THE EFFECT OF GRAMMAR-FOCUSED WRITING INSTRUCTIONS ON STUDENTS‟ ESSAY WRITING PERFORMANCE WITH REFERENCE TO GRADE 12 STUDENTS OF SHEWAROBIT GENERAL SECONDARY AND PREPARATORY SCHOOL MA THESIS BY DERESE GETANEH

Abstract

This quasi – experimental study was an attempt to investigate the effect of grammar-focused writing instructions on students‘ essay writing performance of EFL students of Shewarobit General Secondary and Preparatory School Grade 12. Convenient sampling technique was employed to select the school. However, participants of the study were assigned to the experimental (section ‗E‘) and the control group (section D)‘ using random sampling technique, which was lottery casting. Then, the experimental group was given training focusing on grammar-focused writing instructions for eight weeks, and then, wrote essays with three paragraphs. The control group, on the other hand, wrote the same essay within the same period of time without any treatment. Pre-test and post-test measures were analysed using a t-test statistical procedure. The results showed that the 47 students of the control group a mean pretest essay score of 23.86 and a mean pre-test score of experimental group 23.91, showing a mean difference of .055. This shows that students‘ essay writing performance of the two groups was nearer in the pre-test stage. However, the 47 students of the control group a mean post-test essay score of 23.91 and the experimental group means post-test essay score of 26.024, showing