ERIC Number: EJ823892
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Dec
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1045-3830
EISSN: N/A
Examining the Effects of a Comprehensive Writing Program on the Writing Performance of Middle School Students with Learning Disabilities in Written Expression
McCurdy, Merilee; Skinner, Christopher; Watson, Steuart; Shriver, Mark
School Psychology Quarterly, v23 n4 p571-586 Dec 2008
Many students have difficulty in educational and employment settings because they have failed to master basic writing skills. Multiple-baseline across-tasks designs were used to evaluate the effects of the Comprehensive Writing Program (CWP), a multicomponent intervention, on the writing performance of all students (n = 17) from 3 9th-grade special education classrooms. The CWP included direct instruction, assignment choice, increased practice, group rewards, and individual feedback. Assessment procedures were used to collect data on 3 target skills: percentage of sentences that (a) were complete sentences, (b) contained adjectives, and (c) were compound sentences. Results suggest that the CWP increased students' performance on recently taught or retaught skills; however, not all increases were maintained. Discussion focuses on future applied and theoretical research designed to address limitations of the current study and to enhance the effectiveness of the CWP. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Feedback (Response), Sentences, Basic Writing, Learning Disabilities, Program Effectiveness, Writing Skills, Writing Instruction, Middle School Students, Grade 9, Special Education, Teaching Methods, Student Evaluation, Writing Evaluation, Form Classes (Languages), Intervention, Identification
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 9; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A