Motives for writing is a new research area in the field of writing motivation. Recent studies have identified important motives for students' writing. Adding to this nascent foundation, the current study examined relationships between writing motives, writing self-efficacy and time spent on writing using a sample of grade 4 Chinese students in…

Many educators assume that choice in writing leads to better writing outcomes; however, there are few studies to support this belief. In the present study, we examined the effects of choice and preference on writing quality with college students. The students wrote two argumentative essays on controversial topics in special education. For the…

This study evaluated the validity of a multi-dimensional measure of motives for writing. Based on an earlier instrument and theoretical conceptualisations of writing beliefs, we developed the Writing Motivation Questionnaire (WMQ). A sample of 2,186 fourth- (558 girls; 521 boys) and fifth-grade students (546 girls; 561 boys) completed 28 writing…

This article is an expanded version of my presentation to Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Association for the Career Achievement Award for Distinguished Psychological Contributions to Education in 2019. It provides an overview of research conducted by colleagues and I that examined the following four topics: (a)…

This study examined the intrinsic, extrinsic, and self-regulatory motives for writing and writing achievement of three groups of third- to fifth-grade students in an urban school district: (a) 189 emergent bilingual students receiving services for English language development (ELD); (b) 374 reclassified bilingual students who had exited ELD…

This study examined the factorial and construct validity of a multi-dimensional measure of motives for writing with middle school students. The Writing Motivation Questionnaire included 28 items assessing seven motives for writing. Two motives assessed intrinsic reasons for writing (curiosity, involvement); three motives addressed extrinsic…