JoLIE 7/2014

Back to issue page 

 

 

 

LEARNING TO WRITE AND GET SCHOOL SUCCESS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AMONG 9TH FORMERS

 

 

Margarida Pocinho, Alcina Sousa, Renato Gil Carvalho

University of Madeira, Portugal

 

 

 

Abstract

 

This paper aims at analysing the results of the implementation of a Writing Strategies Program in 2007-2008, designed by a group of teachers of Portuguese as mother tongue, selected by the Regional Board of Education in Madeira (Portugal) in 2006-2007. The case study involved 210 ninth formers attending four state schools in Madeira (two in Funchal city and other two in two other urban areas). For reliability and consistency issues, the informants belonging to the experimental group (n = 110) were pointed previously by their school course leaders as having difficulties with writing skills in their mother tongue (i.e., lexis, syntax, text type and organization of ideas). The informants belonging to the control group (n = 99) were also indicated by the same course leaders. The implementation of the Programme was assessed taking into account the following criteria: 1) writing; and 2) school achievement. Among the writing strategies underpinning the design of this program stand out conceptual maps, syntax and text structure in different discursive practices (summaries, letters, essays), following the scheme PWR (Planning, Writing, Revising). In the end, the experimental group improved significantly when compared to the control group. This indicates that the Program can bring benefits to improving writing particularly among 9th formers speaking Portuguese as mother tongue with writing difficulties.

 

Key words: Writing difficulties; Mother tongue; 9th formers; Writing strategies; School achievement.

 

 

References

 

Almeida, L.S. & Lemos, G. (2008). Bateria de Provas de Raciocínio. In L.S. Almeida, M.R. Simões, C. Machado & M.M. Gonçalves (Eds.) (pp.13-30). Avaliação psicológica: instrumentos validados para a população portuguesa (Vol. II). Coimbra: Quarteto.

 

Arroz, G. (2002). Sobre a Interface entre Ensino Secundário (e Básico) e Superior. Jornal da FENPROF, Lisbon, 177(5), 17-19.

 

Baker, S.K., Chard, D. J., Ketterlin-Geller, L.R., Apichatabutra, C., & Doabler, C. (2009). Teaching Writing to At-Risk Students: The Quality of Evidence for Self-Regulated Strategy Development. Exceptional Children, 75(3), 303-318.

 

Bulgren, J.A., Schumaker, J.B., & Deshler, D.D. (2000). The concept mastery routine. Lawrence: Edge Enterprises, Inc.

 

Butyniec-Thomas, J., & Woloshyn, V.E. (1997). The effects of explicit-strategy and whole-language instruction on students’ spelling ability. The Journal of Experimental Education, 65(4), 293-300.

 

Christoph, J.N., & Nystrand, M. (2001). Taking risks, negotiating relationships: One teacher’s transition toward a dialogic classroom. Research in the Teaching of English, 36(2), 249-282.

 

Clements, B. (1999). The Efficiency of Education Expenditure in Portugal. Portugal: International Monetary Fund. Retrieved February, 2014 from http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/1999/wp99179.pdf

 

Conselho Nacional da Educação (2011). Estado da Educação 2011. A Qualificação dos Portugueses. Lisbon: Editorial do Ministério da Educação e Ciência. Retrieved February, 2014 from http://www.cnedu.pt/content/edicoes/estado_da_educacao/Estado_da_Educacao_2011.pdf

 

Cole, M., John-Steiner, V., Scribner, S., Souberman, E. (Eds) (1978). L. S. Vygotsky - Mind in Society, The Development of Higher Psychological Processes [1938], Harvard: Harvard University Press.

 

Crank, V. (2002). Asynchronous electronic peer response in a hybrid basic writing classroom. Teaching English in the Two Year College, 30(2), 145.

 

Crystal, D. (1995). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics (3rd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell.

 

Darensbourg, A.M., & Blake, J.J. (2013). Predictors of Achievement in African American Students at Risk for Academic Failure: The Roles of Achievement Values and Behavioral Engagement. Psychology in the Schools, 50(10), 1044-1059.

 

Deshler, D.D., Ellis, E.S., & Lenz, B.K. (1996). Teaching the adolescent with learning disabilities: Strategies and methods. Denver: Love.

 

Dewey, J. (1963). Experience and Education [1938], The Kappa Delta Pi Lecture Series, New York: Collier Macmillan.

 

Durant, A. (2001). Comprehension and Problem-Solving in the Literature Classroom. The Nottingham Linguistic Circular 16, The School of English Studies, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, 1-18.

 

Elley, W. (1992). How in the world do students read? The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Hamburg: Grindeldruck.

 

Ellis, A., Deshler, D.D., Lenz, B. K., Schumaker, J.B., & Clark, F.L. (1991). An instructional model for teaching learning strategies. Focus on Exceptional Children, 23(6), 1-24.

