Teaching students to manage their own writing may lift essay scores
HelpedThe short version
Students taught to set goals and track their progress scored higher on essays at the end and a month later.
- 80
- second-year English majors in China
- Randomised
- groups picked at random
- Recorded
- behaviour was recorded
- 2 tools
- tested
The study
Who took part
80 second-year English majors at one university in China took part. Their average age was about 19, and 59 of them were women.
What they did
Four classes were split into two groups, each with 20 weekly classes of 90 minutes. The strategy group was taught ways to plan ideas, organise essays, set and check goals and learn from classmates. The usual group took the regular writing course.
What happened
At the end, the strategy group scored about 86 out of 100 on essays, against about 80 for the usual group. A month later the scores were about 84 and 78, a smaller gap. The strategy group said it checked goals, planned ideas and learned from classmates more, but not that it used more text-handling strategies.
What the study found
- HelpedGoals
Students taught to set goals and track their progress scored higher on essays at the end and a month later.
Small randomised trial of 80 second-year English majors in China · vs students on the usual writing course · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ whole groups were assigned, not people; numbers unreliable
- MixedMotivation
The strategy group felt more sure of its English writing and class work, but not of managing its learning.
Small randomised trial of 80 second-year English majors in China · vs students on the usual writing course · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ whole groups were assigned, not people; numbers unreliable
- MixedOther outcomes
The strategy group checked goals, planned ideas and learned from classmates more, but did not use text-handling strategies more.
Small randomised trial of 80 second-year English majors in China · vs students on the usual writing course · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ whole groups were assigned, not people; numbers unreliable
How solid is this?
- Groups picked at random
- Behaviour was recorded
- Small group
- Whole groups were assigned, not people
- Numbers unreliable
Source
Empowering learners in the second/foreign language classroom: Can self-regulated learning strategies-based writing instruction make a difference? (2019)
DOI: 10.1016/j.jslw.2019.100701 (opens in a new tab)
