ENHANCING PARAGRAPH WRITING SKILLS THROUGH PICTURE SERIES TECHNIQUE:

EVIDENCE FROM JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of Picture Series Technique (PST) on the paragraph writing
performance of junior secondary school students in Kaduna South Local Government Area,
Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study was motivated by persistent challenges among students in the
study area such as poor idea generation, weak organization, lack of coherence, and inadequate
content development in paragraph writing. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control group
design was adopted. The population comprised 6,616 JSS II students, from which a sample of 125
students was purposively selected. The experimental group (68 students) was taught using PST,
while the control group (57 students) received conventional instruction. Data were collected using
a Paragraph Writing Achievement Test (PWAT), scored based on unity, coherence, completeness,
use of linkers, and grammar/mechanics. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and
inferential statistics (independent samples t-test) were used for data analysis at a 0.05 level of
significance. Findings revealed that students exposed to PST performed significantly better than
those in the control group, with a higher mean gain (7.32 vs. 2.63). The technique also significantly
improved key components of paragraph writing, particularly coherence and completeness, as well
as students’ ability to generate and organize ideas. The null hypotheses were rejected, confirming
that PST has a statistically significant effect on paragraph writing performance and organization.
The study concludes that picture series technique is an effective instructional strategy for
improving students’ paragraph writing skills. It recommends that English language teachers
integrate PST into classroom instruction when teaching paragraph.