Third, the evaluation of the students‟ learning and conscious development of their language are obtained by the learner in writing. This evaluation will make them study
hard in producing their best writing process. Fourth, the learners‟ written records will
help them prevent hiding the truth to themselves and encouraging honest appraisal. In other words, the learners‟ own personality and values of life can be understood during
the writing process. Fifth, a possible delivery of a message from one place to another is made by writing. The last, learners are required to be stronger thinker since the writing
involves them having mental discipline and getting close attention towards a set of logical rules.
Based on some benefits mentioned above, it can be concluded that writing has some beneficial roles such as the indicators of improvement in one‟s learning, the way
to gain the writers‟ understanding both themselves or events that happen around, and the way to improve the
learners‟ communication skill in written form.
c. Approaches to Writing: Product and Process
There are two general approaches commonly known in writing, they are product based approaches and process
–based approaches. Raimes 1983 and Silva 1990, in Tangpermpoon 2008, call the product based approaches as the controlled to
free approach, the text based approach, then the guided composition. Some activities can be used in applying this approach during writing such as the use of model
paragraph, sentence combining, and rhetorical patterns. These activities aim to raise students‟ awareness in second language writing from the lower level of language
proficiency to advance. In addition to that, Tribble 1990:37-44 states that in product based approach, writing is viewed as simple linier model of process which continues
systematically process from pre-writing to composing and to correcting. Steele 2004 proposes the product approach model which includes four stages.
In the stage one, students are required to study model text then the features of genre that are emphasized such as the tense, the organisation of text, and the use of certain words
adjective, adverb, pronouns, and so many other. Then, stage two requires students to have the controlled practice of some emphasized features such as practicing the tense
and some related expressions in isolation activities. Stage three involves students to organize ideas. The last stage is choosing the comparable writing tasks by students in
order to show how fluent they produce the product according to the skills, structures and vocabulary that have been taught.
The advantages are obtained during the application of this approach. First, it can be a way for students to learn how to write English composition systematically
through using the pattern product techniques that is the logic of rhetorical patterns in certain text types. Second, students can learn how to use some vocabularies and
sentence structures for each type of rhetorical pattern in certain text types. Third, the second language awareness of students can be raised especially in grammatical
structure. The process based approach is viewed as the approach that gives the actual
way to the writers work on their writing task from the beginning stage to the end of the written product.
O‟Brien 2004 argues that this approach encourages the students to see
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
