A study of three fifth-grade students with learning disabilities examined the effectiveness of a strategy deigned to help them become more reflective when writing opinion essays. Following the instruction, students wrote essays that were longer, provided more support for their premise, and were qualitatively better. (Author/CR)

Describes a format for assignments that trains students to write short, persuasive essays. Essay topics address how software available in the computing lab can use a computing technique. Points are scored by making multiple concise arguments that answer different aspects of the essay question. (PVD)

Two studies of intermediate grade students with and without learning and writing disabilities evaluated the Self-Regulated Strategy Development model in teaching students how to plan persuasive essays before and during composing. Instructional effects were investigated using different research designs, in different settings, and with different…

Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is presented as way that middle school students with learning disabilities can learn task-specific strategies for composing. A strategy for planning expository essays is discussed, along with the PLAN and WRITE strategies for teaching basic parts of an essay, different types of sentences, synonyms, and…

Examines the conditions under which using notes while essay-writing is helpful. Reviews the efforts of 226 Finish high school graduates taking an entrance examination to a nursing school. Indicates that the advice to write an essay using spontaneously written notes is not applicable in all situations. (CMK)

Developed as a teaching aid for a General Educational Development (GED) preparation class, this essay writing guide gives students the tools they need to develop and organize ideas for writing an essay with confidence. By following a sequential procedure in this very structured approach, students learn to turn out a well-organized essay. The…

Organized in eight short sections, this paper presents guidelines for students attending New Hampshire Community Technical College at Manchester for writing term papers and short essays. The paper's sections are: (1) Outline (outlining the paper's contents); (2) Setting the Parameters (containing a definition of a term paper); (3) Sections of a…

This paper discusses expressive writing, which can be defined as writing in a conversational and personal way. The paper explains that, in this expressive mode, writers are allowed the freedom to mull over ideas and to highlight certain ideas, even as they write, making it a vehicle for learning. The paper presents discussion on the time (i.e.,…

This paper describes a simple instructional approach which social science professors can use to teach the fundamentals of academic essay writing to their students. The paper discusses the evolution of this alternative writing approach--the instructional problems leading to its development as well as the process by which a solution was identified.…

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are required to pass the same competency exams as students enrolled in general education in order to graduate to new grade levels and to earn a high school diploma. In this study, the authors taught students with SLD a self-directed organizational strategy designed to assist them in passing the…

Deals with university faculty's and students' perceptions of essay-writing difficulties in examinations and on coursework and ways to improve these problems. Offers a framework for analyzing types of writing problems and offering support. (MG)

High school students in Venezuela study English grammar and vocabulary for 5 years, but, because theirs is an oral culture, they do very little reading or writing either in their native language or in English. When students reach the university and begin to study composition, they are unmotivated to write essays on teacher assigned topics for a…

The five-paragraph theme, while widely used by writing instructors, has often been criticized for its tendency to focus on a rigid formula rather than a writer's ideas. This study investigates the decision of an early-career teacher, Leigh, to teach her eighth-grade students the five-paragraph model in the context of a state-mandated writing…

Non native speakers of English wishing to study at tertiary level in English speaking countries are increasingly required to prove their English language competence by taking an internationally recognised test such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS). This article…

Experiments with active and cooperative learning techniques designed to develop critical thinking and writing skills in large introductory level sociology courses. Finds debate and essay writing effectively modify students' opinions on social issues and help students develop these skills. Notes ethical issues involved in teaching critical…