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Full-Text Articles in Education

Back To The Future: Looking At Nostalgic Practices To Conceptualize A More Inclusive Literacy Future (Part 1), Rebecca Witte, Darreth Rice Jan 2024

Back To The Future: Looking At Nostalgic Practices To Conceptualize A More Inclusive Literacy Future (Part 1), Rebecca Witte, Darreth Rice

Michigan Reading Journal

In the first of two articles, the authors, two girls that “Just Want to Have Fun,” reminisce about educational literacy practices of the past, specifically one nostalgic writing practice, dialogue journaling. Using the analogy of a familiar toy from the 1980s, the View Master, they aim to revitalize an antiquated practice using modern theoretical frameworks (reels) that make current classroom practices more inclusive for today’s students. Looking to “reels” of academic (using current state standards), culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995), social emotional learning (Mussey, 2019), and humanizing instruction (Freire, 1968), we support current teachers in analyzing their practices to foster …

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A Multiple Case Study Of Primary Grade School Teachers' Experiences With Using Colors To Teach Writing, Rhonda L. Holcomb Sep 2023

A Multiple Case Study Of Primary Grade School Teachers' Experiences With Using Colors To Teach Writing, Rhonda L. Holcomb

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In this case study, I focused on understanding how primary grade school teachers in public schools in the United States use colors during writing instruction. During literacy instruction, the teacher communicates how to perform the writing process for students to become effective writers. Primary grade school teachers described how and why they use colors during writing instruction and how they learned to use colors for writing instruction and to assess their students’ writing. The theory guiding this study is Jerome Bruner’s instructional theory, supported by Cambourne’s conditions for literacy learning and the sociocultural writing theory. Data were collected through individual …

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Accelerate Beginner English Learner’S Writing Skills From Day One, Eugenia F. Krimmel Ed.D. Jun 2023

Accelerate Beginner English Learner’S Writing Skills From Day One, Eugenia F. Krimmel Ed.D.

Journal of English Learner Education

This article addresses the customary practice of delaying teaching of writing for Beginner English Learners (BELs) which often results in slowing writing development. Barriers preventing teachers from earlier writing instruction include a belief BELs cannot produce written English before learned orally first, a lack of teaching writing know-how, and few level-appropriate materials for older BELs. The systematic approach ALL Beginner Learners of English (ABLE) Writing Method is a solution to build both teachers’ confidence and BELs’ phonics, spelling, and writing skills from day one. The basic premise of the ABLE Writing Method is that if one is able to think, …

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The Power Of Story In Developing A Cycle Of Efficacy For Teachers And Students, Melissa Renee Ewing Oct 2022

The Power Of Story In Developing A Cycle Of Efficacy For Teachers And Students, Melissa Renee Ewing

Theses and Dissertations

There is scarce nationwide evidence of the impact of instruction on student achievement in the area of writing (Coker et al., 2018; Persky et al., 2003; National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2002). Standardized writing assessment has shifted to text-dependent analysis, which requires students to read and analyze a passage and then compose an essay in response to a text dependent prompt. This type of writing requires students to understand how and why authors make decisions and then support a claim with analysis. This multiple-case, action research study followed three elementary teachers as they reflected on a journey resulting in transformation …

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Exploring The Impact Of Social Emotional Learning To Support Motivation And Self-Efficacy In Text-Dependent Analysis Writing, Elizabeth N. Crocker Oct 2022

Exploring The Impact Of Social Emotional Learning To Support Motivation And Self-Efficacy In Text-Dependent Analysis Writing, Elizabeth N. Crocker

Theses and Dissertations

Social emotional learning has been the subject of much attention in K–12 education in recent years. In addition to self-regulation strategies such as concept mapping, using graphic organizers, and goal setting, social emotional learning includes mindfulness practices such as visualization and mindful breathing. This action research dissertation in practice explored the experiences of three academically gifted seventh-grade students in a multiple case study design to better understand how using social emotional learning strategies affected their motivation and self-efficacy for text-dependent analysis writing.

