AWARENESS ABOUT DISCOURSE WRITING

ESPECIALLY PARAGRAPH WRITING AMONG

SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Cicymol Varghese

ABSTRACT

In this study, the investigator tried to find out whether the students have awareness

about discourse writing like paragraph writing. A survey was conducted among ten students

of St. Joseph childrens Home, Kottayam. The tool adopted for the survey was structured

questionnaire that consisted of fourteen questions. The investigator also postulated two

hypotheses:( i) Many students are not aware of the importance of discourses like paragraph

writing.( ii) The students do not know about the format of writing a paragraph. Based on the

survey the data were analyzed It was found that many of the students had no idea about

paragraph writing. As remedial measure the investigator also took a class on paragraph

writing.

KEY WORDS:

Discourse, Paragraph, Topic sentence

INTRODUCTION
 There are many languages which have been used by peoples of different countries. But

English is enthroned as the queen of languages and it has become the window on the whole

world. By ignoring this fact no one can prosper. English is the international language,

associate language, link language, medium of instruction in universities, of science and

technology, of trade and commerce. Therefore it is very important to get mastery in English

language. The major skills to be acquired for the mastery of English are four-listening,

speaking, reading and writing. Writing is one of the important skills. Writing skills are vital to

nearly any endeavour we undertake because very much necessary. It is one of the most

important skills in studying English, because not only is writing an academic skill, but it is

also an important skill that translates into any career field. But many students t high school

are not aware of the importance of writing skill. The number of high school students that are

successful in learning writing is too small. In addition, there are a lot of mistakes in students

written works, which comes from the less concentration on writing skill among most of

students. Therefore it is very important to develop good writing skills in students.

Discourse writing is a good method to improve the writing skills of students. A

discourse is any written or spoken communication. Discourse can also be described as the

expression of thought through language. Paragraph writing is one of the discourses that can

develop the writing skills of students. A paragraph is a group of sentences that develop one

topic or idea. It has three main parts. The first part is the topic sentence. It is called the topic

sentence because it states the topic or the subject of the paragraph. The second main part is

the supporting sentences. The supporting sentences develop the topic. This means that they

explain the topic sentence in detail. The last part is the concluding sentence. The concluding

sentence summarises the paragraph and/or adds a final comment. A clear academic paragraph

requires all of these parts. Paragraphs remain the most important part of any written

assignment. Learning to organize good paragraphs is worthwhile to be a good writer.

Paragraphs are important, since it give structure to a piece of writing. They are a way to

organize our thoughts and to give clarity to our ideas. The process of dividing into paragraphs

makes it easier to read any piece of writing.

NEED AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is very important for the students to be aware of the need to write ideas in

paragraphs, as it makes it easier to read any piece of writing. It is a very significant writing

skill that they have to master. Therefore this study is relevant and significant, as it helps the

investigator to know whether the students are aware of writing in paragraphs. It also helps the

investigator to diagnose their difficulties if any and also to provide any remedial measures.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The title of the study is Awareness about Discourse Writing Especially Paragraph

Writing among Secondary Students.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objectives of the study are as follows:

(i) To find whether the students have awareness about writing discourses like

paragraph writing.
(ii) To provide practice to students in writing discourses like paragraph writing.
(iii) To provide a sense of responsibility to be of service to the community.

HYPOTHESES

Many students are not aware of the importance of discourses like paragraph writing.
Students do not know about the format of writing a paragraph.
 TOOLS AND PROCEDURE ADOPTED

The investigator adopted survey method. The survey was conducted among the

students of St. Josephs Girls Home, about paragraph writing, on 4th November 2015.

The tool of the survey was a questionnaire consisting of fourteen questions.

The survey was carried out on a group, consisting of ten students. The students were

given the questionnaire to mark their responses. From the responses, it was clear that

the students need training on paragraph writing. Thus the student-teacher taught them

about the importance of paragraph writing and also how to frame an essay into

paragraphs.

They were taught that:

(i) A paragraph is a number of sentences grouped together and relating to

one topic; or, a group of related sentences that develop a single point.
(ii) The paragraphs of a composition are not mere arbitrary division; the

division of an essay into paragraphs must be made according to the

changes of ideas introduced.

(iii) In writing essays or other compositions, it is important to know how to

divide them properly into paragraphs; for an essay not so broken up,

looks uninteresting and is not easy to read.

(iv) Principles of Paragraph Writing
A good paragraph should have three aspects:
1. Unity :
Each paragraph must deal with one topic or idea and with no more

than one. Every sentence in the paragraph must be closely

connected with the main topic of the paragraph. The paragraph and

every part of it must be the expression of one theme or topic.

2. Order:
 The second principle of paragraph construction is order i.e. logical

sequence of thought or development of the subject. Events must be

related in the order of their occurrence, and all ideas should be

connected with the leading idea and arranged according to their

importance. Or order.
3. Variety:
A third principle of paragraph writing is variety; by which is meant

that, to avoid monotony, the paragraph of a composition should be

of different lengths and not always of the same sentence

construction.

They were also given an example to illustrate the points. E.g. How to write an essay on

television? The students were asked to organize their points into paragraphs

ANALYSIS OF THE STUDY

Sl. No statements Percentage

1. The students who know what a paragraph are 100%

2. The students who are aware of the structure of a 15%

paragraph
3. The students who knew the importance of writing in a 70%

paragraph
4. The students who know that the beginning of a new 30%

paragraph marks a change of topic

5. The students who feel convenient in writing essays in 50%

paragraphs
6. The students who think that paragraphs help in easier 50%

comprehension
7. The students who know to divide the essay into 50%

paragraphs
8. The students who are aware of the number of paragraphs 50%

that should be in a page

9 The students who have the habit of taking notes in 20%

paragraphs
10 The students who have the habit of writing essays during 20%

examinations in paragraphs
11. The students who think that writing essays in paragraphs 30%

help in scoring more marks

12. The students who were taught about the importance of 25%

writing in paragraphs by their teachers.

13 The students who know how to locate a topic sentence 50%

14 The students who know that while writing a new 45%

paragraph they should start from the middle of the page

From the survey, it is understood that all students know what a paragraph is. Only a

few students know about the structure of a paragraph. It is also understood that only a few

students take their notes in paragraphs. The survey shows that a very few teachers had only

taught the students about the importance of writing in paragraph.

FINDINGS

From the survey, it is understood that the students do not have a clear idea about

paragraph writing. Half of them do not know how to organize an essay into paragraphs. They

are also unaware of the importance of paragraph writing. The students are also not
encouraged by their teachers to write the essays in paragraphs. They are also not taught about

the importance of paragraph writing.

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

The aim of English language teaching is to improve the four fold skills like listening,

speaking, reading and writing. If a student develops these skills, it means s/he has an

advantage because English is a worldwide communicative language. Paragraph writing can

develop the writing skills of a child. Teachers should make it sure that their students write

essays in paragraph. They should also explain the importance of writing in paragraphs.

CONCLUSION

The present study helped the student teacher to know that, though most of the

students know paragraph writing, many of them do not know about its structure and

importance. It also helped the investigator to render community service to the children

belonging to the disadvantaged sections. The study was an opportunity for the teacher-

trainee to impart her knowledge to the children of the community, who faced social and

economic disadvantages.

REFERENCE

http://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/paragraph-writing-secrets/

http://www.skillsyouneed.com/writing-skills.html

http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing-skills-practice