The Effect of Self-Generated Learning vs Other-Generated Learning on the Writing Productivity of Students at Risk

At-risk students have failed to achieve under the traditional transmission-absorption teaching methods often used in classrooms. This study utilized two discovery learning methods, self-generated and other-generated, and compared their effects on the writing productivity of at-risk students. It was hypothesized that students in the self-generated learning group would write more than students in the other-generated learning groups. All students constructed box products in a prewriting math activity. Students in the self-generated learning group constructed individual products. Self-generated learning included such constructs as child-directed learning, individual learning and hands-on learning. Students in the other-generated learning group constructed a single group box product. Other-generated learning included such constructs as teacher-directed learning, group learning, and observation. The box product was changed each week with the product becoming successively more complex--Week 1, three different-sized boxes; Week 2, a box kite; Week 3, a box house; and Week 4, a box space station. Following completion of each product, in both self-generated and other-generated learning groups, there was a teacher directed group discussion to review, transfer, and generalize learning from the box production activity. Students in both the self-generated and other-generated learning groups then utilized the writing process to write about their box products. The written product consisted of two parts: 1) directions on how to construct the box product, and 2) discussion demonstrating transfer and generalization of the learning. Written productivity was measured by T-units (Hunt, 1965), words in T-units, and gross number of words in the written product. During Week 3 the self-generated learning group produced significantly more T-units than did the other-generated learning group. All other results for the four weeks showed no significant differences between the two groups for T-units, words in T-units, or gross number of words in the written product