‘Difficulties Experienced in Creative Writing by High School Students in English’ by Bindhu T.S.

Introduction

Creative writing can be considered as a piece of work that expresses thoughts, ideas and feelings in an imaginative way. It is any writing that goes beyond the normal professional, journalistic, academic, technical forms of literature typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development and the use of literary tropes. In the context of ELT classrooms in Kerala, a creative way of enhancing students’ written English still remains a challenging area. Unlike the academic counter part of writing classes that teach students to compose work based on the rules of the language, creative writing is believed to focus on students’ self expression. In fact everyone is creative and children are more so. Creative writing must be seen as being divorced from other types of writing and the students need to be viewed as ‘creators’ rather than as ‘writers’. Creative writing is a valuable tool for students which can infuse fun and stimulate their imagination.

The growing recognition of the importance of creative activity in education demands a consideration of its meaning to and its place in the teaching of English. Over the years creative writing has been integrated into many English school programmes and with the recent search in interest in learner autonomy and student centered learning, there appears to be more of an interest among administrators and educators to teach creative writing in the classroom.

Creative writing embraces the individual’s need to move beyond boundaries and consider new ways of thinking. It involves the ability to write original or unusual ideas. One of the main strengths of creative writing is that it taps in directly to student interior motivations, interest and essentially to the power of imagination. 

Creative writing skill is defined as the ability to originate with free imagination in regard to a particular topic on any form of writing. It involves going beyond without deviating from normal values. It is further defined as specific abilities which help the students put their thoughts into words in a meaningful and logical form based on four creative writing skills dimensions namely; authenticity (the ability to produce unusual, unique ideas or idea that is infrequent), proficiency (the ability to create a sizeable number of ideas), flexibility (ability to have a variety of ideas) and elaboration (ability to develop or embellish ideas and produce many details).

            Creative writing can be both incredibly funny and incredibly terrifying for high school students. It is incredibly funny because it gives students a break from formal essay writing and vocabulary tests. It can be incredibly terrifying if the students are uncertain of their writing ability, creativity or imagination. As language education in the high school level gives due emphasis to writing skill; creative writing and expository writing activities are normally provided in English classrooms. In fact the line between creative writing and expository writing is not carved in stone. In general creative writing texts draw more heavily on intuition, close observation, imagination and personal memories than expository writing texts which are purely informative and instrumental.

Rationale of the study

English language curriculum prescribed for high school students provides opportunities for expression of free thoughts, but the fact is that the real nature and purpose of creative writing is not met in High School English Classrooms. Lack of emphasis on the major creative faculty can lead to dissonance and low motivational levels, as the student’s multiple needs are not being met. Focusing extensively on form can leave little room for the cultivation of views, opinions and ideas. Students often feel nervous about writing or expressing ideas, and they wonder if the way that they are expressing themselves is the correct way or not, and whether they are meeting teaching expectations. Teachers can open students’ minds and inspire them to imagine worlds other than their own through setting up creative processes in the classroom that release the imagination. Allowing the ‘inner voice’ to be heard and for personal visions to be shared is an important part of establishing a positive working environment that can encourage students to write.

Studies conducted by ahour (2009), Weiss,et al (1997), Green (2000), Alan Maley (2009), Bartscher, et al (2001) reveal that there are certain factors like insufficient practice in writing skill, insufficient time allocation, language barriers, cultural barriers, emotional barriers, improper language learning environment affecting the creative writing ability.

The present English language classroom transaction gives more emphasis to the creative domain. Hence learners are expected to meet these demands through creative, critical, reflective, lateral thinking techniques in ELT classroom. While they come across these types of classroom activities it is felt that they encounter difficulties in producing creative output. By this study an attempt is made to find out the difficulties experienced by high school students in creative writing in English.

The present paper illustrates the aspects inhibiting creative writing in English of high school students. The findings of the study must be brought to the notice of English teachers so that they can adopt measures to overcome the difficulties of the learners in the area of creative writing and get the best creative output from them.

Objectives of the study

                    i.            To find out the difficulties faced by high school students in the area of creative writing in English with respect to personal, psychological, institutional and linguistic aspects.

                  ii.            To find out significant difference in the difficulties experienced by high school students in the area of creative writing in English with respect to gender .

Hypotheses of the study

        i.            There exists no difficulty in the area of creative writing in English among high school students with respect to personal, psychological, institutional and linguistic aspects.

      ii.            There exists no significant difference in the creative writing ability in English among High School students with respect to gender.

Methodology

Method

For the present study Descriptive Survey Method was adopted.

Sample.

The sample comprised of 81 IX std students from co-educational institutions of Kollam District.

Tool

1. Personal Information Sheet to collect the personal details of students.
2. An Opinionnaire containing 20 statements relating to the various aspects like personal, psychological, institutional and linguistic aspects was used to measure the difficulties related to creative writing in English.

 Procedure

            The tools were administered and responses made by students were scored, tabulated and analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques.

