The Benefits of Writing

writing as the way of discovering meaning and ideas so that learners can explore their thought and develop them during writing process. Steele 2004 proposes process approach model which includes eight stages. The stage one is called brainstorming which requires students to generate their ideas through using some ways such as discussion, interview, survey, and so many other techniques. Stage two is planningstructuring which involves learners to note their ideas then decide what they want to write based on the quality and usefulness of the ideas. Then, stage three is mind mapping in which students try to organize their ideas into mind mapping form. This enables them to know the hierarchical relationship among their ideas then help to structure their text. Stage four is writing the first draft, in pairs or groups. In this stage, students write their first draft. Next, stage five is peer feedback which involves students to exchange their first draft then read and respond to their friends‟ drafts. Stage six is editing in which the peer feedbacks are used by the students to improve their draft. Stage seven is final drafting where the students produce their final product. The last, stage eight, is evaluation and teacher‟s feedback which requires teachers to evaluate and respond by giving feedback to the students‟ written. In addition, Boughey 1997 states some benefits of applying the process based approach. First, learners are able to try composing writing in second language. Second, the students‟ improvement in writing can be done step by step as the instructor guides them along the process by giving them feedback also providing enough time and opportunity through peer and teacher review in order that they can develop a sense of audience. Students will learn the possible existence of other viewpoints. The difference of the two approaches drawn by Steele 2004 is presented in table 2.1 below: Table 2.1 A comparison between Product and Process Writing Steele, 2004:1 Process Writing Product Writing Text as a resource for comparison Imitative model text Ideas as starting points Organizing of ideas are more important than ideas themselves More than one draft One draft More global. Focused on purpose, theme, text type, i.e. reader is emphasized Features highlighted including controlled practice of those features Collaborative Individual Emphasis on creative process Emphasis on end product Furthermore, Hasan and Akhand 2010 suggest that certain elements in class will influence the use of writing approach applied. These elements include teachers, students, and the genres of the text. They add that both product and process approaches have benefits in teaching learning writing process in English as Second Language or English as Foreign Language context. Process approach will let students generate their ideas into comprehensive manner then organize them in a systematic way which support the students in writing fluency, while product approach becomes important for students in realizing the competence level in which they require based on the task, age, and maturity. Finally, it seems that the use of collaborative approaches both product and process approaches may be required and adapted by teachers in English as Second Language or English as Foreign Language.