Education Commons^™

Affinity Based Writing Groups: Building Communities Across 9–12 Grade Levels, Melissa Pilakowski

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Writing instruction in secondary classrooms has generally focused on cognitive approaches with feedback and assessment from a limited audience, often only the teacher. However, the burgeoning digital world has made writing an increasingly social activity where individuals can influence a wider audience and engage in dialogue with their readers faster and more efficiently than ever before. This action research aims to study the impacts of online affinity based writing groups that span the 9-12 grade levels, especially in the areas of effort, self-efficacy, and feedback. Data was collected through interviews with participating students and teachers, samples of writing and feedback, …