Path analysis was used to test the influence of writing self-efficacy, self-concept, apprehension, and aptitude on the essay-writing performance of 181 ninth-grade students in a public high school in the southwestern United States. A model that also included gender accounted for 53% of the variance in performance. As hypothesized, both aptitude…

This study investigated the writing of elementary and high school students who participated in an on-line conference called Elementary Books over a two-year period, from 1992-1994. During this period, exchanges between a third- and a fifth-grade class and two high school English classes in different geological regions of Virginia were analyzed to…

Martin Seligman's psychology research on depression, published in 7 books and hundreds of articles, shows a correlation between attributional style and depression. "Explanatory style" is another term nearly synonymous with attributional style, a habitual way to explain, positively or negatively, external events. A "learned"…

This thesis describes a study that engaged 2 sections of English Composition I, 50 randomly selected students at Union County College during the fall semester of 1995. The goal of the study was to determine if in this sample population there was a positive correlation between self-concept and writing ability. The variables of the New Jersey…

There is a common belief that people have limited mental capabilities in that they are either good at English or mathematics, but not both. There is also a myth that men are naturally good at math, while women are not. But there are many good mathematicians who also write well. Also, good students appear to be good students, regardless of the…

This report describes a program for motivating reluctant writers. The targeted population consisted of one fourth-grade and four fifth-grade classrooms in three elementary schools. All three schools were located in the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The problems of reluctant writers were documented with timed writing samples, student and…

One of a series of workplace education modules, this module includes activities and exercises for improving writing skills in the workplace. First, discussions of writing in the workplace are presented, highlighting tips for effective instruction, and of issues related to grading papers, including a sample evaluation form. Next, the assessment…

This third annual survey investigated teachers' attitudes about writing and reading. Subjects, 507 K-5 teachers and middle, junior high, and senior high school teachers of math, science, social studies, and English teaching in public or private schools, were surveyed by telephone. Results indicated that: (1) a majority of teachers considered…

A preliminary study examined the experiences and perceptions of experienced teachers about writing and gathered feedback about teaching practices involving direct instruction in process writing. Subjects, 30 experienced elementary teachers enrolled in a graduate-level course on theories of teaching reading and writing, completed a survey about…

This dissertation investigates community college students' and their teachers' perceptions about writing in a beginning composition course. The study explores their views about composition, discusses possible conflicts regarding different ways writing can be defined, and offers suggestions to resolve tension. The means by which educators and…

A study examined the differences in first-grade students' attitudes about reading/writing when teachers taught by using ability grouping or when teachers taught by using whole language instruction. Two questionnaires were distributed to four teachers, one requesting information on use of reading/writing instruction in the classroom, and the other…

The cognitive skills associated with the writing of fiction and poetry are equally important in analytical and evaluative writing. Excluding them from freshman composition in particular discourages the students from developing a genuine mastery of critical writing skills. Teachers of college freshmen should not define "creative" as the…

A study was conducted to evaluate the final outcome of the Section 98 writing project, a 3-year collaboration between the School District of the City of Saginaw and the University of Michigan, and to successfully employ the gap reduction design with the pre- to post-test results stemming from the writing project. Students in six sections of…

A study examined: (1) what concepts of authorship were revealed in the oral and written language of children engaged in a bookmaking task and pre- and post-bookmaking interviews; and (2) how these concepts differ for good readers and writers in different grades. The study was conducted at two elementary schools in a small, middle-class Texas city.…

A study assessed the impact of word processing on the writing of junior high school students, experienced in working with computers, for a number of tasks, including writing. Subjects, 111 eighth grade students in four communications arts classes at a Canadian middle-class suburban school, who had been using computers for writing for a year and a…