Statistical Methods Used

1.         Percentage Analysis

2.         t-test

Analysis and Interpretation

            Table 1

Number and percentage of response of items in the area of personal difficulties of high school students in their creative writing in English

Area	Items	Response	Number	Percentage
Personal Difficulties	Less language exposure hinders my creative ability in English	To A Great Extent	8	9.9%
		To Some   Extent	56	69.1%
		Not At All	17	21.0%
	The inability of conveying ideas obstruct my mind to think creatively	To A Great Extent	12	14.8%
		To Some  Extent	53	65.4%
		Not At All	16	19.8%
	Mother tongue interference inhibits my English language creativity	To a Great Extent	26	32.1%
		To Some  Extent	26	32.1%
		Not At All	29	35.8%
	Inability to take challenge starve my creative thoughts in English	To A Great extent	30	37.0%
		To Some   Extent	27	33.4%
		Not At All	24	29.6%
	Lack of time to try and explore English language afflict my creative outburst	To A Great Extent	20	24.7%
		To Some  Extent	35	43.2%
		Not At All	26	32.1%
	Lack of ideas in English retards my creative thoughts	To A Great Extent	32	39.5%
		To Some  Extent	19	23.5%
		Not At All	30	37.0%

The above  table shows the number and percentage of responses of each item in the area of  personal difficulties .It is revealed that 69.1% of students to some extent face difficulties due to less language exposure hinders their creative writing ability in English. 65.4% of students to some extent have difficulties in conveying ideas which obstruct their mind to think creatively. An equal of 32.1% of students favoured to some extent and to a great extent that difficulties due to mother tongue interference inhibit their English language creativity. 37% of students to a great extent feel difficulty in their inability to take challenge that starves their creative thoughts in English. 43.2% of students to some extent feel difficulty due to lack of time in trying and exploring English language afflicting their creative outburst. 39.5% students to a great extent have difficulties due to lack of ideas in English that retard their creative thoughts.

 From this observation it can be concluded that majority of students have personal difficulties in creative writing ability in English to some extent.

Table 2

Number and percentage of response of items in the area of psychological difficulties of high school students in their creative writing in English

Area	Items	Response	Number	Percentage
Psychological Difficulties	Lack of confidence in using                                                                                                                               English language curtails my     innovative ideas	To a Great Extent	22	27.2%
		To Some   Extent	44	54.3%
		Not At All	15	18.5%
	Lack of motivation in English language classrooms slows down my creative ability	To A Great Extent	47	58.0%
		To Some   Extent	19	23.5%
		Not At All	15	18.5%
	My inferiority complex restricts the divergent thinking in English language classrooms	To A Great Extent	22	27.2%
		To Some   Extent	38	46.9%
		Not At All	21	25.9%
	Absence of adequate reinforcement weakens my creative expressions in English	To A Great Extent	19	23.4%
		To Some   Extent	37	45.7%
		Not At All	25	30.9%
	English language anxiety lowers my creative thinking	To A Great Extent	29	35.8%
		To Some   Extent	29	35.8%
		Not At All	23	28.4%
	Fear of criticism disturbs my creative flow of ideas in English language classroom	To A Great Extent	32	39.5%
		To Some   Extent	30	37.0%
		Not At All	19	23.5%

 

The above table shows the number and percentage of responses of each items in the area of psychological difficulties. It is revealed that 54.3% of students face difficulty to some extent due to lack of confidence in using English language that curtails their innovative ideas. 58% of students have difficulty to a great extent due to lack of motivation they receive from English language classrooms which slows down their creative ability. A majority of 46.9% favoured to some extent that their inferiority complex restricts the divergent thinking in English language classrooms. 45.7% supported to some extent that the absence of adequate reinforcement weakens their creative expressions in English. An equal of 35.8% of students opted to some extent and to great extent that the English language anxiety lowers their creative thinking. Only 28.4% considered that the English language anxiety doesn’t lower their creative thinking. A vast majority of 39.5% of students felt difficulty due to the fear of criticism that disturbs their creative flow of ideas in English language classrooms.

From this observation it can be interpreted that most of the students have difficulty to some extent in their creative writing ability due to psychological factors.

 Table 3

Number and percentage of response of items in the area of institutional difficulties of high school students in their creative writing in English

Area	Items	Response	Number	Percentage
Institutional Difficulties	The over burdened English language classrooms curb my creative writing	To A Great Extent	56	69.1%
		To Some Extent	8	9.9%
		Not At All	17	21%
	The threatening English language learning environment delays my creative output	To A Great Extent	60	74.1%
		To Some   Extent	4	4.9%
		Not At All	17	21%
	In acceptance of novel ideas and individuality obstructs my creative outlook in English language classrooms	To A Great Extent	14	17.2%
		To Some   Extent	51	63.0%
		Not At All	16	19.8%
	The negative reactions from the part of teachers diminish my creative thoughts in English classrooms	To A Great Extent	49	60.5%
		To Some   Extent	6	7.4%
		Not At All	26	32.1%
	Lack of creative activities in English language classrooms diminish my creative experiences	To A Great Extent	36	44.4%
		To Some   Extent	28	34.6%
		Not At All	17	21%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above table shows the number and percentage of responses of each items in the area of institutional difficulties .A vast majority of 69.1% favoured the opinion to a great extent that the over burdened English language classrooms curb their creative writing. 74.1% of students to a great extent felt that the threatening English language learning environment delays their creative output. 63% of students to some extent felt that the inacceptance of novel ideas and individuality obstructs their creative outlook in English language classrooms. Around 60.5% of students to a great extent feel that the negative reactions from the part of teachers diminish their creative thoughts in English classrooms. 44.4% of students opined that the lack of creative activities in English language classrooms diminish their creative experiences to a great extent.