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Essential Or Optional? Effects Of Creative Writing On Expository Skills And Attitude In Middle School Students, Nicole Samuelson May 2022

Essential Or Optional? Effects Of Creative Writing On Expository Skills And Attitude In Middle School Students, Nicole Samuelson

ELAIA

Background: Although emotional benefits and general writing improvement have been shown to be benefits of creative writing, its effectiveness in relation to expository writing skills has not been clearly established through research. Methods: This study was conducted with two groups of middle school students at a rural middle school in Illinois. One group received ten creative writing interventions over a month and the other group continued with normal instruction. The goal was to discover if these interventions would improve students’ expository writing skills as well as their attitude towards and confidence in writing. Results: The data showed that although …

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Collaborative Writing With Young Multilingual Learners, Loren D. Jones, Luciana C. De Oliveira May 2022

Collaborative Writing With Young Multilingual Learners, Loren D. Jones, Luciana C. De Oliveira

Journal of English Learner Education

Effectively teaching writing to multilingual learners (MLs) has been identified as one of the most prominent challenges currently facing educators. Collaborative writing has been identified as one promising pedagogical practice that responds to this challenge; however, little of the existing research focuses on the elementary level. This study seeks to address this gap in the literature, describing a design-based research study focused on collaborative writing with MLs in a diverse first-grade classroom. This paper showcases two iterations of collaborative writing, closely examining the how-to and opinion texts that two focal MLs produced with their peers. The evaluation of students’ writing …

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A Multiple Case Study: Exploration Of The Writing Instruction Practices Of Veteran High School English Teachers, Victoria Lindemann May 2022

A Multiple Case Study: Exploration Of The Writing Instruction Practices Of Veteran High School English Teachers, Victoria Lindemann

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The gift of literacy can be the greatest equalizer in a society or used as a weapon to marginalize. As writing instructors, it should be our job to help our students find their voice – to give voice to the voiceless (Friere, 1970). More research must uncover the influences beyond the classroom and how those influences inform veteran teachers’ decisions about their writing practices and instructional designs, specifically on how teachers engage students in writing. It is the writing of our thoughts and ideas that shares a piece of ourselves with the world around us.This study explored how experienced English …

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The Critical Workshop: Writing Revision And Critical Pedagogy In The Middle School Classroom, Andrea R. Griswold Mar 2022

The Critical Workshop: Writing Revision And Critical Pedagogy In The Middle School Classroom, Andrea R. Griswold

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the question of whether focusing on revision in writing instruction can be a form of critical pedagogy in middle school classrooms. Building on the work of A. Suresh Canagarajah, Lisa Delpit, Paulo Freire, Henry Giroux, Kay Halasek, Joseph Harris, Amy Lee, Timothy Lensmire, Min-Zhan Lu, Peter McLaren, Richard Ohmann, Ira Shor, and others, I explore and challenge commonly held attitudes about revision and language, primarily that the goal of revision is to correct errors and that language and its conventions should be thought of in terms of correctness. I explore the ways in which traditional writing workshops …

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Conflict, Politics, And Self-Censorship: Psts And Their Struggles With Writing As Civic-Engagement, Mike P. Cook, Gail Harper Yeilding Mar 2022

Conflict, Politics, And Self-Censorship: Psts And Their Struggles With Writing As Civic-Engagement, Mike P. Cook, Gail Harper Yeilding

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This collective case study of five secondary English language arts (ELA) pre-service teachers (PSTs) examined the ways they used writing as avenues for civic engagement. Two questions guided this inquiry: 1) In what ways does a composition course focused on writing as civic engagement impact PSTs’ views of civically-engaged writing? 2) In what ways does a composition course focused on writing as civic engagement impact PSTs as writers of civically-engaged texts? Findings suggest the PSTs experienced a variety of conflict as writers and future teachers of writing. These conflicts often connected to the PSTs’ struggles to view teachers and teaching …

