Strategy Instruction with Self-Regulation in College Developmental Writing Courses: Results from a Randomized Experiment
MacArthur, Charles A.; Traga Philippakos, Zoi A.; May, Henry; Compello, Jill (2022). Journal of Educational Psychology, v114 n4 p815-832 May 2022. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1338886
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examining207Students, gradePS
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: October 2022
- Single Study Review (findings for Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW))
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a cluster randomized controlled trial with low cluster-level attrition and individual-level non-response.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Researcher-developed measure of writing self-efficacy: tasks and processes |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
77.50 |
68.90 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Researcher-developed measure of writing self-efficacy: self-regulation |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
77.40 |
70.00 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Researcher-developed measure of writing self-efficacy: grammar |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
67.50 |
60.54 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Researcher-developed measure of writing affect |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
3.42 |
3.12 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Researcher-developed measure of achievement goals for writing – mastery factor |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
4.23 |
4.24 |
No |
-- | |
|
Researcher-developed measure of achievement goals for writing – performance factor |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
2.93 |
3.05 |
No |
-- | |
|
Researcher-developed measure of writing avoidance |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
2.57 |
2.71 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Accuplacer Reading assessment |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
104.30 |
104.60 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Researcher-developed argumentative essay grammar |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
0.54 |
0.51 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Argumentative essay length |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
472.00 |
436.00 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Researcher-developed argumentative essay quality |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
4.35 |
3.01 |
Yes |
|
|
|
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing quality assessment |
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
3.28 |
2.72 |
Yes |
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Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 62%
Male: 38% -
Rural, Suburban, Urban
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Race Asian 4% Black 38% Native American 1% Other or unknown 14% White 43% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 9% Not Hispanic or Latino 91% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Other or unknown 100%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in the developmental writing courses of two community colleges located in different states in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
Study sample
The researchers randomly assigned 10 instructors to the intervention group and 9 instructors to the comparison group in two community colleges. A total of 207 community college students were included in the study. The 207 students were enrolled in developmental writing courses taught by 19 instructors in the two schools. Approximately 62% of the students were female. Forty-three percent were White, 38% were Black, 4% were Asian, 1% were Native American, and 14% did not report their race. Nine percent were Hispanic or Latino.
Intervention Group
Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW) is an instructional approach that combines writing and self-regulation strategies to improve quality of college students’ writing. Students were taught strategies for composing essays based on genres often taught in college (for example, causal explanation, personal narrative, or argumentation). The curriculum included writing strategies for planning (analyzing the writing task to set goals, brainstorming, and using a genre-specific graphic organizer), drafting (using the plan, writing the main idea, and writing supporting details), and revising (self-evaluation and peer review using genre-specific criteria and editing). Throughout the process, the curriculum also featured self-regulation strategies, such as goal setting, task management, progress monitoring, and reflection. Students were taught in instructional units that covered instruction in paragraphs and essays in argumentative writing and other writing genres. The intervention was offered in class for one semester.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison condition received business-as-usual instruction in developmental writing courses. Instructors continued to use their prior approaches to instruction which consisted of writing assignments in multiple genres, including an argumentative essay as a final course assignment. Instructors in the comparison group did not teach self-regulation strategies.
Support for implementation
Course instructors in the intervention group received an instructor’s guide for SSW containing detailed lesson plans and received 2–3 days of professional development before the start of the semester. In addition, instructors received in-class coaching where researchers observed each instructor three to five times to provide feedback and answer questions on instruction.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
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The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
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Study findings for this report.
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