The Study on Correlation between English Writing Competence and Grammatical Knowledge

Abstract

This study aims to figure out the relationship between writing competence and grammatical knowledge. Recently, the importance of practical English competence has been emphasized more and more, and we can see a movement towards the improvement of English writing skills. Compared to other language skills, writing has not been given much attention by instructors because giving writing instructions is not easy, and the assessment of writing is also not a simple process. Therefore, learners have not had many opportunities for practicing their writing skills. When it comes to writing, learners need to generate ideas, organize their thoughts, choose the proper vocabulary, and complete the writing assignment with coherence. In addition, there are many aspects of writing such as spelling, mechanics, organization and content. Learners are required to master various characteristics of writing to complete their essay. Among those factors, learners have difficulty in applying grammatical rules, leading to a lack of motivation for writing. Therefore, the objective of this study is to highlight the relationship between writing competence and grammatical knowledge through correlation analysis. For the study, 108 students who took a writing course at university were asked to take a grammar test, and they completed ten writing activities over the course of one semester. An analysis of correlation was conducted using SPSS 21 Version and further discussion was introduced.