in EFL/ESL classes. Hedge’s argument is similar to Horowitz’s (1986). The latter argued that multiple drafts cannot lead to the ability to write in- class examination essays quickly and easily. Also, he argues that the process approach does not teach a variety of types
Pre-
writing
While- writing
Drafting- Revising-
Editing
Post-
writing
Pre-
writing
Drafting- Revising- While- writing
Editing
Post-
writing
of formal writing which is needed in their study such as reports and annotated bibliographies. Horowitz also highlights another problem that students may face because of process-oriented approach; some students may get a negative impression about their abilities because of the continuous feedback and corrections, which results in the fear of how their writing will be evaluated particularly in the exams.
Even though, these limitations do exist, we cannot ignore the advantages of this approach as compared to the product approach.
Overall, there are several differences between the process and the product approach based on different studies. The following table shows these differences.
Table 3.2: Differences between process and product approach (Adopted from Soonpaa, 2007)
Product approach Process approach
Model text to be imitated
Emphasis on organization of ideas One draft
Emphasis on end product Teacher as audience Teacher as authority
Importance of teacher corrected papers
Model text as resource
Emphasis on ideas and idea development
Multiple drafts Emphasis on process Various audiences
Peer feedback as valuable tool Importance of face to face and
interactive feedback