Expressive Writing: Does it Affect Academic Writing Skills?

Expressive writing (EW) is associated with decreases in stress and symptoms of depression and anxiety among college students. EW is also frequently assigned as an informal writing assignment (e.g., journaling) in academic classes, although little is known about the effects of EW on academic writing. This study investigated whether a 3 day, 20 minute expressive writing intervention could alter the academic/formal writing skills for students with differing levels of writing aptitude as determined by their SAT writing scores. To assess writing changes, students were asked to write a short academic essay before and after the 3-day intervention. A repeated- measures ANOVA will be calculated to see if there is any difference in individual writing after the intervention, and an independent measures ANOVA will be calculated to see if any group of student (high, mid, or low SAT writing scorers) demonstrated an overall change in their final essay. Implications for future use and limitations of the current research will be discussed