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Using Blended Learning And Writing Conferences To Develop High Schoolers’ Writing Skills And Self-Regulated Learning, Ashley Nicole Galloway-Speight Jul 2021

Using Blended Learning And Writing Conferences To Develop High Schoolers’ Writing Skills And Self-Regulated Learning, Ashley Nicole Galloway-Speight

Theses and Dissertations

Strong writing skills are an essential element in all areas of life. Written communication is pervasive in both daily life and the workplace. Yet nationwide studies reveal that many students in America graduate from high school with insufficient writing skills. Studies on writing instruction suggest that a shift to teaching writing as a process rather than a product, presentation of quality individualized, focused feedback, and teaching of metacognitive writing skills can help improve writing skills in high school students. The purpose of this mixed methods action research was to determine how the supplemental use of face-to-face writing conferences combined with …

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The Intersection Of Writing Process Pedagogy And Prolepsis: A Phenomenological Case Study Of Secondary Writing Instruction, Jennifer O. Peñaflorida May 2021

The Intersection Of Writing Process Pedagogy And Prolepsis: A Phenomenological Case Study Of Secondary Writing Instruction, Jennifer O. Peñaflorida

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the lived experiences and essences of secondary high school students and participating teachers in a three-week summer journalism camp sponsored by the National Writing Project and funded by the MacArthur T. Foundation. This study employs Moustakas' (1994) modification of the van Kaam method for phenomenological data analysis in order to reveal the intersection of writing process pedagogy and prolepsis, a writing framework I developed. Data sources included pre-and-post writing samples, semi-structured interviews, field notes and student writing artifacts which were collected between May 27, 2019 and June 14, 2019. Data were analyzed …

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Essential Or Optional? Effects Of Creative Writing On Expository Skills And Attitude In Middle School Students, Nicole Samuelson May 2021

Essential Or Optional? Effects Of Creative Writing On Expository Skills And Attitude In Middle School Students, Nicole Samuelson

Honors Program Projects

Creative writing's effectiveness has not been clearly established through research, especially in regards to expository writing skills. However, other benefits of creative writing have been shown such as emotional benefits and general writing improvement. This study was conducted with two groups of middle school students. One group received ten creative writing interventions over a month and the other group continued with normal instruction. The goal was to discover if these interventions would improve students' expository writing skills as well as their attitude towards and confidence in writing. Surprisingly, while the experimental group did not improve significantly in either area, the …

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“Can I Write About What Happened To Me?”: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Audience And Purpose Of Students’ And Their Teachers’ Writing In An Age Of Accountability And Unrest, Kate Sjostrom Mar 2021

“Can I Write About What Happened To Me?”: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Audience And Purpose Of Students’ And Their Teachers’ Writing In An Age Of Accountability And Unrest, Kate Sjostrom

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Many teachers and administrators, feeling the pressure to produce high standardized test scores and meet state standards, have narrowed the variety of genres taught and resorted to prescriptive writing formulas, effectively stunting the writing and thinking development of students and future teachers, and foreclosing the opportunity for writing to do important personal and interpersonal work in a time of racial reckoning, alienation, and violence. In this context, the study’s author and a pre-service teacher participating in the author’s research study on writing teacher identity development grapple with just what the audience and purpose of students’—and teachers’—writing should and could be. …

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Teachers Who Collaborate With A Professional Writing Organization: The Importance Of Critical Stance, Paul A. Viskanta Jan 2021

Teachers Who Collaborate With A Professional Writing Organization: The Importance Of Critical Stance, Paul A. Viskanta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A wide body of research finds teacher preparation programs fail to address the complexity of writing instruction, especially for secondary English-language Arts teachers (Coker & Lewis, 2008; Graham, 2019; Wahleithner, 2018). Beliefs and knowledge about writing determine how teachers approach pedagogical practices (McCarthey & Mkhize, 2013). One of many contextualized social literacy practices, writing is always ideological (Gee, 2105; Moje & Lewis, 2007). Competing research philosophies complicate development of teachers' practices and impedes research dissemination (Coker & Lewis, 2008; Hillocks, 2008; National Writing Project & Nagin, 2006). Structures informing school-based writing limit the types of writing practices (Bazerman, 2016). Using …

