With Learning Disabilities

This exploratory study investigated the effects of a structured writing strategy on the quality of expository compositions produced by 36 African-American college undergraduates with learning disabilities. The strategy was structured to assist students in developing a topic sentence and main ideas into body paragraphs, and in using transition words throughout the composition. The strategy effects were compared for a group that received the specifi c, struc-tured writing strategy training and a control group that received general strategy instruction. Students in the strategy instruction group signifi cantly improved their use of supporting details in producing an expository essay. Although mean writing self-effi cacy scores for both groups increased at the end of training, there were no signifi cant differences between groups on a measure of writing self-effi cacy. More students with disabilities Structured writing strategy training 37 38 Journal of College Reading and Learning, 36 (1), Fall 200