Résumé:
The Competency- Based Approach (C. B. A.) is a new teaching approach
which was adopted by the Algerian Educational system in 2003. It aims to
enhance the learners’ competencies in order to use them in their real lives.
Despite its importance, some Algerian secondary schools’ teachers fail to
absorb real implementation of this new approach especially in teaching the
writing skill; for it is amongst the important EFL skills in English education.
The present study aims at improving essay writing on EFL learners under the
Competency– Based Approach. In this research, we hypothesized that if the
Algerian secondary schools’ EFL teachers know how to integrate useful
strategies in teaching essay writing skills within C. B. A.; they will be able to
promote pupils’ writing proficiency.
In order to achieve the aforementioned aim, an observational study and two
questionnaires have been used. Classroom observation took place at Darra
Mohamed Essadek secondary school, and the questionnaires were
administered to both teachers and pupils in three various secondary schools:
Darra Mohamed Essadek, and Abd El Hamid Ibn Badis, and Mati Ahcen. The
main purpose behind these questionnaires is to get teachers and learners’
perceptions about the implementation of C. B. A in teaching essay writing, as
well as the main difficulties that both teachers and learners encountered when
implementing the said approach.
The results obtained showed that essay writing can be improved if C. B. A. is
thoroughly implemented with its appropriate settings; however, there are
some issues and difficulties that hinder EFL learners from developing their
essay writing skills. These obstacles; namely, overcrowded classes, lack of
authentic materials, insufficient time, and lack of teachers’ training must be
seriously dealt with by policy- makers.
