FREEWRITING AS A TOOL IN ENHANCING STUDENTS' COMPETENCE IN ACADEMIC WRITING PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS, KWALI AREA COUNCIL, FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined freewriting as a tool in enhancing students’ competence in academic writing performance in public secondary schools in Kwali Area Council, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design. The population comprised 1675 students offering English Language from 9 public senior secondary schools in Kwali Council, in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria and 322 students offering English language were used as the sample size. The Students' Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SSAQ) was used as an instrument; it was validated and pilot tested, which yielded a logical validity index of 0.71 and a 0.72 reliability index. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions, while an independent t-test was used for testing hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings of this study reveal a significant difference in students perceived differences and benefits in the use of freewriting in enhancing academic writing performance in public secondary schools in Kwali Area Council, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. It was established that students benefit greatly from using freewriting in enhancing their academic writing performance. This highlights the critical role of freewriting in improving students’ overall writing performance and effective communication. The study recommends, among others, that incorporating freewriting activities into schools' English language curriculum will foster writing fluency and creativity.