A Comparison of Text Structure and Self-Regulated Writing Strategies for Composing From Sources by Middle School Students

Abstract

This study compared two techniques for teaching middle school students to compose from expository text sources, a common but difficult academic writing task. Classroom social studies content was used. Text structure instruction (TSI), which focused on text characteristics using graphic organizers, was compared with PLAN & WRITE for Summarization (PWS), a self-regulated strategy development intervention adapted from De La Paz (1999), which taught note-taking, composing, editing and revision, and self-monitoring. Compared to a traditional instruction control, each technique had unique impact, PWS on writing quality and content knowledge, and PWS on inclusion of main ideas in the written summary.

The data for this study appeared in a doctoral dissertation by Gillian A. Reynolds (Columbia University, 2006), conducted under the direction of Dolores Perin.

Notes

∗p < 0.05 (two-tailed);

∗∗p < 0.01 (two-tailed).

∗p < .01 (two-tailed); and

∗∗p < .001 (two-tailed).

∗p < .05 (two-tailed);

∗∗p < .001 (two-tailed).