Advertisement

Reading and Writing

, Volume 30, Issue 1, pp 25–50 | Cite as

Using peer assisted strategies to teach early writing: results of a pilot study to examine feasibility and promise

  • Cynthia S. Puranik
  • Melissa M. Patchan
  • Christopher J. Lemons
  • Stephanie Al Otaiba
Article
First Online:

Abstract

Despite the poor outcomes for U.S. students on national writing tests, overall research on how to teach writing is sparse, and this scarcity is more pronounced in the early years of beginning to write. In this study 81,200 we present preliminary findings from Year 1 of a 3-year Institute of Education Sciences-funded Goal 2 project aimed at improving the writing performance of kindergarten children. We designed peer assisted writing strategies (PAWS) and tested its feasibility and promise. Participants for this study were 86 kindergartners ranging in age from 62 to 76 months, recruited from five classes in two different schools. It was feasible for research staff to deliver PAWS, which combined the need to focus early writing instruction on critical transcription skills with an effective learning pedagogy (i.e., peer-assisted learning). Lessons that targeted writing letters focused on formation and fluency, and lessons that targeted spelling focused on teaching letter sound correspondence for spelling decodable words and recognition and spelling practice for sight words. Results indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the PAWS participants and the control children on the alphabet fluency and essay post-test measures. Thus preliminary results indicate that PAWS instruction helped children, on average, improve early writing skills. Directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords

Early writing Kindergarten Literacy Peer-assisted learning Transcription Writing instruction 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgments

Support for carrying out this research was provided in part by Grant R305A120368 from the Institute of Education Sciences. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the funding agencies. We are very grateful to the teachers, students and their parents for participating in this research project. Special thanks to Megan Paterra, Mary Sears, Emily Sobeck, and Kaylee Wynkoop for their help with this project.

