ERIC Number: ED602429
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0663
EISSN: N/A
Toward an Understanding of Dimensions, Predictors, and the Gender Gap in Written Composition
Kim, Young-Suk; Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Wanzek, Jeanne; Gatlin, Brandy
Grantee Submission, Journal of Educational Psychology v107 n1 p79-95 2015
We had 3 aims in the present study: (a) to examine the dimensionality of various evaluative approaches to scoring writing samples (e.g., quality, productivity, and curriculum-based measurement [CBM] writing scoring), (b) to investigate unique language and cognitive predictors of the identified dimensions, and (c) to examine gender gap in the identified dimensions of writing. These questions were addressed using data from 2nd- and 3rd-grade students (N = 494). Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and multilevel modeling. Results showed that writing quality, productivity, and CBM scoring were dissociable constructs but that writing quality and CBM scoring were highly related (r = 0.82). Language and cognitive predictors differed among the writing outcomes. Boys had lower writing scores than girls even after accounting for language, reading, attention, spelling, handwriting automaticity, and rapid automatized naming. Results are discussed in light of writing evaluation and a developmental model of writing. [This article was published in "Journal of Educational Psychology" (EJ1055888).]
Descriptors: Writing (Composition), Gender Differences, Curriculum Based Assessment, Scoring, Scores, Elementary School Students, Grade 2, Grade 3, Factor Analysis, Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Writing Evaluation, Writing Skills, Writing Improvement, Predictor Variables, Productivity, Oral Language, Reading Skills, Spelling, Alphabets, Handwriting, Accuracy, Attention, Task Analysis, Writing Tests, Achievement Tests
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 2; Primary Education; Grade 3
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Oral and Written Language Scales; Wechsler Individual Achievement Test; Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement
Grant or Contract Numbers: P50HD052120