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Espoused And Enacted Beliefs Of High School English Language Arts Teachers In Writing Instruction, Sydnie Schoepf Aug 2020

Espoused And Enacted Beliefs Of High School English Language Arts Teachers In Writing Instruction, Sydnie Schoepf

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the current study is to explore the espoused beliefs and enacted practices of secondary English Language Arts teachers with regards to writing instruction and how these beliefs correlate with teacher self-efficacy beliefs. The study worked to build upon the literature mainly in the fields of mathematics and science in order to explore what the perceived and enacted beliefs are and how they affect the self-efficacy belief of teachers within the field of writing instruction in the high school classroom. The study used a collective case study design in order to better understand what espoused and enacted pedagogical …

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The Impact Of Guided Practice In Argument Analysis And Composition Via Computer-Assisted Argument Mapping Software On Students’ Ability To Analyze And Compose Evidence-Based Arguments, Donna Lorain Grant Jul 2020

The Impact Of Guided Practice In Argument Analysis And Composition Via Computer-Assisted Argument Mapping Software On Students’ Ability To Analyze And Compose Evidence-Based Arguments, Donna Lorain Grant

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative action research study was to document the impact of the use of computer-assisted argument mapping (CAAM) upon high school students’ ability to analyze and compose evidence-based arguments. The study used a one-group pretest posttest design with a convenience sample of the participant researcher’s seventy-one high school sophomores. During the six-week study, each participant generated four sets of artifacts, each consisting of two argument analysis maps from provided source arguments and one argument composition map representing the participant’s position on the given topic. Artifacts were generated at four separate benchmarks, the pretest, week four, week five, …

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Supporting English Learners Through Practice-Based Research, Catherine Lammert, Erica B. Steinitz Holyoke Mar 2020

Supporting English Learners Through Practice-Based Research, Catherine Lammert, Erica B. Steinitz Holyoke

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Learning to use critical practice-based research as part of teaching is an important goal for preservice teachers, especially for those who plan to teach English learners in linguistically diverse settings. In this study, we examine the experiences of preservice teachers who were introduced to a framework for enacting iterative, transformative action research, and used the framework to study their own teaching in a one-on-one writing partnership with young English learners. Using an established self-efficacy survey instrument, as well as qualitative measures such as course artifacts and observations of teaching, we conducted a mixed-methods study to examine the impact of research …

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Nailing Jell-O To A Tree, Jayson Lozier Aug 2019

Nailing Jell-O To A Tree, Jayson Lozier

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio contains papers addressing writing instruction, women's studies, queer theory, and literary analysis. “Mr. L 2.0 or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love English Composition” details the implementation of more effective techniques to teach writing in the secondary English classroom. “Educating Women in Afghanistan: Power, Revolution, and Rebellion” examines the feminist struggles around education and the efforts of the Afghan Institute of Learning to bring about change. “Out of the Closet and into the Classroom: Introducing Queer Reading Strategies to the Secondary English Classroom” examines the importance of queer theory and queer reading techniques in high school …

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Enhancing Writer's Voice In Argumentative And Expository Essay Writing Using The Embedded Voice Technique, Jonathan K. Fowler Jul 2019

Enhancing Writer's Voice In Argumentative And Expository Essay Writing Using The Embedded Voice Technique, Jonathan K. Fowler

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to examine the impact that the Embedded Voice Technique of writing instruction had on one’s writer’s voice. The teacher-researcher posits that voice is not an individual component of writing, but rather a culmination of multiple components of writing; it is the sum of parts rather than a part in and of itself. The study took place in an English 3-Honors class with nine randomly chosen participants over an eight-week period. Data were collected using a variety of data collection instruments. Pre and post-treatment Likert scale surveys determinee participants’ dispositions regarding writing. Pre …