 

Erdman, D. (Ed.) (1998). The Complete Poetry and Prose of William Blake. New York: Anchor Books.

 

Gagné, E.D., Yekovich, C.W., & Yekovich, F.R. (1993). The cognitive psychology of school learning. New York: Harper Collins.

 

Gersten, R., & Baker, S. (2001). Teaching expressive writing to students with learning disabilities: A meta-analysis. The Elementary School Journal, 101(3), 251-272.

 

Gersten, R., Fuchs, L.S., Williams, J.P., & Baker, S. (2001). Teaching reading comprehension strategies to students with learning disabilities: A review of research. Review of Educational Research, 71(2), 479-530.

 

Gersten, R., Vaughn, S., & Brengelman, S. U. (1996). Grading and academic feedback for special education students and students with learning difficulties. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Yearbook, 47.

 

Gillespie, A. & Graham, S. (2014). A meta-analysis of writing interventions for students with learning disabilities. (Report), Exceptional Children, 80(4), 454(20). DOI: 0.1177/0014402914527238

 

Graham, S., & Harris, K.R. (1999). Assessment and intervention in overcoming writing difficulties: An illustration from the self-regulated strategy development model. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 30(3), 255-269.

 

Graves, D. (2002). When Testing Lower Standards. Reading Today, 19(5), 18-30.

 

Hafer, G.R. (2001). Ideas in practice: Supplemental instruction in freshman composition. Journal of Developmental Education, 24(3), 30-41.

 

Halliday, M., & Hasan, R. (1990). Cohesion in English [1976] (10th ed.). Essex, New York: Longman.

 

Halliday, M., & Hasan, R. (1993). Language, Context, and Text: Aspects of Language in a Social-Semiotic Perspective [1985]. Victoria: Deakin University Press.

 

Harter, S. (1988). Manual for self-perception profile for adolescents. Denver: University of Denver.

 

Hayes, J. (1996). The science of writing. Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

 

Hughes, C.A., Schumaker, J.B., Deshler, D.D., & Mercer, C.D. (2000). The test-taking strategy. Lawrence: Edge Enterprises, Inc.

 

Kamil, M.L., Mosenthal, P.B., Pearson, D.P., & Barr, R. (Eds.) (2014). Handbook of Reading Research, Vol. 3. New York: Routledge.

 

Kramsch, C. (1985). Literary Texts in the Classroom: A Discourse. The Modern Language Journal, 69(4), 356-366. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1985.tb04803.x

 

Kramsch, C. (1994). Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

 

Kress, G. (1997). Multimodal Texts and Critical Discourse Analysis. In E. Pedro (Ed.), Proceedings of the First International Conference on Discourse Analysis (pp. 367-383), Lisbon: Edições Colibri.

 

Kozulin, A. (ed.) (1999). Lev Vygotsky, Thought and Language [1934] (newly revised ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.

 

Lavelle, E., Smith, J., & O’Ryan, L. (2002). The writing approaches of secondary student. The British Journal of Educational Psychology, 72(3), 399-415. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1348/000709902320634564

 

Lenz, B. K. (1989). In the spirit of strategies instruction: cognitive and metacognitive aspects of the Strategies Intervention Model. Paper presented at the International Conference of the National Institute of Dyslexia, Washington, DC.

 

Lenz, B.K., Schumaker, J.B., Deshler, D.D., & Beals, V.L. (2000). The word identification strategy. Lawrence: University of Kansas.

 

Lerner, J.W. (1997). Learning disabilities: theories, diagnosis, and teaching strategies (7th ed. Vol. XXVI). Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

 

Lewis, M.P., Simons, G.F., & Fennig, C.D. (Eds.). (2015). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Eighteenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved February, 2014 from http://www.ethnologue.com/statistics/size

 

Macarthur, C.A. (2010). Instruction in a strategy for compare-contrast writing (Report), Exceptional Children, 76(4), 438(19). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/001440291007600404

 

Mlambo, V. (2011). An analysis of some factors affecting student academic performance in an introductory biochemistry course at the University of the West Indies, Caribbean Teaching Scholar, 1(2), 79–92.

 

Misulis, K. (2000). Literacy 2000. Contemporary Education, 71(3), 17-23.

 

McNaughton, D., Hughes, C., & Clark, K. (1997). The effect of five proofreading conditions on the spelling performance of college students with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30(6), 643-656. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002221949703000608

 

Mastropieri, M.A., & Scruggs, T.E. (1998). Enhancing school success with mnemonic strategies. Intervention in School and Clinic, 33(4), 201-212.

 

Ministério da Educação. Relatório das provas de aferição, 2001, 2002, 2003 e 2004. [National assessments of educational progress, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004] Departamento da Educação Básica: Lisboa.

