Project Activities
Researchers iteratively developed a writing intervention for middle school students which combined an intelligent web-based tutor with teacher and peer support. The study involved five iterative studies and one quasi-experimental pilot study in the final year. Four fifth-grade teachers and their students participated in the first year iterative development activities, and the same four fifth-grade teachers and their new students participated in the second year iterative development process. In the third year, 16 new classrooms (with approximately 320 students) participated in the pilot study. The pilot study also included a comparison group of classrooms from the same district as the treatment group.
Structured Abstract
Setting
This study was conducted in urban and suburban school districts in Pennsylvania.
Sample
Participants for this study included approximately 640 fifth-grade students and their teachers.
We-Write (initially named SWAY) is an extension of the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) approach to writing and supports the teacher delivery of instruction with an intelligent web-based tutor. Each lesson is choreographed to include teacher-led lessons followed by computer practice for students and formative assessments that the teacher can use to follow-up with students. This approach uses formative assessments to guide data driven instruction that supports all learners to master the writing skills and strategies. The computer tutor also allows the learners to practice planning, composing, and revising within a platform that will match the STAAR or PARCC computer administered tests. The SRSD model was used to teach students persuasive writing strategies, such as considering their perspective as a writer and their audience. We-Write covers writing in two content areas: science and social studies. Peers provided feedback on each other's writing, and teachers helped with modeling and scaffolding. The intervention included a complete teacher implementation package with instructions, lesson plans, suggestions for coordinating peer feedback, and suggestions for integrating lessons into the curriculum.
Research design and methods
This project involved five iterative studies and one quasi-experimental pilot study. During the iterative studies, students used the software and take the researcher-developed assessments and teachers provided feedback on the lessons and content. The research team revised all aspects of the intervention between iterative studies based on the data provided by the students and teachers. The quasi-experimental pilot study in the third year used pre- and post-intervention assessments of students' writing and content knowledge to compare treatment students with a matched comparison group.
Control condition
A matched comparison group was used in the quasi-experimental pilot study.
Key measures
To assess students' writing outcomes at pre- and post-intervention, students completed the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III) Essay Composition subtest, a researcher-designed writing prompt assessment, a writing self-efficacy scale, and a writing approach survey. Content knowledge was assessed using researcher-developed multiple-choice content knowledge assessments. Reading comprehension measures were built into the intelligent tutoring software.
Data analytic strategy
Researchers assessed whether or not the intervention was associated with improvements in writing outcomes and content knowledge. A two-level hierarchical linear model with students nested within classrooms was used to test this research goal. Researchers conducted item analyses on the researcher-designed measures throughout the iterative development process.
Key outcomes
We-Write was tested with 12 fifth grade classrooms in an under-powered CRT (Wijekumar et al., 2022). Results showed large effect sizes favoring the We-Write classroom students on planning and persuasive writing quality on a posttest after SRSD-based writing intervention led by the teacher and supported by web-based lessons. After the SRSD-based We-Write intervention the effect sizes were large for both planning and writing quality.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
Products: The final product of this study is the fully developed We-Write intervention for fifth grade students. Peer-reviewed publications were also produced.
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here or here.
Publications:
Wijekumar, K., Graham, S., Harris, K.R. et al. (2019). The roles of writing knowledge, motivation, strategic behaviors, and skills in predicting elementary students' persuasive writing from source material. Reading and Writing, 32(6), 1431-1457.
Wijekumar, K.K., Harris, K.R., Graham, S. and Lei, P. (2022). A teacher technology tango shows strong results on 5th graders persuasive writing. Educational Technology Research and Development, 70, 1415-1439.
Wijekumar, K., Meyer, B.J., Lei, P., Cheng, W., Ji, X., and Joshi, R.M. (2017). Evidence of an Intelligent Tutoring System as a Mindtool to Promote Strategic Memory of Expository Texts and Comprehension With Children in Grades 4 and 5. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 55, 1022-1048.
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