ABSTRACT
Over the years in the country, an impressive rate of success in creative writing has been a challenge to teachers of English as a second language (ESL). Previous research on the teaching of creative writing skills in English has shown that ESL learners improve better in writing skills when they are actively taught with the right method, and are provided with the opportunity to write on their own in the classroom. This study focuses on asserting the effectiveness of storytelling as a tool in teaching the creative writing skills in English as a second language situation at the primary schools in Abeokuta, Odeda Local Government. The study aimed to investigate the possibility of improving ESL creative writing skills through storytelling. It also examined the significant of using English language and the pupils mother tongue in teaching creative writing skills to ESL learners. In order to provide answers to the research questions, a likert scale and objective questionnaire was administered to sixty students and ten teachers from two different schools in Odeda local government, Ogun state, Nigeria. The results revealed that ESL teachers seldom make use of storytelling while teaching writing skills hence, contributing to students’ failure in creative writing. However, both the teachers and students’ attitudes toward the use of storytelling were in the positive light as they agreed that it is an effective method that can be used to teach the creative writing skills in an ESL situation.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background to the Study
English has become the medium of all relevant social interactions and the ability to use English effectively is considered essential for honorable existence. Many teachers are faced with the challenge of teaching children to read and write in ESL situation and thus creates avenue for more record of failures in English especially in ESL situation. ESL learners encounter problems in the acquisition of the language skills as a result of language teachers’ inability to employ the right techniques in teaching the creative writing skills. Considering the content of the English curricula as contained in the language syllabus by Federal Ministry of Education (F.M.E.1995, cited in Azikiwe2000:24), the content of the primary school English curriculum consist of:
– Passage Reading
– Comprehension (listening and reading)
– Grammar
– Spelling and Dictation
– Making sentences
Thus, there is a great need for the development of the creative writing skills of the ESL learners as it does not only improve their sense of creativity, but also gives them sense of belonging and equips them with the right tools of identifying a new world of ideas, theories and events. It is therefore expedient to fall back on the use of storytelling as a tool for teaching the creative writing skills of English as a second language to learners in primary schools.
Language is a medium of thought and a channel of communication. It is a human attribute that differentiates human beings from animals. Sanya (1989:1, 1994:51) describes it as “the vehicle of culture functionally seen as the major protector and promoter of cultural heritage in any given language community. While the experience of language teaching is something interesting and attractive for some learners, for some others, it is a boring activity that makes them wish to get away from it. Teachers domination over the classroom, having learners do what they are told to do, lack of creativity, learners not having any room to express their thoughts and being bound by their benches for the duration of time the teaching will last, are some of the factors that augment boredom in the language class. Good teaching of English language most especially in the English as second language environment requires effective teaching of the interrelated skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Writing skills is more important in the whole language development,it last longer than speaking, easy to make reference to and often understood by learners. Writing is the ultimate language skill and determines to a great extent the success of pupils in their terminal and promotional examination.
Despite the important position that writing holds among the language art skills, it is disheartening to note that its teaching and learning has not been as effective as it should be due to various factors. This ineffectiveness has been reflecting in the poor performances of pupils in English language in their conducted terminal and promotional examinations.
Creativity involves skillful and imaginative production of something original, for example, a work of art. Creative writing implies imaginative tasks such as writing poems, stories and plays, (Harmer, 2010:15). In the early years, young learners are not expected to write stories, plays and poems in a systematic manner as adult writers do. The teacher is often the scribe for learners. Godwin and Perkins (1998&2008:18&14) claim that learners involvement in creative writing brings them a vast array of experiences and knowledge which they observe around them. All these experiences require an environment, that is, there should be allocated spaces for literacy work for learners.