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Supporting Primary Students’ Story Writing By Including Retellings, Talk, And Drama With Strategy Instruction, Zoi A. Traga Philippakos, Sarah Munsell, Logan B. Robinson Jun 2018

Supporting Primary Students’ Story Writing By Including Retellings, Talk, And Drama With Strategy Instruction, Zoi A. Traga Philippakos, Sarah Munsell, Logan B. Robinson

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

Story writing and story grammar have been studied extensively in an effort to improve students’ reading comprehension. Instruction on story structure and on elements of stories can improve the writing quality of students’ papers. This paper explains a process of supporting primary-grade students’ story writing. The approach is based on strategy instruction and incorporates talk and dramatic play as ways to support the development of characters, descriptions of characters and events, and dialogue between characters. Guidelines are provided and step-by-step directions for teachers to use this work with their students.

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Siwi In An Itinerant Teaching Setting: Contextual Factors Impacting Instruction, Rachel Machelle Saulsburry Dec 2016

Siwi In An Itinerant Teaching Setting: Contextual Factors Impacting Instruction, Rachel Machelle Saulsburry

Doctoral Dissertations

In the last 40 years, there has been a shift in where deaf and hard-of-hearing (d/hh) students have been educated (Foster & Cue, 2009), with a majority of d/hh students now spending at least part of their school day in the general education classroom instead of residential or day-schools for the deaf. Many of these students receive specialized support from an itinerant teacher. D/hh children have unique language needs due to their access (or lack thereof) to natural language for acquisition purposes. Insufficient access to language, ASL or English, may be due to: delays in identification and/or amplification, auditory input …

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What About Writing?: A National Study Of Writing Instruction In Teacher Preparation Programs, Sherry Dismuke, Susan Martin Jun 2016

What About Writing?: A National Study Of Writing Instruction In Teacher Preparation Programs, Sherry Dismuke, Susan Martin

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study explores how writing instruction is taught to pre-service teachers across the US. Despite growing writing demands in K-12 classrooms, our national survey of literacy teacher educators revealed that colleges and universities rarely offer stand-alone writing instruction courses. Instead instructors are responsible for embedding writing instruction into their reading courses. Equally concerning, our data revealed a lack of confidence among many teacher educators regarding teaching writing. This study highlights the need for greater attention to writing in teacher education and adds to the conversation of why these issues continue to plague higher education.

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Examining Student Writing Proficiencies Across Genres: Results Of An Intervention Study, Hannah M. Dostal, Kimberly A. Wolbers Jan 2016

Examining Student Writing Proficiencies Across Genres: Results Of An Intervention Study, Hannah M. Dostal, Kimberly A. Wolbers

Theory and Practice in Teacher Education Publications and Other Works

This study examines the patterns of growth across both taught and untaught genres of writing for deaf and hard of hearing students in grades 4-6. 23 students were exposed to Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) for five weeks, during which time they received guided, interactive instruction focused on how writers address particular purposes and audiences with their writing. By examining student writing samples before and after both regular writing instruction and SIWI using genre-specific rubrics, we investigated whether students transfer and generalize writing strategies and processes learned in one genre to writing in a genre for which they did …

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Writing Center Editor Strategies For Addressing Student Academic Entitlement In Intervention Editing, Sarah Ann Matthey Jan 2016

Writing Center Editor Strategies For Addressing Student Academic Entitlement In Intervention Editing, Sarah Ann Matthey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Not all students who enroll in postsecondary institutions have the skills needed to be successful in higher education in reading and writing. At a for-profit, online university in Minnesota, many students were not completing 4 weeks of a remedial writing program, Intervention Editing (IE). According to internal surveys and personal communications, students' struggles to complete IE were partly due to academic entitlement (AE). AE is defined as students placing the responsibility for their academic success on third parties rather than on themselves. Using the theory of self-efficacy as a framework, the purpose of this intrinsic case study was to determine …

