Summarization enhances comprehension and is considered an effective strategy to promote and enhance learning and deep understanding of texts. However, summarization is seldom implemented by teachers in classrooms because the manual evaluation requires a lot of effort and time. Although the need for automated support is stringent, there are only a…

In this study, we examined burst length and its relation with working memory, attentional control, transcription skills, discourse oral language, and writing quality, using data from English-speaking children in Grade 2 (N = 177; M[subscript age] = 7.19). Results from structural equation modeling showed that burst length was related to writing…

Imagine reading the following text: [characters omitted]. One will not be able to comprehend this sentence unless she or he can read Korean--is able to decode characters and words in the Korean orthography and has an understanding of the Korean language. This example illustrates the absolutely necessary role of word reading in reading…

This study reports on validation of a writing motivation survey and its relationship with a variety of indicators of academic performance of 566 undergraduate students drawn from six US postsecondary institutions. A writing motivation survey was used to capture students' writing goals, confidence, beliefs, and affect. Two research questions are…

The primary aims of this study were two-fold: (1) to describe average change in the written narrative performance of second grade students from the fall and spring of the school year; and (2) examine patterns of individual growth to test for Matthew effects. Participants included 299 children in second grade. Microstructural measures were derived…

This randomized controlled trial with first- and second-grade students is the first experimental study addressing long-running disagreements about whether primary grade students should develop transcription and oral language abilities before learning to compose. It is also the first study at these grade levels to teach close reading (using science…

This study examined the contribution of three writing enabling skills (i.e., feedback perception, self-efficacy, and self-regulation) on writing performance among Hispanic students. Participants were 261 students in grades 3-5. Approximately 60% of students were Emerging Bilingual (EB) enrolled in dual language programming. Students completed…

Writing motivation is a multidimensional construct that has been demonstrated to be of great importance in writing performance and growth. Yet, much of the extant research has failed to examine the nuances of the various dimensions of writing motivation--in particular, task competency beliefs--and has neglected to investigate how the various…

This study examined the amount and types of narrative instruction (i.e., story comprehension, oral storytelling, and story writing instruction) that general education English language arts teachers provide to students in Grades 1 through 4. The research team conducted 121, [approximately]30-minute classroom observations. Educators were asked to…

This study investigated how computer agents' language style affects summary writing in an Intelligent Tutoring System, called CSAL AutoTutor. Participants interacted with two computer agents in one of three language styles: (1) a "formal" language style; (2) an "informal" language style; and (3) a "mixed" language…

In writing science summaries, student writers frequently borrow language fragments from source texts. While taking a text's ideas verbatim is commonly considered a failure in writers' expected use of their own words or even plagiarism, imitating "linguistic chunks" from skilled speakers is also an effective practice in language…

This study examined two widely available light-touch, writing-based mindset interventions: one that targeted students' purpose for learning and one that aimed to increase students' growth mindset. In order to examine the potential mechanisms underlying previously reported effects of mindset interventions, we analyzed these interventions' effects…

Writing is a challenge and a potential obstacle for students in U.S. 4-year postsecondary institutions lacking prerequisite writing skills. This study aims to address the research question: Is there a relationship between specific features (analytics) in coursework writing and broader success predictors? Knowledge about this relationship could…

We examined the contributions of English proficiency, genre, and the use of textual sources to adolescent writing. The sample included 1819 native English speakers and language minority students from 127 seventh- and eighth-grade classes in an urban school district. Students were randomly assigned one of three source-based essay prompts…

A central goal of upper elementary schools is improving students' skills to write persuasively using source materials. This study focused on three essential areas of writing at the upper elementary grade levels. First, children learned skills to read and use source materials through the web-based intelligent tutoring system for the text structure…