References

  1. Abraham, W. T., & Russell, D. W. (2008). Statistical power analysis in psychological research. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2, 283–301. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-9004.2007.00052.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Alves, R. A., Limpo, T., Fidalgo, R., Carvalhais, L., Pereira, L. Á., & Castro, S. L. (2015). The Impact of promoting transcription on early text production: Effects on bursts and pauses, levels of written language, and writing performance. Journal of Educational Psychology,. doi: 10.1037/edu0000089.Google Scholar
  3. Anderson, T., & Shattuck, J. (2012). Design-based research: A decade of progress in education research? Educational Researcher, 41, 16–25. doi: 10.3102/0013189X11428813.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Behymer, A. (2003). Kindergarten writing workshop. The Reading Teacher, 57(2), 85–88.Google Scholar
  5. Bowen, D., Kreuter, M., Spring, B., Cofta-Woerpel, L., Linnan, L., Weiner, D., et al. (2009). How we design feasibility studies. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 36(5), 452–457. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2009.02.002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Cohen, J. (1977). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
  7. Coker, D. L., & Ritchey, K. D. (2010). Curriculum-based measurement of writing in kindergarten and first grade: An investigation of production and qualitative scores. Exceptional Children, 76(2), 175–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Craig, S. A. (2006). The effects of an adapted interactive writing intervention on kindergarten children’s phonological awareness, spelling, and early reading development: A contextualized approach to instruction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 714–731.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Delquadri, J. C., Greenwood, C. R., Whorton, D., Carta, J. J., & Hall, R. V. (1986). Classwide peer tutoring. Exceptional Children, 52(6), 535–542.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Dykstra Steinbrenner, J. R., Watson, L. R., Boyd, B. A., Wilson, K. P., Crais, E. R., Baranek, G. T., et al. (2015). Developing feasible and effective school-based interventions for children with ASD: A case study of the iterative development process. Journal of Early Intervention, 37(1), 23–43. doi: 10.1177/1053815115588827.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Ehri, L. C., & Wilce, L. S. (1987). Does learning to spell help beginners learn to read words? Reading Research Quarterly, 22(1), 37–65. doi: 10.2307/747720.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Flower, L., & Hayes, J. R. (1981). A cognitive process theory of writing. College Composition and Communication, 32(4), 365–387. doi: 10.2307/356600.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Fuchs, D., & Fuchs, L. S. (2005). Peer-assisted learning strategies: Promoting word recognition, fluency, and reading comprehension in young children. Journal of Special Education, 39, 34–44. doi: 10.1177/00224669050390010401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., Kazdan, S., & Allen, S. (1999). Effects of peer-assisted learning strategies in reading with and without training in elaborated help giving. Elementary School Journal, 99, 201–219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., Mathes, P. G., & Simmons, D. C. (1997). Peer-assisted learning strategies: Making classrooms more responsive to diversity. American Education Research Journal, 34(1), 174–206. doi: 10.3102/00028312034001174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., Svenson, E., Yen, L., Thompson, A., McMaster, K. L., et al. (2001a). Peer-assisted learning strategies: First grade reading. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University.Google Scholar
  17. Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., Thompson, A., Al Otaiba, S., Yen, L., & Mcmaster, K. L. (2001b). Peer-assisted learning strategies: Kindergarten reading. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University.Google Scholar
  18. Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., Thompson, A., Svenson, E., Yen, L., & Al Otaiba, S. (2001c). Peer-assisted learning strategies in reading: Extensions for kindergarten, first grade, and high school. Remedial and Special Education, 22(1), 15–21. doi: 10.1177/074193250102200103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Graham, S. (1999). Handwriting and spelling instruction for students with learning disabilities: A review. Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 22(2), 79–98. doi: 10.2307/1511268.Google Scholar
  20. Graham, S., Berninger, V. W., Abbott, R. D., Abbott, S. P., & Whitaker, D. (1997). Role of mechanics in composing of elementary school students: A new methodological approach. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 170–182. doi: 10.1037/0022-0663.89.1.170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Graham, S., & Hebert, M. (2010). Writing to read: Evidence for how writing can improve reading. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.Google Scholar
  22. Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). A meta-analysis of writing instruction for adolescent students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 445–476. doi: 10.1037/0022-0663.99.3.445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Hall, N. (1987). The emergence of literacy. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Google Scholar
  24. Hayes, J. R. (1996). A new framework for understanding cognition and affect in writing. The science of writing: Theories, methods, individual differences, and applications (pp. 1–27). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
  25. Hayes, J. R., & Berninger, V. W. (2009). Relationships between idea generation and transcription: How the act of writing shapes what children write. In R. K. Bravermen, K. Lunsford, S. McLeod, S. Null, & A. S. P. Rogers (Eds.), Traditions of writing research. New York: Taylor and Frances/Routledge.Google Scholar
  26. Hudson, R. F., Lane, H. B., & Mercer, C. D. (2005). Writing prompts: The role of various priming conditions on the compositional fluency of developing writers. Reading and Writing, 18, 473–495. doi: 10.1007/s11145-004-7042-2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Institute of Education Science. (2011). National Center for Education Research, RFA 84-305A2012-2.Google Scholar
