Teachers’ Views on the Theoretical and Methodological Aspects of Teaching Written Composition

Abstract

The teaching of written composition begins in the 3rd grade in Hungary. Naturally, even before this, in the 1st and 2nd grades, tasks that develop verbal text creation and prepare students are also carried out, as well as sentence level writing tasks. Teaching composition presents a real challenge for educators, especially in today’s world, where it is increasingly difficult to capture the interest of students who, with regard to written texts, have been socialized in the use of digital devices. The changing habits of reading and information processing, as well as the diminishing role of live storytelling and shared conversations are all factors that affect performance in reading comprehension, writing, and learning in general at school. While we do not aim to generalize, it can be noted as a trend that younger primary school students read little for pleasure, which results in a limited vocabulary and slower reading and text processing, as well as writing production. In my research, I examine what characterizes the teaching practices of educators teaching in lower primary school regarding the background factors mentioned above. Through verbal questioning (structured interviews)—mediated by teacher education students—I interviewed 22 lower primary school teachers about their principles, methods, challenges, and visions of teaching composition. In my study, I present the responses, views, and opinions regarding the place, time, introduction, methods and techniques applied in the preparatory phase of written text creation.