In an attempt to enhance the development of ESL learners’ creative writing skills, different approaches have been employed by language teachers. However, the recent research has been on the use of storytelling in teaching creative writing skills. Storytelling is one of the oldest methods of communicating ideas and images (Mello, 2001:19). Storytelling is’ a technique of teaching that has stood a test of time’ (Chambers, 2000:71). Stories are effective and useful writing materials for learners to develop comprehension and literacy skills both in their first and second language. In the traditional African societies, young children were told stories by their parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts. According to Omoleye (2004:47): As important as storytelling is to the education of young children, teenagers.It is not accorded adequate attention especially in the advanced primary school level. Its impact on learners’ psychosocial, language and narrative development, have long been shown (Cooper, 2005:32).Stories have been a very important part of speech syllabus in order to develop reading and creative writing skills and improve learner’s imagination capability and this paper is an attempt to finding out if storytelling is an effective tool in teaching the creative writing skills of ESL learners at the advanced primary school level.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
English is one of the widest spoken and written languages in the world, and it is thus expedient for pupils to learn English as ESL learners in a country that adopts it as her lingua franca. There is no doubt that every ESL learners encounter various difficulties and struggles in the process of learning it. First, some researchers stated that ESL leaners tend to see their motivation for learning English as becoming native-like. (Mckay, 2009:19). Also, most of the ESL learners fail to have ownership over creative writing in English (Pennycook, 1996:20) and see themselves as outsiders compared to native speakers (Fernstern, 2008:35). Besides, researchers showed that the main problem is also caused by teachers who do not employ the right approaches to teaching creative writing skills to ESL learners.
Most Nigerian ESL teachers hardly employ storytelling as a technique in teaching creative writing skill. Thus, this research work tends to recommend another helpful but neglected technique which can be used to teach the creative writing skill of ESL learners so as to reduce the mass failure of pupils in composition writing majorly in both terminal and promotional examinations. Also, this study aims to enlighten teachers on the effectiveness of storytelling and how it can be used to develop creative and imaginative skills of ESL learners, thereby, becoming fluent and versatile in their use of the language.
1.3. Objective of the study
The purpose of this study is to examine storytelling as an effective tool for teaching creative writing skills in English as second language situation. Hence, the specific objectives are to:
· Examine the concept of storytelling and its various types
· Study the concept of creative writing as a form of writing skill.
· Explore the various techniques of teaching the creative writing skills in an ESL situation.
· Evaluate the effectiveness of storytelling as a tool for teaching the creative writing skills in ESL situation.
1.4. Research questions
Based on the foregoing, this research is proposed to address the following questions:
i. Does the use of storytelling have benefits in teaching creative writing skills in ESL classroom?
ii. Does the use of English or Yoruba language have any effect in the teaching of creative writing to ESL learners?
iii. Does storytelling have any effect on the development of creative writing skills in ESL learners?
1.5. Significance of the study
This research work is aimed at filling up the vacuum other researchers have failed to fill concerning the effectiveness of storytelling as a tool for teaching the creative writing skills in an ESL situation. Due to its findings, relevant and necessary facts will be provided. Findings from this study will also help to boost the proficiency of Nigerian primary school pupils in creative writing. The result of the study will enable English teachers at the primary school level to appreciate the role of storytelling in enhancing creative thinking and writing and adopt suitable techniques to the teaching of creative writing skills. To this effect, for many ESL teachers to achieve their aims in teaching the creative writing skills effectively, this study shall keep them abreast of effective methods that can be used in teaching the writing skills and thereby improving the creative and academic performance of leaners in the English language. To learners, the study will create in them the urge and interest towards the acquisition of the creative writing skill and enhance their academic performance generally.
1.6. Scope of the study
There seems to be various techniques that have been employed by the English Language teachers in teaching the writing skills, giving less concern to the creative writing skills of ESL learners. However, this study basically examines storytelling as an effective tool for teaching the creative writing skills in an ESL situation at the primary school level of study. In this study, several techniques that have been used to teach creative writing are examined and comparison is made to see the effectiveness of storytelling in enhancing the creative writing skills of ESL learners in two primary schools in OdedaLocal Government Area, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
1.7. Definition of terms
For the purpose of clarity, it is important to explain some of the key words in the research topic.Such as Storytelling and Creative Writing.
Storytelling: Storytelling is the process of presenting texts by teachers in the form of telling stories to smooth the progress of comprehension and developing integrative skills by pupils’ retelling the texts in a new construction. It emphasizes a positive, collaborative and supportive classroom climate in which pupils could develop the four interrelated skills which are: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Storytelling is beneficial for ESL learners in many ways including as a means of expression and communication
Creative Writing: Creative writing is any writing fiction or non-fiction considered original composition that is in no way guilty of plagiarism. It is a more contemporary and process –oriented name for what has been traditionally called literature.Pupils are majorly encouraged to write short stories in narrative and composition forms. Thus, there is the need to equip learners with the right creative tools so as to make good story tellers and writers.