One hundred forty-one teachers in grades 3-8 indicated how frequently they made 24 writing instructional adaptations for students with disabilities. They also rated the acceptability of each of the 24 adaptations on three dimensions: effectiveness, effort needed to implement, and implementation knowledge. Teachers reported making 16 different…

The authors investigated the impact of explicit instruction and peer-assisted writing on students' writing motivation and self-efficacy for writing. Eleven teachers and their 206 fifth- and sixth-grade students participated in a 2 (explicit instruction vs. writing opportunities without explicit instruction) × 2 (peer-assisted writing vs. writing…

The purpose of this mainly descriptive study was to investigate teachers' perceptions about how they teach writing as well as their beliefs about preparation and efficacy to teach this skill. It also examined if preparation and efficacy beliefs along with teaching experience (years teaching the language arts) predicted teachers' reported writing…

A random sample of 482 teachers in grades 3 through 8 from across the United States were surveyed about (a) their perceptions of the version of the Common Core writing and language standards adopted by their state and their state's writing assessment, (b) their preparation to teach writing, and (c) their self-efficacy beliefs for teaching writing.…

The role of executive control in the revising difficulties of 12 fifth and sixth graders with writing and learning problems was studied. Procedural support made revising easier for participating students, but their difficulties were not due solely to difficulties with executive control. Implications for instruction are discussed. (SLD)

The effects of a revising goal to "add information" on revising behavior and writing performance were examined for 70 5th and 6th graders. Students assigned the goal made more meaning-based changes and produced improved text quality. Procedural assistance did not appreciably enhance revising behavior or text quality. (SLD)

Effects on quantity and quality of student compositions of mechanical interference, rate of production, and contentless production signals to write more were studied for 24 learning-disabled (LD) fourth and sixth graders. Results indicate that LD students' writing problems are partly a result of difficulties with mechanics and sustaining…

The viability of self-instructional strategy training was investigated in a study involving 22 learning disabled and 11 normal fifth and sixth graders. Training produced meaningful and lasting effects on composition skills and heightened the sense of self-efficacy of subjects. (TJH)

The effects of dictation and explicit instruction in planning on the composing skills of 42 fifth, sixth, and seventh graders with learning disabilities were studied. The combination of dictation and instruction in advanced planning resulted in more complete and qualitatively better essays than those written by comparison students. (SLD)