 

Naus, J.M. (2000). Helping hands: A world of manipulatives to boost handwriting skills. Teaching Exceptional Children, 32(4), 64.

 

OECD (2004). Learning for tomorrow’s world: First results from PISA 2003. Paris: OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Publications.

 

OECD (2007). PISA 2006: Science competencies for tomorrow’s world executive summary. Paris: OECD- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Publications.

 

Pajares, F. (2002). Gender and perceived self-efficacy in self-regulated learning. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 116-127.

 

Pajares, F., Hartley, J., & Valiante, G. (2001). Response format in writing self-efficacy assessment: Greater discrimination increases prediction. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 33(4), 214.

 

Pajares, F., & Valiante, G. (1997). Influence of self-efficacy on elementary students’ writing. The Journal of Educational Research, 90(6), 353-365. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.1997.10544593

 

Panagopoulou-Stamatelatou, A., & Merrett, F. (2000). Promoting independence and fluent writing through behavioral self-management. The British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70(4), 603-619.

 

Paz, S.D.L. (1999). Teaching writing strategies and self-regulation procedures to middle school students with learning disabilities. Focus on Exceptional Children, 31(5), 1-16.

 

Paz, S.D.L. (2001). Teaching writing to students with attention deficit disorders and specific language impairment. The Journal of Educational Research, 95(1), 37-49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220670109598781

 

Peel, J.L., & Dansereau, D.F. (1998). Management and prevention of personal problems in older adolescents via schematic maps and peer feedback. Adolescence, 33(130), 355-374.

 

Pereira, P., & Martins, P. (2002, May 24-25). Education and Earnings in Portugal. Desenvolvimento Económico Português no Espaço Europeu: Determinantes e Políticas - Proceedings on the Conference of the Bank of Portugal, Lisbon.

 

Pocinho, M. (2004). Cognitive psychology and mother tongue: evaluation of a learning strategies program for students with Portuguese low achievement. PhD Thesis, Funchal: University of Madeira, Portugal.

 

Popescu, T. (2013). Pre-service EFL teacher trainees’ perceptions on developing pupils’ creativity. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 76, 700-705.

 

Schumaker, J.B., & Sheldon, J.B. (2000a). Fundamentals in the sentence writing strategy: instructor's manual. Lawrence: University of Kansas.

 

Schumaker, J.B., & Sheldon, J.B. (2000b). Proficiency in the sentence writing strategy: instructor’s manual. Lawrence: The University of Kansas.

 

Slater, W.H., & Horstman, F.R. (2002). Teaching reading and writing to struggling middle school and high school students: The case for reciprocal teaching. Preventing School Failure, 46(4), 163-166.

 

Swanson, H.L., & Sachse-Lee, C. (2000). A meta-analysis of single-subject-design intervention research for students with LD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33(2), 114. DOI: 10.1177/002221940003300201

 

Swanson, H.L., & Sachse-Lee, C. (2001). A subgroup analysis of working memory in children with reading disabilities: Domain-general or domain-specific deficiency? Journal of Learning Disabilities, 34(3), 249-263. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002221940103400305

 

Strickland, D. (2001). Taking dictation: The emergence of writing programs and the cultural contradictions of composition teaching. College English, 63(4), 457-479. DOI: 10.2307/378890

 

Vernon, D.S., Deshler, D.D., & Schumaker, J.B. (1999). The THINK strategy. Lawrence: Edge Enterprises, Inc.

 

Vernon, D.S., Schumaker, J.B., & Deshler, D.D. (1999). The LEARN strategy. Lawrence: Edge Enterprises, Inc.

 

Vigner, G. (1992). Écrire, éléments pour une pédagogie de la production écrite. Paris: Clé International.

 

Winebrenner, S. (2003). Teaching strategies for twice-exceptional students. Intervention in School and Clinic, 38(3), 131-141.

 

Wong, B.Y.L., Hoskyn, M., Jai, D., Ellis, P., & Watson, K. (2008). The comparative efficacy of two approaches to teaching sixth graders opinion essay writing. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 33(4), 757-784. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2007.12.004

 

Wong, E.H., Wiest, D.J., & Cusick, L.B. (2002). Perceptions of autonomy support, parent attachment, competence and self-worth as predictors of motivational orientation and academic achievement: An examination of sixth- and ninth-grade regular education students. Adolescence, 37(146), 255-266.

 

 

How to cite this article: Pocinho, M., Sousa, A., & Carvalho, R. G. (2014). Learning to write and get school success: A quasi-experimental study among 9th formers. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 7, 119-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2014.7.9

 

 

For details on subscription, go to: http://jolie.uab.ro/index.php?pagina=-&id=19&l=en