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The Negotiation And Development Of Writing Teacher Identities In Elementary Education, Shartriya M. Collier, Suzanne Scheld, Ian Barnard, Jackie Stallcup Nov 2015

The Negotiation And Development Of Writing Teacher Identities In Elementary Education, Shartriya M. Collier, Suzanne Scheld, Ian Barnard, Jackie Stallcup

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Identity development in writing is a unique process. While many studies have explored the process of developing a professional identity among future teachers, few studies have investigated how teacher candidates develop a writing teacher’s identity. This study explores the development and negotiation of writing teacher identity among 21 pre-service multiple-subject teacher candidates at a large public institution in California. More specifically, the study examines the students’ journeys as they transformed from students of writing in a university methods course to student teachers of writing in a local school district. Our findings indicate that the use of a sociocultural-based approach to …

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Mathematical Writing: What Is It And How Do We Teach It?, Byung-In Seo Jul 2015

Mathematical Writing: What Is It And How Do We Teach It?, Byung-In Seo

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recommends that students be able to communicate mathematics, using correct and appropriate language, by eighth grade [8]. Mathematics teachers at all levels agree that they have the responsibility to teach their students content-specific writing, but many feel that they don’t have the tools to do this work. This article offers a foundation and methodologies for different writing assignments that can be used in mathematics classes.

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Effects Of Teacher Prompting Techniques On The Writing Performance Of Fourth And Fifth Graders, Mindy S. Allenger Jan 2015

Effects Of Teacher Prompting Techniques On The Writing Performance Of Fourth And Fifth Graders, Mindy S. Allenger

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study was a quantitative research investigation to determine the effects of teacher prompting techniques on the writing performance of 137 fourth and fifth graders from two parochial schools in West Virginia. Over a two-week period from March, 2014, to April, 2014, researchers collected writing samples with three typologies of prompting; no prompting, general prompting, and content specific prompting. The major outcome variables included were the numbers of words, number of sentences, and average sentence length, and writing ease and complexity level using the Flesch Kincaid Readability and The Flesch Reading Ease. Data analysis was accomplished by applying several types …

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Voices From The Classroom: Elementary Students’ Perceptions Of Blogging, Ewa Mcgrail, Anne Davis Jun 2014

Voices From The Classroom: Elementary Students’ Perceptions Of Blogging, Ewa Mcgrail, Anne Davis

Georgia Educational Researcher

Blogging appears to be a promising instructional strategy which may provide solutions to some of the challenges in traditional writing instruction; however, few studies explore elementary students’ views on blogging. This qualitative case study gives elementary students voice as it examines their perceptions of blogging and their views of themselves as writers, readers, and learners. The researchers drew from multiple data sources, including student and teacher interviews, student and teacher blog writing, and classroom observations, to ascertain young writers’ perspectives. The findings indicate these student bloggers’ reader awareness and appreciation of the reader-writer relationship. Student bloggers also benefited from emotional …

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Writing And Learning Online: Graduate Students’ Perceptions Of Their Development As Writers And Teachers Of Writing, Kelly N. Tracy, Roya Q. Scales, Nancy Luke Feb 2014

Writing And Learning Online: Graduate Students’ Perceptions Of Their Development As Writers And Teachers Of Writing, Kelly N. Tracy, Roya Q. Scales, Nancy Luke

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This study examined the effect of an online graduate course in elementary and middle grades writing pedagogy on pre- and in-service teachers’ perceptions of themselves as writers and as teachers of writing. Eight graduate students enrolled in a summer online writing pedagogy course at a mid-sized regional university in the rural mountains of the southeastern United States participated in the study. Researchers collected qualitative data including reflections and blogs at the beginning and end of the 4.5-week course. Findings fell into four major themes in the data: (1)Past experience shapes perceptions of writing; (2)Perceptions shape writing instruction; (3)Perceptions are malleable; …

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