Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, item analysis, and construct and concurrent criterion-related validity of the Writing Essential Skill Screener-Preschool Version were studied using four independent samples of children (ages 4 to 5). The test displayed a high degree of reliability and validity for a brief pre-writing skills screener.…

The Self-Regulated Strategy Development model was used to assist six elementary students with learning disabilities develop a strategy for planning and writing essays, self-regulation, and positive attributions regarding effort and strategy use. Instruction had a positive effect on students' approach to writing, writing performance, and…

The inability to write scientific papers effectively remains a problem for many college students. To identify pedagogical constructs that help undergraduates write well in scientific formats, we evaluated the effect of the number and type of college composition courses previously taken, science writing experience, and tutorial services. In our…

Having celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2005, the Advanced Placement (AP) program has received quite a bit of attention in the past few years due mainly to its exponential growth in popularity. While much of this attention has been positive, a significant amount of criticism has attacked the assumptions of the AP program, aligning it with…

The teaching of grammar is discussed from an instrumental point of view: what beneficial effects does such teaching have for students' language abilities (especially writing)? Two ways of approaching grammar teaching are confronted with each other: the learning of explicit rules and meta-linguistic knowledge about language on one hand and learning…

In this replication study, supplemental writing instruction in strategic planning was used to improve the story writing ability of young writers with learning disabilities (LD) and poor writing skills. Six 2nd-grade students with learning disabilities who experienced difficulty with story writing were taught a strategy for planning and writing…

This study was conducted by members of a site of the California Writing Project in partnership with a large, urban, low-SES school district where 93% of the students speak English as a second language and 69% are designated Limited English Proficient. Over an eight-year period, a relatively stable group of 55 secondary teachers engaged in ongoing…

A recursive scientific writing project was undertaken in a second-year, graduate-level course to teach students who were non-native English speakers to write scientific communications clearly and concisely in English. The instructor returned students' brief texts with editorial revisions marked to show how increased clarity may be achieved through…

When asked to reflect on their experiences with writing, preservice teachers attributed their successes and failures to a number of factors. Some of these attributions, such as those made to "effort" and "ability", were internal in nature. However, the most frequently occurring references were to an external factor: "influential others."…

A study investigated how Accelerated Learning (AL), a teaching methodology that purports to increase the quantity and improve the quality of learning, affected tertiary students' knowledge of and skills in writing and their feelings towards writing. AL has its origins in G. Lozanov's "suggestopedia." Believing that formal teaching…

A study compared the writing abilities of children in a whole language classroom with those of children involved in a skills-based classroom. Subjects, 37 African-American students in two heterogeneous first-grade classrooms in a low socio-economic area school in the inner-city of a large Alabama city, completed a reading/writing assessment (a…

This purposes of this presentation were to: (1) document the gap between self-assessment and faculty assessment of students' writing ability at Saginaw Valley State University; (2) analyse possible causes for the gap; and (3) suggest four ways to review the gap. Survey data were gathered from introductory history, political science, management,…

Intended for college students and other writers, this book contains a detailed, step-by-step description of the writing process, from prewriting and brainstorming to polishing the mechanics of a final draft. The book is divided into five major sections. Part 1 is a broad introduction to the natural language attitude toward learning to write. Part…

In this article, I focus on a review of the existing research pertaining to the use of word processors in K-6 writing classrooms and the effects of technologies on students' writing ability. As integrated as technology appears to be in today's curriculum, the effects of using word processors for writing enhancement, instruction and practice…

Investigates young children's literacy activity within play settings designed to reflect authentic literacy contexts in children's real-world environment. Finds that, in the course of play activities, children demonstrated declarative knowledge about literacy (e.g. names of literacy objects), procedural knowledge, and strategic knowledge. Suggests…