Use of sample letters and the development of letter writing skills in selected secondary schools in Gulu Municipality.

Abstract

The study was carried out to investigate the influence of using sample letters as teaching aids on the development of letter writing skills in selected secondary schools in Gulu Municipality and it involved 30 senior four students and four teachers of English selected from Sacred Heart Secondary School and Gulu High School. The study was guided by three objects: 1) to describe the influence of reading sample letters on students‟ vocabulary; 2) to describe the influence of reading sample letters on the information that students present in the body of their own letters; and 3) to describe the influence of reading sample letters on the way students organize information in the body of their own letters. The study adopted case study design and data for the study was collected through interviews, classroom observation, and document analysis. Findings of the study reveal that reading sample letters makes students learn new words that they can use in their own letters and influences the information that students present in their own letters and how they organize it in the body of their letters. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that reading sample letters not only influences students‟ vocabulary but also the content of their letters and how they organize information in the body of their own letters The study puts forward three recommendations: First, teachers of English should teach letter writing with the aid of sample letters to enable students learn new words and phrases that are usually used to write formal letters and use them to write their own letters. Second, English teachers should use sample letters to help their students know what pieces of information they need to present in the body of a given letter. Finally, the order in which pieces of information is presented in the body of a formal letter and the number of paragraphs that students need to use in a given type of letter should be taught using sample letters.