Effect of Genre-Based Approach on Writing Performance of Nigerian Secondary School Students

This study investigates the relevance of genre based-approach (GBA) in the context of Nigerian secondary schools. The study focuses on the students of Government College Katsina State. It adopts Sawyer Watson’s (1980) GBA as a theoretical framework, emphasises integration of learners’ cultural knowledge while teaching the task of writing. It adores independence of learners’ ability to think individually while solving any writing task at hand. The study employs both quantitative and qualitative designs; the former design deals with the statistical figures, while the latter explains the mean scores of the students’ performance at both sessions (pre and post) of tests. The data was derived from the essays of the students of senior secondary of Government College Katsina, Katsina State. The students were tasked to write an essay entitled, the dividends of democracy in our communities, where respondents’ responses were analysed and processes. The finding of the study reveals that GBA is a performance approach that aims at making learners improve their performance and produce captivating essays through direct application of the approach’s principles. Another finding validates that teacher find solace in GBA, as it allows teachers to select topics based on learners’ needs. The study establishes that GBA is a pragmatic approach to teaching writing based on the genre’s characteristics. Unlike traditional approaches, GBA accords students chances to write different essays by applying conventions applied to the genres. It also acknowledges the power of learners’ background knowledge (BGK) and contextual knowledge in writing culturally-based texts.