  28. Jones, D., & Christensen, C. A. (1999). Relationship between automaticity in handwriting and students’ ability to generate written text. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 44–49. doi: 10.1037/0022-0663.91.1.44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Juel, C. (1988). Learning to read and write: A longitudinal study of 54 children from first through fourth grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 437–447. doi: 10.1037/0022-0663.80.4.437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. Lonigan, C. J., Blommfield, B. G., Anthony, J. L., Bacon, K. D., Phillips, B. M., & Samwel, C. S. (1999). Relations among emergent literacy skills, behavior problems, and social competencies in preschool children from low-and middle-income backgrounds. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 19(1), 40–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Lysaker, J. T., Wheat, J., & Benson, E. (2010). Children’s spontaneous play in Writer’s Workshops. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 10(2), 209–229. doi: 10.1177/1468798410363835.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. Mathes, P. G., Grek, M. L., Howard, J. K., Babyak, A. E., & Allen, S. H. (1999). Peer-assisted learning strategies for first-grade readers: A tool for preventing early reading failure. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 14(1), 50–60. doi: 10.1207/sldrp1401_5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. Mathes, P. G., Howard, J. K., Allen, S. H., & Fuchs, D. (1998). Peer-assisted learning strategies for first-grade readers: Responding to the needs of diverse learners. Reading Research Quarterly, 33(1), 62–94. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.33.1.4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. McMaster, K. L., Du, X., & Petursdottir, A. L. (2009). Technical features of curriculum-based measures for beginning writers. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 42, 41–60. doi: 10.1177/0022219408326212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  35. National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). The nation’s report card: Writing 2011. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main2011/2012470.pdf.
  36. National Commission on Writing for America’s Families, Schools, and Colleges. (2003). The neglected R: The need for a writing revolution. http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/writingcom/neglectedr.pdf.
  37. O’Connor, R. E., & Jenkins, J. R. (1995). Improving the generalization of sound/symbol knowledge: Teaching spelling to kindergarten children with disabilities. The Journal of Special Education, 29(3), 255–275. doi: 10.1177/002246699502900301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. Ouellette, G. P., & Sénéchal, M. (2008). A window into early literacy: Exploring the cognitive and linguistic underpinnings of invented spelling. Scientific Studies of Reading, 12, 195–219. doi: 10.1080/10888430801917324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  39. Penuel, W. R., Fishman, B. J., Cheng, B. H., & Sabelli, N. (2011). Organizing research and development at the intersection of learning, implementation, and design. Educational Researcher, 40(7), 331–337. doi: 10.3102/0013189X11421826.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  40. Prior, P. (2006). A sociocultural theory of writing. In C. A. MacArthur, S. Graham, & J. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Handbook of writing research. New York: The Guilford Press.Google Scholar
  41. Puranik, C. S., & Al Otaiba, S. (2012). Examining the contribution of handwriting and spelling to written expression in kindergarten children. Reading and Writing, 25(7), 1523–1546. doi: 10.1007/s11145-011-9331-x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. Puranik, C. S., Al Otaiba, S., Folson Sidler, J., & Greulich, L. (2014). Exploring the amount and type of writing instruction during language arts instruction in kindergarten classrooms. Reading and Writing, 27, 213–236. doi: 10.1007/s11145-013-9441-8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Puranik, C. S., Lonigan, C. J., & Kim, Y. S. (2011). Contributions of emergent literacy skills to name writing, letter writing, and spelling in preschool children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26(4), 465–474. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2011.03.002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Rijlaarsdam, G., Braaksma, M., Couzijin, M., Janssen, T., Raedts, M., van Steendam, E., & van den Bergh, H. (2008). Observation of peers in learning to write: Practice and research. Journal of Writing Research, 1(1), 53–83. doi: 10.17239/jowr-2008.01.01.3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  45. Roberts, K., & Wibbens, E. (2010). Writing first: Preparing the teachers of our youngest writers. In G. Trioia, R. Shankland, & A. Heintz (Eds.), Putting writing research into practice: Applications for teacher professional development (pp. 179–205). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
  46. Salahu-Din, D., Persky, H., & Miller, J. (2008). The nation’s report card: Writing 2007. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main2007/2008468.pdf.
  47. Scarborough, H. (1998). Early identification of children at risk for reading disabilities. Timonium, MD: York Press.Google Scholar
  48. Share, D. L., Jorm, A. F., MacLean, R., & Mathews, R. (1984). Sources of individual differences in reading acquisition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 1309–1324. doi: 10.1037/0022-0663.76.6.1309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  49. Spira, E. G., Bracken, S. S., & Fischel, J. E. (2005). Predicting improvement after first-grade reading difficulties: The effects of oral language, emergent literacy, and behavior skills. Developmental Psychology, 41, 225–234. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.41.1.225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  50. Tangel, D. M., & Blachman, B. A. (1992). Effect of phoneme awareness instruction on kindergarten children’s invented spelling. Journal of Reading Behavior, 24(2), 233–261. doi: 10.1080/10862969209547774.Google Scholar
  51. Trioia, G., Shankland, R., & Heintz, A. (2010). Putting writing research into practice: Applications for teacher professional development. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
  52. Vandervelden, M. C., & Siegel, L. S. (1997). Teaching phonological processing skills in early literacy: A developmental approach. Learning Disability Quarterly, 20(2), 63–81. doi: 10.2307/1511215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  53. Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (trans: Cole, M., John-Steiner, V., Scribner, S., & Souberman, E.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
  54. Whitaker, D., Berninger, V., Johnston, J., & Swanson, H. L. (1994). Intraindividual differences in levels of language in intermediate grade writers: Implications for the translating process. Learning and Individual Differences, 6(1), 107–130. doi: 10.1016/1041-6080(94)90016-7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  • Cynthia S. Puranik
    • 1
  • Melissa M. Patchan
    • 1
  • Christopher J. Lemons
    • 2
  • Stephanie Al Otaiba
    • 3
  1. 1.Georgia State UniversityAtlantaUSA
  2. 2.Peabody College of Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleUSA
  3. 3.Southern Methodist UniversityDallasUSA

Personalised recommendations

Cite article

Buy options