The effects of explicit writing instruction

This study explores the effects of explicit writing instruction. Twenty-four seventh graders, attending a low socio-economic middle school, are the participants in this study. Eight of the twenty-four students have a writing goal, which in turn allows the language arts class to be co-taught with a general education teacher and a special education teacher. The study focuses on the effects that writing instruction can have on student writing abilities and attitudes. The general education teacher, in a whole group setting, gave the majority of instruction. Within small groups, some students were able to get additional support from either the general education or special education teacher. The results indicated that with the use of explicit instruction of the writing process, the focus on immediate feedback, and the encouragement of cross-curricular writing, students experienced growth in regards to their writing. The writing abilities of the participants increased and their writing attitudes became more positive from the beginning of the school year to the end of the study