INTRODUCING CHANGES TO THE TEACHING OF COMPOSITION WRITING : THE CASE OF THE LEBANON

Samar  S. SLEIMAN

The major thrust of the study was to attempt to introduce modification to the practice of teaching ESL composition writing In the Lebanon. In the process, the opportunity was taken to examine three main issues, in the light of the data obtained: 1. The difficulties encountered by both the teachers and the students regarding the practice of teaching/ learning ESL writing at the intermediate level. 2. The practices available to help overcome those difficulties. 3. The expedient means (approach) for introducing the new practices and their theoretical underpinnings.

Two phases of fieldwork were necessary for the investigation of these issues: an exploratory (survey) study covering ten schools and an in‑depth (case) study focusing on two of the ten schools. During the exploratory study, qualitative data was collected through detailed accounts, field notes, and written documents, mainly teaching materials, textbooks, and students' writings to investigate the difficulties in the practice of teaching writing and to explore the feasibility of introducing changes in these educational institutions.

For the in‑depth, case study, and the necessary information prior to and after the change attempt was collected through detailed accounts, written documents (students' writings and work), and field notes. This qualitative data was supplemented with structured interviews and questionnaires. The numerical analysis of the data was used in combination with a qualitative analysis to derive the following suggestive findings.

The study suggested that the relationship and the interaction between the teaching practice, the responding practice and the learning practice of writing is far more complicated and indirect than the claims made by others that the field might have led us to believe. The gaining of skill in composing was found to be not directly related to or determined by the teachers' teaching method and responding behavior.

In so far as the practice of teaching ESL writing is concerned  needs assessment and consideration of the participants' realities were found in this study to be pertinent to the initial implementation stage and not the initiation phase of the change process. Also, the finding of meaning in educational change (the principle associated with Michael Fullan's inferential writings) was seen, to be far less complicated than is implied in the literature. Basically, it is suggested, it entails the influencing of the intended implementers' intentions by considering a number of key factors in the 'how' of change (approach to educational change) at the initial stages of the implementation phase.