WWC review of this study

Self-Regulated Strategy Instruction in College Developmental Writing

MacArthur, Charles A.; Philippakos, Zoi A.; Ianetta, Melissa (2015). Journal of Educational Psychology, v107 n3 p855-867. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1071555

  • Quasi-Experimental Design
     examining 
    252
     Students
    , grade
    PS

Reviewed: December 2021

No statistically significant positive
findings
Meets WWC standards with reservations
Writing Conventions outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Researcher-developed measure of grammar, mechanics, and usage

Self-Regulated Strategy Development vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
252 students

0.68

0.66

No

--
Show Supplemental Findings

Researcher-developed measure of grammar, mechanics, and usage

Self-Regulated Strategy Development vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Findings for one study site: University A;
147 students

0.70

0.72

No

--


Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.


  • Female: 54%
    Male: 46%
  • Race
    Asian
    2%
    Black
    35%
    Other or unknown
    12%
    White
    52%
  • Ethnicity
    Hispanic    
    6%

Setting

The study took place in developmental writing classes in two 4-year universities in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Study sample

A total of 252 college students were included in the study. The students were taught by 13 teachers in 19 developmental writing classes. Approximately 54% of the students were female. Fifty-two percent were White, 35% were Black, 2% were Asian, and 12% did not report race. Six percent were Hispanic or Latino.

Intervention Group

In self-regulated strategy instruction, students in college developmental writing classes were taught strategies for composing essays using a curriculum that was organized based on conventions used in specific essay genres (for example, persuasive or narrative essays). The curriculum included writing strategies for planning (analyzing the writing task in order 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). 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 persuasive writing and other writing genres. The intervention was offered in class for one semester.

Comparison Group

Students in the comparison group received business-as-usual college developmental writing instruction in a course that included persuasive writing.

Support for implementation

Intervention group teachers received three days of professional development from the study authors before the semester began. The professional development included discussion of self-regulated strategy instruction principles, modeling by the study authors, and a day of guided practice in which the intervention group teachers taught a curriculum unit and received feedback from the authors. Study staff provided ongoing support during the semester via classroom observations and feedback and, upon request, meeting with teachers to assist with lesson planning. Each intervention group teacher was observed at least four times in class.

 

Your export should download shortly as a zip archive.

This download will include data files for study and findings review data and a data dictionary.

Connect With the WWC

loading
back to top