Writing Maturity Featured in Some Malaysian ESL Students Compositions

This study attempts to identify features of writing maturity exhibited by four groups of Malaysian ESL students. A further objective of the study was to compare the differences and/or similarities of writing maturity of students in two different primary school levels (Grades 3 and 5) Malay (LI) and English (L2). It was carried out in two Malaysian towns: Kelana Jaya and Malacca. A total of twenty students were involved in the study. The subjects chosen for this study comprised both genders. Their exposures to composition writing vary. Sample compositions for the primary school students were collected from a primary school in Kelana Jaya whereas samples from the secondary school students were collected from a secondary school in Malacca. A sample of twenty compositions was selected from the four groups. The selection of these samples was based on the* level of writing complexity measured by T-unit analysis. It was important to select samples that showed a certain level of writing complexity so that the development and growth in composing could be evaluated using Wilkinson et al. s (1980, 1983) Model of Writing Maturity. The results indicated that secondary school students demonstrate a higher level of writing maturity than primary level students, and that primary school students are capable of producing a similar quality of writing in English and Malay.