Effectiveness of Constructivist and Behaviorist Approaches in Improving the Writing Skills of Grade 12 STEM Students with Writing Deficiency

Abstract

Writing is an essential skill for interpersonal communication that enables people to share ideas, persuade, and convince one another. However, students struggle to express their ideas in writing. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Constructivist and Behaviorist approaches in improving the writing skills of Grade 12 STEM students who have writing deficiency. This study employed a quasi-experimental research design involving fifty (50) participants exposed to the constructivist approach, and the other fifty (50) were exposed to the behaviorist approach. They were chosen through total enumeration. The researcher administered a pretest and posttest through an argumentative essay. Results reveal that students exposed to both approaches progressed from the “Developing” level before the intervention to the “Proficient” level in all sub-skills, such as topic development, organization, vocabulary, sentence structure, and mechanics after the intervention.  Furthermore, a significant improvement in the participants' writing skills was observed after the interventions. The constructivist and behaviorist approaches were both effective in improving the writing skills of the participants. However, the constructivist approach appeared to have better results than the behaviorist approach, especially on the sub-skill sentence structure.  It is recommended that English teachers expose students to activities using a constructivist approach, such as active participation, peer review, and reflection practices.