Approaches to Composition Literacy: Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice

Abstract

This paper attempts to trace the chronological development of the theories and approaches, which have been generating the literature relevant to foreign language writing since the second half of the 20th century. The intent is to examine the extent to which these theories have affected the process of composition in classroom practices. The study starts with the Controlled-composition approach highlighting its focus on coherent arrangement of word to structure grammatical correct sentences. Then, it introduces the orientations of the Current-traditional rhetoric emphasizing that the composing process should focus on developing (a) given language function(s). With the emerge of the Process approach attempting to reinforce learners' expressive abilities, the composition practices turned towards creative writing. However, the increase of interest in writing for academic purposes the composing practices seems now to lay much more emphasis on text genres. This paper attempts to highlight the role of composition theories in fostering higher education writing practices.