USING THE WRITING WORKSHOP TO IMPROVE READING

Authors

  • Adaeze Regis-Onuoha Directorate of General Studies, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria
  • Nkechi M. Christopher Department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v0i0.1352

Keywords:

writing workshop, active reading, mini-lesson, conference time

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of using the writing workshop to improve reading in senior secondary school students. Most public schools in Nigeria do not explicitly teach reading or writing to students, hence most of these students have poor reading and writing competences. This study applied the writing workshop strategy (Fletcher & Portalupi, 2001) to teach reading to a small group of secondary school students in a rural community in Ezinihitte, Mbaise, near Owerri, South East Nigeria. The study employed the qualitative method of participant observation. A comparison of students’ reading and writing performance before and after the study showed that the treatment had a positive effect on the reading and writing competences of the subjects. It was concluded that using the writing workshop to teach students who are being prepared for the senior secondary school certificate examinations to actively read and write in the English language will go a long way to improve their competence in both reading and writing the language. It is recommended that both the government and all stakeholders should adopt this strategy alongside other useful ones to improve the performance of students in internal and external examinations.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter

DOI

References

Amuseghan, S. A. (2007). Curriculum in secondary schools in Nigeria: Issues and challenges towards communicative competence. Nebula 4 (2).

Bolt, A. R., & Hansen, J. (1986). Reading and writing: How are the first two Rs related? In J. Orasanu (ed.). Reading comprehension: From research to practice (pp. 165 – 170). Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erbaum Associates.

Christopher, N. M. (2012). Passions and reflections in writing. Ibadan: John Archers Ltd.

Glen, W. J. (2007). Real writers as aware readers: Writing creatively as a means to develop reading skills. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 51 (1), pp. 10 – 20.

Ike, C. (1973). The potter’s wheel. Ibadan: University Press Plc.

Inyang, S. & Onukaogu, C. E. (2003). Operating reading clubs in our schools and colleges. In C. E. Onukaogu, A. E. Arua & O. B. Jegede (eds). Teaching reading in Nigeria: A guidebook to theory and practice (pp.195 – 211). Newark: IDAC/IRA.

King, K. A. (2012). Writing workshop in preschool: Acknowledging children as writers. The Reading Teacher. 65 ( 6), 392 -401, March 2012.

Montelongo, J., Herter, R. J., Ansaldo, R., & Hatter, N. (2010). A lesson cycle for teaching expository reading and writing. Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy 53, ( 8), 656 – 666.

Olateju, M. (2003). Journal keeping. In C. E. Onukaogu, A. E. Arua & O. B. Jegede (eds).

Teaching reading in Nigeria: A guidebook to theory and practice (pp. 212 – 220) Newark: IDAC/IRA.

Onukaogu, O. (2003). An afterward – Making reading instruction child friendly. In C. E. Onukaogu, A. E. Arua & O. B. Jegede (eds). Teaching reading in Nigeria: A guidebook to theory and practice, pp. 246 – 284. Newark: IDAC/IRA.

Shanahan, T. Using writing to teach reading. Retrieved from www.shanahanonliteracy.com.

Valeri-Gold, M. & Deming, M. P.(2000). Reading, writing and the college developmental student. In R. F. Flippo & D. C. Caverly, Handbook of college reading and study research, (pp 149 – 174). Marwah NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Downloads

Published

2018-01-06

Issue

Vol 3, No 2 (2017)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

 

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).