A FORMATIVE EXPERIMENT INVESTIGATING THE USE OF NONFICTION TEXTS IN WRITING WORKSHOP TO ASSIST FOURTH-GRADE READERS AND WRITERS

Using the methodology of a formative experiment (Reinking & Bradley, 2008), this study investigated how writing workshop using expository and informational texts could be implemented in a fourth-grade classroom to improve students ’ reading and writing abilities and attitudes. Eighteen students from a fourth-grade class at a rural school in a large district participated in the study. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected prior to and after implementation of the intervention to establish a baseline of performance and to determine progress toward the pedagogical goal. Additionally, qualitative data were collected throughout the intervention. Quantitative data were analyzed using a paired-samples t-test for the following measures: student prompted writing sample, Stieglitz informal reading inventory, and Heathington Intermediate Attitude Scale. Qualitative data were coded for recurring themes derived from the following sources: classroom observation and field notes, teacher reflective journal, student and teacher interviews, classroom artifacts, and informal discussions with teacher. Analyses revealed that th