From this observation it can be inferred that majority of the students face institutional difficulties in their creative writing ability in English to a great extent.

Table 4

Number and percentage of response of items in the area of linguistic difficulties of high school students in their creative writing in English

Area	Items	Response	Number	Percentage
Linguistic Difficulties	Inappropriate knowledge of the mechanics of writing English reduces my creative skills	To A Great Extent	31	38.2%
		To Some Extent	25	30.9%
		Not At All	25	30.9%
	Insufficient vocabulary interrupts my language enrichment in English classroom	To A Great Extent	20	24.7%
		To Some   Extent	35	43.2%
		Not At All	26	32.1%
	Insufficient English grammatical fluency disfigure my creative products	To a Great Extent	19	23.4%
		To Some   Extent	34	42.0%
		Not At All	28	34.6%

 

 

 

 

 

The above table shows the number and percentage of responses of each item in the area of linguistic difficulties. It revealed that 38.2% of students to a great extent felt difficulty due to the inappropriate knowledge of the mechanics of writing English which reduce their creative skills. 43.2% of students opted to some extent that the insufficient vocabulary interrupted their language enrichment in English classrooms. 42% of students supported to some extent that insufficient English grammatical fluency disfigure their creative products.

From this observation it can be concluded that majority of the students face linguistic difficulty in their creative writing ability in English to some extent.

Hence the hypothesis ‘i’ formulated in this context ‘There exists no difficulty in the area of creative writing in English among high school students with respect to personal, psychological, institutional and linguistic aspects’ is rejected.

Table 5

Test and significance of the difference between the means on the difficulties in creative writing ability in English by high school students with respect to gender

Gender	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	t
Boys	17	27.5294	8.70429	8.68
Girls	64	45.6875	7.38053

The above table shows that the obtained t value 8.68 is greater than the table value 2.58 at .01 level of significance. This means that there exists a significant difference between boys and girls in their difficulties in creative writing ability in English. The mean score of girls 45.68 is greater than mean value of boys 27.52. So it is inferred that girls have more difficulties in creative writing in English when compared to boys.

Hence the hypothesis ‘ii’ formulated in this context ‘There exists no significant difference in the creative writing ability in English among high school students with respect to gender’ is rejected.

Major Findings

• Among the various aspects leading to creative writing difficulties in English, institutional factors are dominant.
• There exists significant difference among boys and girls in their creative writing ability in English.
• Girls have more difficulties in creative writing in English when compared to boys.

Implications

• Along with academic writing, provide creative writing activities which embraces the individuals need to move beyond boundaries and consider new ways of thinking.
• Students should be given freedom and opportunities to express their views, opinions, thoughts and ideas, choose ways of working, direction of work, shape outcome etc.
• Workshops and orientation classes for teachers regarding how to develop creative writing packages for students can be conducted.
• Strategies that boost up the confidence level of students may be adopted by teachers in English language classrooms.
• Writing assessment criteria should be reframed giving due weightage to indicators of creativity where students get chance to judge their own products.
• Teachers should act as a source of inspiration and motivation encouraging students to write creatively and improve students’ products.
•  A positive language learning environment that generates free expression facilitates and supports the novel ideas of students can be promoted.
• Wide range of interactive activities can be assigned in ELT classrooms.

Conclusion

One Question that is often asked is whether creative writing can be taught. Of course creative competence can be developed in the learner through an enjoyable and supportive classroom atmosphere which welcomes lateral thinking from the part of the learner where writing is fun and exciting, when it opens the imaginations and emotions of students. Great teachers have always been creative teachers. Emulating their practices, countless teachers of English are helping their students to apply invention to the inquisition of truth as an enterprise and to employ wit and magnificence to things of worth and excellency. The results are not always productive of great or of high artistic originality, but these creative activities give understanding of creative process and offer opportunities for the exercise of the imagination, stimulation of the intelligence and liberation of the spirit. To the extent that they do these things English classroom activities are truly creative.

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About the author

Bindhu T.S. is currently pursuing her PhD programme on Triggering Creativity of High School Students in ELT Classrooms through Interactive Strategies of Teaching Writing in the University of Kerala. She is an Assistant Professor of the M.Ed department at Fathima Memorial Training College, Pallimukku, Kollam.