The Role of Authentic Writing Instruction

in a Child’s Literacy DevelopmentJennifer Garich

READ 5493May 5, 2012

What is Authentic Writing?Reflect real life experiences“A writer who is writing to a real reader...” (Duke et

al., 2006, p. 346)

Why is this topic important to me?

Why is this topic important for the field of education?

Research ProcessAuthentic LearningWriting InstructionRelevanceAudience

MotivationChoiceOwnershipWriting Achievement

FindingsRelevance to Real LifeWriting for Real Purposes & Audiences

Blogging – McGrail & Davis (2011)Letter Writing Program – Chohan (2011)

Relevant to Personal LifeWriting Topics – Lo & Hyland (2007)

FindingsSocially-Constructed LearningValue of Teaching and Learning from Others

Pen Pal Project – Gambrell et al. (2011)Blogging Community – McGrail & Davis (2011)

Feedback Leads to Writing ImprovementMagazine Project – Schwieter (2010)

FindingsMotivation and EngagementPositive Self-PerceptionsPersonal Involvement

Writing Topics – Lo & Hyland (2007)Value of Literacy Tasks

Open vs. Closed Tasks – Turner (1995)

FindingsGrowth in Writing AbilityEnhanced Self-ConfidenceIncrease in Writing FluencyImprovement in Writing

Authentic/Explicit Teaching – Purcell-Gates et al. (2007)

Letter Writing Program – Chohan (2011)Open vs. Closed Tasks – Turner (1995)

ImplicationsHow do these findings affect writing instruction within classrooms?

Narrow Writing CurriculumState-Level Writing Assessments and School Accountability

Teacher Beliefs about WritingInfluence Approach to Writing Instruction

DiscussionHow do these findings support my research question?

Improvement in Literacy AbilitiesInspire and Motivate ChildrenPositive Self-Perceptions of Writing AbilitiesIncreased Levels of Cognitive EngagementLimitations

Few Quantitative StudiesLimited Age Levels & BackgroundsSmall Sample Sizes

ReferencesChohan, S. K. (2011). Any letter for me? Relationships between an elementary school letter writing program and student attitudes, literacy achievement, and friendship culture. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(1), 39-50. Duke, N. K., Purcell-Gates, V., Hall, L. A., & Tower, C. (2006). Authentic literacy activities for developing comprehension and writing. Reading Teacher, 60(4), 344-355.Gambrell, L. (2011). Authentic reading, writing, and discussion: An exploratory study of a pen pal project. The Elementary School Journal, 112(2), 234. Lipson, M. Y., Mosenthal, J., Daniels, P., & Woodside-Jiron, H. (2000). Process writing in the classrooms of eleven fifth-grade teachers with different orientations to teaching and learning. The Elementary School Journal, 101(2), 209-231. Lo, J. & Hyland, F. (2007). Enhancing students' engagement and motivation in writing: The case of primary students in Hong Kong. Journal of Second Language Writing, 16(4), 219-237. McGrail, E., & Davis, A. (2011). The influence of classroom blogging on elementary student writing. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 25(4), 415-437.Olinghouse, N. G., Zheng, J., & Morlock, L. (2012). State writing assessment: Inclusion of motivational factors in writing tasks. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 28(1), 97-119. Purcell-Gates, V., Degener, S. C., Jacobson, E., & Soler, M. (2002). Impact of authentic adult literacy instruction on adult literacy practices. Reading Research Quarterly, 37(1), 70-92. Purcell-Gates, V., Duke, N. K., & Martineau, J. A. (2007). Learning to read and write genre- specific text: Roles of authentic experience and explicit teaching. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(1), 8-45. Schwieter, J. W. (2010). Developing second language writing through scaffolding in the ZPD: A magazine project for an authentic audience. Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 7(10), 31-45. Turner, J. C. (1995). The influence of classroom contexts on young children's motivation for literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 30(3), 410.