Project Activities
For this project, researchers conducted four randomized controlled trials, with two of the studies implemented before the COVID-19 pandemic and two implemented during the post-pandemic period. For each study, half the schools were randomly assigned to use We-Write with all its associated professional development and resources for teachers or to continue using their typical classroom practices already in place. We-Write was delivered by teachers and supported by web-based software that teaches writing strategies and self-regulation skills. The research team assessed students in both groups before the study and at the end of receiving their assigned intervention.
Structured Abstract
Setting
This project took place in 7 school districts and 88 schools that were socioeconomically and culturally diverse in urban, suburban, and rural settings in Texas.
Sample
The project served a total of 496 teachers with 15,753 students in 7 diverse districts and 88 schools. Approximately, 65 percent of students were eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch, 18 percent were English learners, and 78 percent were Black, Hispanic, or Asian/Pacific Islander.
We-Write is an intervention that combines teacher-led lessons with web-based intelligent tutoring system lessons to enhance instruction and assess mastery of learning. It is an extension of the evidence-based Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), which has been shown to be effective for improving writing outcomes for students in elementary, middle, and high school. We-Write teaches students strategies for writing including planning and goal setting, as well as structure strategy skills such as classifying text structures.
Research design and methods
This project used a multi-site cluster randomized trial design in four research studies. Schools were randomly assigned within district to We-Write or the control condition. During study 1 in 2018-19, the researchers randomly assigned 11 schools and 33 classrooms to We-Write or a business-as-usual control group. In this study, students did not use the computer segment of the intervention. During study 2 in 2019-20, they randomly assigned a total of 21 schools to We-Write with the computer software or a business-as-usual control group. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the team changed the research design to ensure all students received some intervention to overcome pandemic related learning losses. Thus, schools assigned to the intervention condition received We-Write while the control schools received the knowledge acquisition and transformation (KAT) reading intervention in studies 3 and 4. The team assessed students' writing skills at the beginning of the school year before participating in the study and at the end of the 15-week intervention.
Control condition
In studies 1 and 2, students in the control condition received standard classroom practices in place at the school. After the pandemic, the team changed the research design to ensure all children received some intervention to overcome pandemic related learning losses. Thus, in studies 3 and 4, students in the control condition received an active treatment with the knowledge acquisition and transformation (KAT) reading intervention.
Key measures
Researchers will assess writing outcomes with the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test III essay composition subtest, and with released writing prompts from the Texas STARR state standardized test. Other measures include experimenter-designed assessments of arguments, advance planning, and persuasive writing self-efficacy. Implementation fidelity and comparison group practices will be assessed using observations and teacher logs.
Data analytic strategy
The research team used multilevel modeling to examine the efficacy of We-Write on student writing outcomes (students are level 1, classrooms level 2, schools level 3, and districts level 4). Random assignment occurred at level 3. The researchers included pre-test scores as covariates in models with the post-test used as the outcome of interest.
Cost analysis strategy
The researchers used the ingredients method to determine the costs for the We-Write intervention. The costs were estimated for 15,734 students and 496 teachers served during this project. However, the We-Write platform provided a robust scalable, adaptable, and supportive (360 degrees of support) platform that was responsive to the challenges posed by the pandemic. The per student cost was estimated at $47.
Key outcomes
The main findings of this project are as follows:
- Teacher-led delivery of the intervention showed a strong impact (g=.87, p<.001) favoring the intervention schools. Stronger impacts (g=1.87) were reported for prompt adherence, a measure of the degree to which students discern and respond to all requirements of a writing prompt (McKeown et al., 2023).
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
Products: The products of this project include evidence of the efficacy of We-Write for 4th and 5th grade students' writing achievement, peer reviewed publications, and a publicly available dataset.
Project website:
Publications:
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Select Publications:
Camping, A., Stack, A., Bristow, A., Wijekumar, K., McKeown, D., Sierra, P., & Hotcaveg, S. (2023). An Analysis of Student Skills and Teacher Practices Across Writing Textbooks in Grades 4 and 5. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 1–18. Doi.org/10.1007/s10758-023-09691-5
McKeown, D., Wijekumar, K., Owens, J., Harris, K., Graham, S., Lei, P., & FitzPatrick, E. (2023). Professional development for evidence-based SRSD writing instruction: Elevating fourth grade outcomes. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 73, 102152.
Wijekumar, K., Lei, P-W, Turner III, H.W. (2023). Designing Large-scale Intervention Studies to Identify What Works in Writing. In F. De Smedt, S. Graham, T. Limpo, R. Bouwer (Eds.), Conceptualizing, Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Writing Interventions: Studies in Writing Series, pp.53-78.
Zhang, S., Mckeown, D., Wijekumar, K.. et al. (2024). Dimensionality of writing attitude, strategic use, and confidence: an investigation on Grade 4 students in a largely Hispanic setting. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 37(10), 2859–2881. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-023-10499-z
Available data:
Public data file is anticipated to be available in October 2024 (when the final manuscript is in press), and links to access the file will be posted on http://literacy.io/.
Related projects
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigators: Graham, Steve; Harris, Karen; McKeown, Debra; Lei, Pui-Wa; Meyer, Bonnie J.F.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
